Albany on Wednesday unveiled the nation’s first-ever statewide cybersecurity strategy aimed at protecting New York’s digital infrastructure from cyber threats.
The Strategy articulates, for the first time, a set of high-level objectives for cybersecurity and resilience across New York. It clarifies agency roles and responsibilities, outlines how existing and planned initiatives and investments knit together into a unified approach, and reiterates the State’s commitment to providing services, advice, and assistance to county and local governments. New York State’s cybersecurity strategy provides public and private stakeholders with a roadmap for cyber risk mitigation and outlines a plan to protect critical infrastructure, networks, data, and technology systems.
“Our interconnected world demands an interconnected defense leveraging every resource available,” Governor Hochul said. “This strategy sets forth a nation-leading blueprint to ensure New York State stands ready and resilient in the face of cyber threats.”
The strategy unifies New York’s cybersecurity services in order to safeguard critical infrastructure, personal information and digital assets from malicious actors. It also provides a framework to align the actions and resources of both private and public stakeholders, including county and other local governments.
Hochul said New York’s cybersecurity strategy is not just about protecting its digital assets. It is about ensuring the safety and security of all New Yorkers and maintaining the ability to function and thrive in the digital age.
The state’s comprehensive cybersecurity strategy is defined by three central principles: Unification, Resilience, and Preparedness. In a release announcing the strategy, the state said, “When taken together, New York State can lean on these tenets to present a unified and more resilient defense against new and more sophisticated cyber threats; preventing the vast majority of attacks but also isolating, controlling and mitigating potential threats; and preparing, adapting and always being ready for the cyber challenges of the future. This strategy offers a blueprint for cybersecurity stakeholders across New York, from State agencies to local governments, to understand how they fit into a larger plan. The blueprint provides objectives, lines of effort, and a commitment from the Governor that they can use when doing future planning and program design.”
Governor Hochul also signed legislation to expand New York’s technology talent pool and provide funding to help ensure that New York-based employers are able to hire and retain necessary cybersecurity personnel.
