Madhu Gottumukkala, a native of Kakinada and the acting head of a key US cyber security body, has come under scrutiny after allegedly uploading sensitive internal documents to ChatGPT, according to reports by a US-based media outlet.
Gottumukkala is currently serving as the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is responsible for safeguarding US government networks and critical infrastructure from cyber threats.
At the time of the incident, the use of ChatGPT was blocked for most employees of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under which CISA operates.
Media reports say Gottumukkala had obtained special permission from the agency’s IT wing to use ChatGPT for limited and short-term work purposes.
While the documents uploaded were reportedly not classified, they were marked “For Official Use Only,” indicating sensitive government information not meant for public sharing.
The uploads triggered automated security alerts within CISA in August last year, prompting an internal review to assess whether the incident posed any risk to national security.
Concerns were raised because information entered into the public version of ChatGPT is shared with the platform’s developer and may be used to improve responses for other users.
Given CISA’s role in protecting sensitive data and systems, the incident attracted serious attention within the agency.
Responding to the reports, CISA’s public affairs office stated that Gottumukkala had been granted approval to use ChatGPT under strict conditions and only for a limited period.
It added that access to the tool remains blocked by default for employees unless special permission is granted.
Gottumukkala, who has over two decades of experience in information technology, was appointed deputy director of CISA in May and soon took over as acting director.
He is currently the senior-most political official in the agency until a permanent director is confirmed.
As per his LinkedIn profile, he completed his schooling at Kakinada Public School and earned his engineering degree in electronics and communication engineering from Andhra University.
