You are reading

Senate committee passes Queens lawmaker’s bill to strengthen cybersecurity

(Photo courtesy of Senate Media Services)

May 22, 2023 By Czarinna Andres

A bill that would strengthen cybersecurity in New York state passed the Senate Internet and Technology Committee on May 22. The bill, S6474, is sponsored by Committee Chair Kristen Gonzalez.

The bill would require governmental entities to use multifactor authentication (MFA) for local and remote access to networks. MFA is an additional layer of security that requires users to enter a code from their phone in addition to their password. This makes it much more difficult for hackers to gain access to accounts.

The bill would also require public websites to encrypt all exchanges and comply with privacy standards. This would help to protect the personal information of New Yorkers who use government websites.

“Cyber attacks are on the rise, and state entities are an increasingly frequent target,” Gonzalez said. “New Yorkers should never have to fear that the state government will lose access to its systems because of an attack. Multifactor Authentication is a cost effective way to improve our cybersecurity preparedness; it is 99.9% more unlikely for an account to be compromised when MFA is used. We know that attacks aren’t going away; increasing our preparedness by using MFA is one of the best ways we can protect our state government.”

Since 2017, more than 3,600 local and state governments across the country have been targeted by ransomware attacks. In New York, hundreds of attacks are attempted each year on state entities.

In 2022, a cyber attack plunged the Suffolk county government offline for weeks. The attack forced officials to disable email access for 10,000 civil service workers. Attacks like this one show that local governments need to do more to bolster their cybersecurity preparedness.

The bill, S6474 now heads to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

NY Hall of Science debuts CityWorks, its largest exhibition in over a decade

The New York Hall of Science in Corona opened its largest interactive exhibition in more than a decade on Saturday, May 3. The exhibition explores the often invisible inner workings of the built urban environment.

CityWorks is housed in a 6,000 square foot gallery, and the exhibit was created by a team of NYCSI exhibit developers, researchers, and educators over the past five years. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the intricate systems and engineering that enable cities to function, including how they break, evolve, and endure.

Twenty people indicted in Queens-based $4.6M vehicle theft ring after three-year probe: DA

Twenty individuals were indicted and variously charged in a wide-ranging scheme to steal cars in Queens, throughout New York City and its suburbs, following a three-year investigation by the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the NYPD, and the New York State Police dubbed “Operation Hellcat,” into the criminal enterprise based in Queens.

Some of the vehicles were stolen from owners’ driveways, some with the keys or key fobs inside. The stolen vehicles were often sold through advertisements on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The defendants are charged in nine separate indictments for a total of 373 counts, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Thursday.