Madhu Gottumukkala, an American engineering executive of Indian origin, is currently under scrutiny after allegedly uploading sensitive documents to a public version of ChatGPT. As Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Gottumukkala's actions have triggered security alerts and an internal review by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Born on October 29, 1976, Gottumukkala earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Andhra University in India before moving to the United States for further education. He holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Dakota State University. Gottumukkala has over 24 years of experience in information technology, working in both government and private industry. Before his role at CISA, he served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Commissioner for South Dakota's Bureau of Information and Technology, and as the state's Chief Technology Officer.

In May 2025, Gottumukkala assumed the roles of Acting Director and Deputy Director of CISA. CISA is responsible for protecting the nation's critical infrastructure against cyber and physical threats.

The controversy surrounding Gottumukkala stems from an incident that allegedly occurred last summer. According to reports, he uploaded documents marked "for official use only" to a public instance of ChatGPT. These documents included CISA contracting documents, which are considered sensitive and not for public release. Although the documents were not classified, their upload triggered multiple automated security warnings designed to prevent the theft or unintentional disclosure of government material.

It has been reported that Gottumukkala had sought and received special authorization from CISA's tech office to use the AI tool shortly after his arrival in May, while the application remained strictly prohibited for all other employees within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A routine audit of Gottumukkala's prompts to ChatGPT detected the violations, leading to intervention by senior DHS officials.

The incident has sparked debate about the risks associated with using public AI tools for government work. Experts warn that uploaded data can be retained, breached, or used to inform responses to other users.

Adding to the turmoil, Gottumukkala reportedly failed a polygraph test in July after requesting access to a controlled access program. He also allegedly sought to suspend the CISA officials who administered the test and attempted to fire the agency's chief information officer (CIO). During a congressional panel, Gottumukkala addressed the polygraph claims, stating that he did "not accept the premise of that characterization".

Lawmakers have raised concerns about workforce cuts and personnel decisions at CISA under Gottumukkala's leadership. Some Democrats have expressed worries that the cuts have weakened the nation's cyber defenses.