Governor Hochul Announces Expansion of State's Major Investments in Cybersecurity Initiatives

Press Release

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $35.2 million in new funding as part of the 2023 State of the State to support cybersecurity enhancements statewide, including the expansion of shared services to local governments that help identify security gaps that could be exploited by an adversary. Building upon nation-leading legislation to protect against cyberthreats to the State's energy grid recently signed by the Governor, the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services will establish a first-ever in specialized industrial control system assessment team to help protect critical infrastructure and manufacturing systems across the state and make those systems more resilient to cyberattacks.

"The frequency, magnitude, and impact of cyber-attacks have increased, but we will continue to take bold measures to secure and protect New York's critical infrastructure," Governor Hochul said. "The Industrial Control Systems assessment team, coupled with record investments, will support physical security and cybersecurity assessment programs to help facilities improve their cybersecurity posture, creating a safer and more secure Empire State."

This $35.2 million increase builds upon Governor Hochul's historic, $61.9 million cybersecurity investment in the FY 2023 Budget. New York's leadership in finance, energy, transportation, health care, semiconductors, and other critical fields makes the state a target for cyberattacks and other cyber threats, and the frequency, magnitude, and impact of these events continue to increase. Ransomware attacks, in which hackers hold data and systems hostage, rose 13 percent nationwide in 2021​, and since 2017, more than 3,600 state, local, and tribal governments across the country have been attacked.

The DHSES' Office of Counterterrorism will create the industrial control systems (ICS) assessment team to better protect residents from cyberattacks and their effects. Working alongside the agency's physical security and cybersecurity assessment programs, the team will help energy, transportation, manufacturing and other critical infrastructure systems to improve their overall security posture and make their industrial control systems more resilient to cyberattacks.

New York State Chief Cyber Officer Colin Ahern said, "As the threats to our digital infrastructure continue to evolve and grow in sophistication, it is more important than ever that we invest in the resources to protect New Yorkers from cyber threats. Governor Hochul's continued leadership will help ensure that New York's critical infrastructure grows more resilient against these threats."

New York State Chief Information Officer Angelo "Tony" Riddick said, "These historic investments in cybersecurity advanced by Governor Hochul will build on the progress we made in the last year establishing JSOC and implementing effective endpoint detection technology for awareness and action, and is consistent with our whole of state approach, where the state and local governments face down these challenges together. As the state agency charged with protecting the state's systems from intrusion or attack, we know the threat is real and thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing enhanced cybersecurity once again this year so we can better secure our assets and protect all New Yorkers."

New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, "New York has ramped up its cyber defense capabilities under Governor Hochul's leadership and 2023 will continue to build on these historic investments. Making our critical infrastructure more resilient has never been more important. DHSES looks forward to building on our partnerships with Critical Infrastructure operators to enhance cybersecurity and limit disruptions in the years ahead."

The proposed funding will also support the provision of cybersecurity services to county and local governments in FY 2024 and beyond, building upon Governor Hochul's creation of the first New York State Joint Security Operations Center. These shared services help county and local governments assess and remedy gaps in their cyber defenses. The shared services complement the State's ongoing efforts to build a common picture of cyber threats shared by cybersecurity teams from federal, state, city and county governments, publicly and privately owned critical infrastructure, and State agencies including the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Office of Information Technology Services, New York State Police, among others.

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