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California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide cybersecurity initiative requiring every state agency to appoint an AI cybersecurity officer and stand up an AI-focused cyber defense program. The effort will be housed in the California Cybersecurity Integration Center and is intended to apply artificial intelligence to vulnerability detection, network hardening, and incident response as officials respond to increasingly sophisticated threats.
State leaders said the program is also meant to expand access to advanced cyber capabilities for local governments and critical infrastructure operators. The announcement followed a coordinated cyberattack that disrupted water utility IT systems across multiple U.S. states and was paired with criticism of reduced federal cybersecurity support, including reported cuts to CISA funding and the end of support for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide initiative requiring every state agency to create an AI cybersecurity officer role and establish an AI cyber defense program within the California Cybersecurity Integration Center. The program is intended to use AI for vulnerability detection, network hardening, and incident response, and Newsom also called for broader access to advanced cybersecurity capabilities for local governments and critical infrastructure operators.
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