Additional cyber security for New York State governments

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--The Joint Security Operations Center based in Brooklyn, is a new command center. It's goal is to make sure all levels of government in New York State are protected from cyberattacks.

"The JSOC as we call it, is intended to help us bring all of the information that local governments, the state, our critical infrastructure partners collect on cyber incursions together so that we can more rapidly respond and to make sure that if someone is attacked in Schenectady, we know immediately and we can protect everyone else if they have similar vulnerabilities," explained Jackie Bray, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

$30 million is now going towards endpoint protection software for 57 counties, well as the cities of Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, and Yonkers. This will be at no cost to them.

"It goes on your devices, it goes on servers. To sort of block cyber attacks at that point so that it cannot get into your network," said Bray.

The City of Albany knows just how important cyber protections can be. Back in 2019, there was a ransomware attack. Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said luckily it was shut down quickly. She applauds the state for now offering this added security.

"This is going to result in some savings for the City of Albany. With the state providing that service to us and it is going to again, allow us to instead of doing this locally as a city on our own," stated Sheehan. It’s really taking it and bringing it up to a much larger pool. So it allows us to be faster and more nimble in responding."

Cyberattacks on local governments can impact so much more than just city halls and county office buildings.

"The stuff that we worry about the most isn’t the executive decision maker or the email, it’s really stuff like operating technology," said Bray. "The system that you use to dispatch your first responders. Or your local water systems, your local transportation, or electricity systems."

Bray said it’s important systems like these that they want to make sure stay protected.