NY State Forms Cybersecurity Advisory Board, Following ATM Heist

In this undated photo provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Elvis Rafael Rodriguez, left, and Emir Yasser Yeje, pose with bundles of cash allegedly stolen using bogus magnetic swipe cards at cash machines throughout New York. (AP Photos/U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York)

Following the $45 million cybercrime spree revealed by federal prosecutors yesterday that hit ATM machines in the city, and around the world, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the formation of the Cyber Security Advisory Board on May 10 to advise the administration and help secure New York state from attacks.

“Our federal government is working to combat emerging cyber security threats on a national level, and our state must do its part,” Cuomo said, in a press release. “Just as we protect against crime on our streets, we must also work to defend New Yorkers from cyber threats, ranging from identity theft to consumer fraud to threats to our physical infrastructure.”

Cuomo first announced the advisory board in his January State of the State Address. 

The members of the board include leading experts in cybersecurity. According to a press release, “The advisory board will work closely with the Governor and his administration to develop innovative, actionable policies to ensure that New York is in the forefront of public cyber security defense.”

Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Public Safety Elizabeth Glazer and Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin M. Lawsky will co-chair the new board. Board members include Good Harbor Consulting chairman and CEO Richard Clarke, CrowdStrike Services president Shawn Henry, Center Internet Security president and CEO Will Pelgrin, Sony Corporation senior vice president, chief information security officer Phil Reitinger, and Howard Schmidt, former White House Cyber Security Coordinator and Special Assistant to President Obama.

Clarke said, in a press release, “State governments have to protect their own extensive computer networks, but they also have to be concerned with the security of key, private sector networks that are essential to public safety and the economy within the state.”

Also during his State of the State Address, Cuomo announced the creation of a combined physical and cyber infrastructure security operations center—the first of its kind. It will house security intelligence experts from federal, state, and local agencies to allow for real-time sharing of information.

Reitinger said, in a press release, “Cooperation between public and private professionals is critical to success, and Governor Cuomo’s Cyber Security Advisory Board provides an effective and progressive mechanism for developing and implementing strategies that will help New York State defend against the growing cyber threat.”