DHS CISO Departs After Driving AI, Risk-Based Security

Hemant Baidwan stepped down as CISO at the Department of Homeland Security after two years leading efforts to scale artificial intelligence securely and accelerate zero-trust adoption across the department. He has since transitioned to industry, where he now serves as CISO at Knox Systems, marking the end of his 15-year tenure at DHS.

During his time as DHS CISO, Baidwan’s two priorities were enabling secure AI deployment and strengthening zero-trust practices to defend department networks, he told GovCIO Media & Research in an interview Monday.

AI tools were rapidly growing in capability and availability when he became CISO in 2024, he explained. These tools offered DHS personnel increased efficiency and speed to carry out the mission. However, they also became widely available to adversaries.

“My number one priority was how do we make sure that we’re defending against the risk from adversaries also using AI? How are we making sure that we are securely enabling the use of AI internally for our operations to support our workforce,” Baidwan said.

DHS shifted its cybersecurity approach from a compliance-driven model to one focused on risk management to better respond to the changing threat landscape. Baidwan also prioritized advancing zero-trust initiatives. While DHS was already well positioned in this area, rapidly evolving adversary tactics required continued progress. The department focused on strengthening identity and network access controls to stay ahead of threats.

A key component of that effort was DHS’ Unified Cybersecurity Maturity Model (UCMM), which enables granular vulnerability assessments across systems. The department secured a patent for the model, allowing security teams to simulate system compromises, assess potential impacts and identify mitigation strategies.

These capabilities, combined with risk modeling, enabled DHS to better prioritize resources and target high-risk areas, Baidwan said.

Coordinating zero trust and AI initiatives across an organization as large as DHS presents challenges. The department has roughly 270,000 federal employees, spanning multiple components with distinct missions and requiring careful coordination to ensure cybersecurity changes do not disrupt operations.

Baidwan said one of his first actions was developing a departmentwide cybersecurity strategy alongside the UCMM. That effort brought together component CISOs, cybersecurity teams, procurement and financial stakeholders. The combined input was critical for the department to move forward with speed and efficiency, he said.

Collaboration also extended to industry, particularly in supply chain management. He noted that when the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification was introduced, DHS created a similar model to assess vendor cybersecurity posture.

Baidwan said the foundations established at DHS, particularly around zero trust and risk-based security, will remain critical as the threat environment continues to evolve.

“Now we just need to make sure that we are continuing to prioritize, accelerate those things,” he said.

He urged the DHS leadership to remain focused on reducing risk while empowering personnel.

“The threat environment will change, tools will change, but the workforce will always remain critical,” Baidwan said. “None of this happens without the right people.”