AUSTIN – The previous commander of the federal company on the entrance line in opposition to high-stakes cyberattacks is coming residence to Texas to steer the most recent state company with the identical mission, Gov. Greg Abbott stated Tuesday.
The Texas Cyber Command, created by lawmakers earlier this yr as a precedence of the Republican governor, might be led by Timothy James “TJ” White – a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral and former head of the U.S. Nationwide Cyber Mission Pressure, often known as U.S. Cyber Command – whose experience in navy cybersecurity and homeland safety is important in a time of rising threats, Abbott stated.
White, of Boerne, who now owns a cybersecurity firm in Austin, is “the chief we want,” Abbott stated. White’s time period is about to run out Feb. 1, 2027.
“Our state is underneath fixed assault by cyber criminals, assaults that happen hundreds of occasions each single second of each single day,” Abbott stated in a information launch. ”Texas wants robust cybersecurity consultants to steer our combat in opposition to these assaults, typically from hostile overseas adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran.”
Texas ranks among the many nation’s high targets for cyberattacks, and cybersecurity issues fueled billions of {dollars} in requests from state companies for the present cycle to assist fight assaults.
“Texas public entities are alluring targets for cyber menace actors who’re utilizing more and more refined ways, methods, and procedures; never-before-seen instruments; and exploitative applied sciences,” reads the State of Texas Cybersecurity Strategic Plan 2024-2029, a current report by the Texas Division of Info Sources, which oversaw cybersecurity till the command went into impact on Sept. 1. “As we more and more depend on digital methods and interconnected applied sciences, the chance for assault will increase, presenting cyber menace actors with ample alternative to take advantage of each recognized and unprecedented vulnerabilities,”
White is founding father of OneNetworkConnection, LLC, in Austin. He served within the Navy from 1983 till his honorable discharge in 2020. Throughout that point, he served as commander of the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, the U.S. tenth Fleet and the U.S. Navy House Command, in addition to commander of the U.S. Cyber Command.
“Admiral White and the Texas Cyber Command will function important belongings to stop and defend in opposition to cyber breaches to maintain Texans protected,” Abbott stated in his assertion.
Southlake GOP Rep. Giovanni Capriglione carried the invoice creating the company, together with Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound.
Texas Cyber Command is run by means of the College of Texas System and based mostly on the College of Texas at San Antonio. The command’s major duties embody cybersecurity menace response, administration, forensics and coaching.
The state has been managing cybersecurity threats by means of the Division of Info Sources, which additionally oversees procurement and data gathering, company web sites and comparable IT duties.
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