Hochul details cybersecurity plan as Russia invades Ukraine
ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans Tuesday for a new “Joint Security Operations Center” that she said will strengthen local and state governments from the increasing threat of cyber attacks.
The roll out of the plan was presented on the backdrop of an immediate cybersecurity threat that U.S. officials have warned about due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“That is not sustainable in light of the threats that we are seeing,” Hochul said in Brooklyn Tuesday afternoon. “We can’t expect cities and counties to go at it alone. They don’t have the resources; they don’t have the technological know how.”
The team, Hochul said, is expected to bring together groups that previously did not communicate directly with each other to help the state enhance its cybersecurity efforts. She called it a “first in the nation” hub for data sharing and cyber coordination and urged other states to follow suit.
Hochul hopes to spend $62 million in security-related services, which could assist both the state and local governments with endpoint detection and response, intrusion detection, vulnerability scanning and data backup, according to budget documents. The governor’s briefing book states $44 million would be used toward cybersecurity for similar causes.
There were 85 reported “cyber events” in local government agencies between 2020 and 2021, according to the governor’s office.
The governor’s plans add onto a host of existing cybersecurity measures the state already funds. Hochul did not explain the preexisting programs in her news conference.The programs are intended to work together to provide a more centralized view of the issues, according to the governor’s office.
Since 2017, New York has had a “Cyber Incident Response Team,” which provides services for local governments, non-executive branch state agencies and public authorities.
The program, under the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, offers both proactive and reactive services. It is budgeted for $4.5 million in Hochul’s proposed budget and could grow by the equivalent of…
