US cybersecurity chief caught sharing sensitive data in ChatGPT, says Politico
Illustrative photo: Use of AI services is prohibited at CISA (Getty Images)
A scandal has erupted in the US over a possible data leak. Last summer, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency uploaded internal documents to the public version of ChatGPT, Politico reports.
According to the outlet, in August 2025, the acting head of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Madhu Gottumukkala, decided to upload documents marked "for official use only" to the public version of the AI service ChatGPT.
The documents were not classified but contained sensitive information related to contracts signed by the agency. Uploading them to a public model created the risk that the materials could be used by other OpenAI users - more than 700 million worldwide.
Notably, Gottumukkala, now the highest-ranking official at CISA, had requested special permission to use ChatGPT after taking office, as access to AI services is typically blocked due to data-leak risks.
The incident was detected by CISA’s cybersecurity systems, which triggered multiple security protocols and prompted an internal investigation. Commenting on the situation, CISA said ChatGPT had been used on a limited basis and within the scope of a temporary authorization. Public AI services remain blocked within the agency.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a federal body responsible for protecting government networks from sophisticated cyberattacks, including potential threats posed by hackers from Russia and China.
In early December 2025, US authorities concluded another data-leak scandal. The acting Pentagon inspector general submitted findings to Congress related to an investigation into the Signal messenger scandal involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
That scandal dates back to March 2025, when The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, gained access to a closed Signal chat discussing strikes on Yemeni Houthi positions. He was accidentally added to the chat by then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.
On May 1, President Donald Trump announced that Waltz had been dismissed from his post. The chief of staff to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joe Kasper, and three other officials were also fired. Hegseth himself became implicated in the scandal, prompting an investigation.
