Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul on Tuesday toured the Brooklyn JSOC.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with the mayors of Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers, on Tuesday unveiled the new Joint Security Operations Center that will bolster the State’s ability to combat cybersecurity threats and attacks.
According to the Adams administration, the center—headquartered in Brooklyn—will be a first-of-its-kind hub for coordinating cybersecurity efforts across New York, helping to foster collaboration among city, state, and federal entities.
Adams on Tuesday also signed Executive Order 10, which sets forward the roles and responsibilities of the New York City Cyber Command 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.
The JSOC will be staffed by 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.
In 2017, the de Blasio administration created NYC3 through Executive Order 28. The body coordinates the city’s cyber defenses across more than 100 agencies and offices—helping monitor, deter, and respond to potential cyber threats. NYC3 has developed and launched NYC Secure—a first-of-its-kind, free application that provides warnings to users when suspicious activity is detected on their mobile devices—and implemented new protections on public Wi-Fi networks. NYC3 has also led the nation in developing protocols and policies to prepare for and prevent cyberattacks.
“Technology runs our water, controls our electricity, and notifies us during an emergency, so cyber attacks have the ability to bring our entire city to a halt if we are not prepared,” Adams said. “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 new Joint Security Operations Center will take an integrated and holistic approach to hardening our cyber defenses across the city and the state, building on the robust cyber infrastructure New York City has developed in recent years. We thank Gov. Hochul and our fellow mayors for recognizing the urgency of this challenge, and the importance of working together to confront a common threat that connects us all.”
Hochul added, “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 Joint Security Operations Center will serve as the epicenter in helping to defend against this emerging threat.”
