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CityAndStateNY.com
February 14, 2022
Will Russia sic its hackers on New York? State and local leaders are bolstering cybersecurity defenses at key agencies against potential threats. By Annie McDonough
Westchester County Executive George Latimer also announced a cybersecurity task force recently.
G
EORGE LATIMER IS pretty sure that Westchester County’s critical infrastructure isn’t at the top of the Kremlin’s list of targets for cyberwarfare. But as cybersecurity experts and federal leaders warned of an increased threat of cyberattacks on Western targets – including local governments – following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Westchester County executive isn’t taking any chances. “The Ukrainian situation has, I think, raised the stakes in people’s minds,” Latimer told City & State. “Do I think they’re going to pick Westchester County out of the crowd? I don’t know. But you can’t assume anything. I think we’re heading into a period of time of greater jeopardy, greater vigilance.” Following Russia’s provocations and now invasion of Ukraine, local and state officials have talked about bolstering the defenses of critical infrastructure and other high-interest targets, including transportation networks, power grids and financial institutions. “Pretty much anything that they can do that will cause disruption and perhaps damage,” said Justin Cappos, a professor in the computer science and engineering department at New York University, when asked what kinds of systems attackers would want to target. “Imagine dropping a bomb on something as part of a war, the kinds of things you’d want to target for that – water treatment facilities and power dams and other systems like that.” The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance im-
Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the creation of the Joint Security Operations Center on Feb. 22.
ploring public and private institutions to be on high alert. “While there are no specific or credible cyber threats to the U.S. homeland at this time, Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which has involved cyber-attacks on Ukrainian government and critical infrastructure organizations, may impact organizations both within and beyond the region, particularly in the wake of sanctions imposed by the United States and our Allies,” according to the agency’s website. “Every organization – large and small – must be prepared to respond to disruptive cyber activity.” On Feb. 22, Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and several other local mayors announced a new joint cybersecurity command center that will pool resources and coordinate responses to threats between the state and local governments. A day later, Latimer held a press conference announcing a new cybersecurity task force
