New York rolls out statewide cyber command center amid Russian attacks in Ukraine

Dive Brief:
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with the mayors of Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester and Yonkers, unveiled the creation of a Joint Security Operations Center (JSOC) on Tuesday that they say will be a first-of-its-kind center for cybersecurity coordination across the state.

The state’s institutions, governments and critical infrastructure – including water, transportation and power sources – are all vulnerable, Hochul said at a Tuesday press conference. “We cannot expect cities and counties to go it alone,” she said on Tuesday, as tensions between Russia and Ukraine were becoming increasingly volatile. Russia invaded Ukraine late the next day, according to news reports.

Adams also signed an executive order that requires each New York City agency to designate a cyber command liaison to “share information, monitor threats and adopt best practices around cybersecurity,” according to the announcement.