New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, along with the mayors of Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers, unveiled the new Joint Security Operations Center (JSOC) to bolster New York State’s ability to combat cybersecurity threats and attacks.
“Technology runs our water, controls our electricity, and notifies us during an emergency, so cyber-attacks [can] bring our entire city to a halt if we are not prepared,” said Mayor Adams in a statement. “Our city is a prime target for those who want to cause destruction, and while New York City Cyber Command is already a national model for impeding these threats, it’s time our cybersecurity gets moved to the next level.”
The center, which will be based out of Brooklyn, will be a first-of-its-kind hub for coordinating cybersecurity efforts across New York State; helping to foster collaboration among city, state, and Federal entities. The JSOC will take an integrated and holistic approach to harden cyber defenses across the city and the state, building on the cyber infrastructure New York City has developed in recent years.
“New York has the opportunity to pioneer an integrated, statewide approach to cybersecurity,” said Gov. Hochul. “Cybersecurity threats pose a risk to every facet of our lives. That’s why I put improving our cyber infrastructure at the forefront of my administration as we chart a course to better protect our state and our citizens.”
The center will be staffed by the New York City Cyber Command (NYC3) Federal and state law enforcement entities, and representatives from local and county governments. The command center will strengthen New York State’s threat detection capability by centralizing telemetry data, allowing officials to assess and monitor potential threats in real-time. The JSOC will also streamline threat intelligence and responses in the event of a significant cyberattack.
Additionally, Mayor Adams signed Executive Order 10, which sets forward the roles and responsibilities of the NYC3 under the direction of the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation, overseen by New York City Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser. The order also requires each city agency to designate a cyber command liaison who will work with the Office of Cyber Command to share information, monitor threats, and adopt best practices around cyber security.
