New Texas Cyber Command looks to ‘bind the state together’
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By
Chris Teale
The command went live in September, and must build an information-sharing and analysis center, a threat intelligence center, a digital forensics lab and an incident response unit.
A unified Texas cybersecurity effort went into effect in September, and already those in charge have plenty of work to do.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law establishing the Texas Cyber Command in June, with the new body officially launching in September and assuming many of the cybersecurity roles previously held by the state’s Department of Information Resources, known as DIR. It’s housed at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The coming months promise to be busy, too. Ret. Admiral TJ White, the cyber command’s first chief, said by law it is mandated to establish an information-sharing and analysis center, a threat intelligence center, a digital forensics lab and an incident response unit. White said cyber command will be a “down and in” organization focused proactively on threat intelligence, incident response and day-to-day operations, as well as an “up and out” organization with an events management, public engagement and outreach arm.
It’s “a single entity to try to bind the state together, to work with partners like [Texas Department of Public Safety], Texas Department of Emergency Management, Health and Human Services, the state [chief information officer] and so on,” White said during a session at last week’s Billington State and Local Cybersecurity Summit in Washington, D.C.
Abbott prioritized the establishing of a cyber command early last year and quickly passed legislation to do just that. That effort came on the heels of several incidents in 2019, when municipalities, governments and businesses in the state were hacked, then it took days to understand what happened and weeks to mobilize response. While it took six years to make the cyber command a reality, White said the final law is well written and should be an example for others to try and emulate in the cyber realm.
“In the context of this law, the legislature and the governor have set a very high bar, which is great,” he said. “They have put resources and built it against the mission, which is great. They have given Texas Cyber Command an opportunity to do some things nontraditionally, in an effort to hopefully move faster, which is great. They put in place some capabilities for cost recovery so that we can actually fund over time to get the agility, speed, scale and mass to support cybersecurity across the state.”
White said there is already plenty of good work to build on in cybersecurity across Texas, especially in state government. He noted the growth of regional security operations centers, housed at various state colleges and universities, as one area where the state has led the way, and said more could come in the future.
And he said the new cyber command can build on the good work already done by DIR and other agencies, especially in its contracting and procurement, which can help the new body spend its money wisely.
“How do I work with other state agencies and departments to take more coherent advantage of those contracting vehicles, not fighting for their resources?” White said. “They can do that on their own. I don't want their resources. I just hope that what we can do together is spend those resources more effectively.”
Cyber command also will prioritize building relationships all across the state in a bid to properly leverage the intelligence being gathered on cyber threats, White said. And part of his effort atop the agency will be to “raise the level of awareness and attention across Texas” for cybersecurity, White said. It’s not something that state leaders can do once and then forget about, but is something that needs constant care and attention, he said.
“A colleague of mine recently observed that cybersecurity is something that you do; it's not something that you have,” White said. “And I've thought about that a little bit. I just don't do it for one year, take the proceeds, go to the bank and watch the compounding interest grow forever. You actually have to be a proactive manager of your portfolio… Pay yourself first in cybersecurity; you cannot rest on your laurels.”
White said he will also need to be confirmed into the post on a permanent basis by the Texas Senate, which he said will hopefully happen next year during its legislative session. And he pledged to always be working to “earn, build and keep the trust of Texas.”