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Virginia assigns statewide cyberattack planning to public safety secretary
Virginia’s secretary of public safety and homeland security will lead work on a statewide plan for preventing and responding to cyberattacks under Executive Directive 6.
Virginia’s secretary of public safety and homeland security will lead work on a statewide plan for preventing and responding to cyberattacks under Executive Directive 6, issued October 23. Gov. Abigail Spanberger also directed the creation of a consortium that brings universities and private operators into planning alongside emergency managers and state agencies.
The assignment reaches beyond the security of state computers. The governor identified the resilience of critical infrastructure as part of the secretary’s remit, a distinction that matters when a disruption involves operators outside state government.
The secretary and Virginia’s AI Task Force are to hold regular briefings with technology companies, researchers and regulators to identify emerging risks.
