Virginia systems get attacked about every four seconds, amounting to at least 200,000 “incurable” attacks per day, said the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson.
Other states’ cyberthreats are just as onerous, and so the nation’s governors are banding together. The National Governors Association plans a national summit in early 2017 so states can share best practices about cybersecurity.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, incoming NGA chairman, said the National Summit on State Cybersecurity will be held in Virginia after regional summits with policymakers, private sector leaders and federal partners.The first regional summit was held July 19 in Fairfax, Virginia, which brought together health care CEOs for a roundtable discussion to examine the health care sector.
McAuliffe’s year-long initiative, “Meet the Threat: States Confront the Cyber Challenge,” seeks to develop a cooperative regulatory approach, including ways of working with the federal government, and places states at the center of finding solutions to cyberthreats facing the nation. Checklists, draft legislation, resources and lessons learned will be shared at the summit, targeted for April 2017.
“Cybercrime is a growing threat to our states, territories and our nation. As governors, we must be prepared to combat this threat in order to protect the welfare of our citizens,” McAuliffe said.
Jackson said McAuliffe is also developing a Cyber Policy Academy to help other states improve their cybersecurity posture.
“There is no one cookie cutter for cybersecurity, as every state is a little bit different,” Jackson said. “Cybersecurity is truly a team sport.”
The Commonwealth of Virginia, in partnership with NGA, is also hosting a three-day Cyber and Physical Systems Summit in Newport News, Va., Sept. 20-22 to discuss the intersection of cyber with autonomy, physical systems and critical infrastructure.
