California’s statewide cybersecurity strategy, first rolled out in 2021, is getting an upgrade.
As part of the newly announced Cal-Secure 2.0 initiative, the state will take increased aim at a growing number of potential threats, including those posed by artificial intelligence. It will help further fortify agencies that provide everything from healthcare to transportation services.
Among other measures, Cal-Secure 2.0 calls for:
- The use of modernized technology, including security tools;
- Recruiting and training additional cybersecurity experts; and
- Faster sharing of threat data between state agencies via improved channels of communication.
State leaders say the steps called for in Cal-Secure 2.0 are necessary because cybersecurity threats have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, as evidenced by a number of high-profile attacks on companies and government agencies.
Cal-Secure 2.0 will feature a statewide framework, like its predecessor, but will give individual agencies more freedom to focus on areas where they’re believed to be most vulnerable.
Other steps California has taken in recent years to address cybersecurity include developing a new tool to make it easier for residents to opt out of the sale of their personal information to data brokers, as well as signing a pair of executive orders – in 2023 and 2026 – related to the responsible adoption and procurement of artificial intelligence.
Photo by Rafael Minguet Delgado from Pexels
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