The former chief of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Chris Krebs has resigned from his position as chief intelligence and public policy officer of SentinelOne following a direct call out in an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump.

Krebs was fired from the CISA by Trump in November 2020 after he said that the 2020 election, which then and current President Trump lost to Joe Biden, was “the most secure in American history.”

A week ago, President Trump issued an executive order directly calling out Krebs as well as naming his employer, SentinelOne.

The order said that all security clearances of any of Kreb’s associates, including SentinelOne should be suspended, pending a review.

It directly called Krebs a “bad-faith actor who weaponised and abused his Government authority.”

The order read: “Krebs’ misconduct involved the censorship of disfavored speech implicating the 2020 election and COVID-19 pandemic.

“Krebs, through CISA, falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen, including by inappropriately and categorically dismissing widespread election malfeasance and serious vulnerabilities with voting machines.”

Following the order, Krebs resigned about a week later from his position at SentinelOne, which he began in 2023.

Krebs shared an internal email he sent announcing his resignation from SentinelOne, which said that his decision to leave was “mine alone.”

“For those who know me, you know I don’t shy away from tough fights. But I also know that this is one I need to take on fully – outside of SentinelOne,” the email read.

“This will require my complete focus and energy. It’s a fight for democracy, for freedom of speech, and for the rule of law. I’m prepared to give it everything I’ve got.”

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The targeting of Krebs is a shocking use of US governmental power to oust any perceived opposition to the current regime.

The tech and cybersecurity industry seem stumped on how to respond – Reuters reportedly asked for a reaction from 33 different cyber firms, which all either declined to comment or did not respond at all.

Krebs left his previous workplace with this: “Cybersecurity is national security. SentinelOne is at the forefront of that mission – every day. You are on the frontlines, protecting millions who rely on us. The world is becoming more connected, and the stake are only rising. Embrace this. Internalise it. Think ahead.”