Among increased cyber attacks on the U.S. and little movement for legislation on Capitol Hill, states are stepping up to take cybersecurity into their own hands.
Home to many of the nation’s leading technology companies, California this month announced a new, state-led cybersecurity task force.
According to a report, the task force is comprised of state government officials and private sector leaders who will aim to enhance cyber collaboration and develop a framework to address some of the nation’s top cybersecurity challenges.
“California really is out in front of other states,” California State CIO Carlos Ramos said regarding the new task force. “We’ve seen a number of areas, particularly in technology, where governments tend to follow our lead. I am quite hopeful, from that perspective – the framework and the work that we do here – that other states will take and emulate and put in place across the country.”
New York is also taking the initiative to move on cybersecurity. Just one week after hackers stole $2.8 million from A.T.M. machines in Manhattan, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced to formation of the Governor’s Cyber Security Advisory Board.
Aiming to create recommendations to protect the state’s critical assets and infrastructure from cyber attacks, the advisory board consists of members from the public and private sectors, including former White House Cybersecurity Advisor Richard Clarke, former White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt and Sony Corporation Senior Vice President Phil Reitinger, who previously led the DHS National Cyber Security Center.
“Recent reports of cyber attacks on governments and corporations are further evidence that our physical and virtual worlds are increasingly intertwined and the need to increase cybersecurity to guard against these threats is urgent,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. “In the 21st century, almost all of our daily activities are linked to the internet – from banking to shopping to using our telecommunications networks and physical infrastructure systems.”
“Our federal government is working to combat emerging cybersecurity threats on a national level, and our state must do its part. Just as we protect against crime on our streets, we must also work to defend New Yorkers from cyber threats, ranging from identity theft to consumer fraud to threats to our physical infrastructure.”
