Illinois joins states setting up cyber units
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Gov. JB Pritzker announced the Illinois Cyber Security Commission to boost cybersecurity and coordinate efforts across all levels of government.
Illinois is the latest state to set up a cybersecurity commission.
On March 25, Gov. JB Pritzker announced the Illinois Cyber Security Commission, which will coordinate efforts across all levels of government to build and enhance cybersecurity by identifying and disrupting cyberattacks, establishing regional critical infrastructure cyber response teams and developing cross-sector and community training and exercises for critical infrastructure partners.
The Commission will include the state’s Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Innovation and Technology, the attorney general, the National Guard and state police. It plans to leverage information from information technology, communications and defense industrial base companies as well as critical infrastructure partners such as energy, financial services, health care, public health, water and wastewater organizations.
“This Commission will help create and expand partnerships to foster continual learning and information sharing to ensure the safety and resiliency of our digital infrastructure,” Illinois Homeland Security Advisor Alicia Tate-Nadeau said. “It is essential to have this Cyber Security Commission in place with our most trusted partners to ensure statewide cyber safety operations for everyone in the State of Illinois.”
Earlier this month, North Carolina officially established its own cybersecurity task force, centered on protecting the state’s information technology networks and critical infrastructure.
New York’s Joint Security Operations Center will bring federal, state, county and local cybersecurity data sharing efforts under the newly established Joint Security Operations Center to improve incident response and provide a holistic view of the cyber-threat landscape.
In October, Utah launched a task force to promote cybersecurity awareness, share information, identify cybersecurity assets and resources, and promote best practices to enhance cyber capabilities and response.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Information Resources and the Department of Public Safety to use their resources to safeguard critical infrastructure and to help local governments and school districts with their needs. And Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order directing the state’s Office of Information Technology to focus on protecting critical infrastructure from Russian cyberattacks or misinformation efforts.
In the wake of the war in Ukraine, state and local government agencies are on high alert for disruptions from Russian state-sponsored hackers. A number of cybersecurity tools are available for free to state and local agencies