Local cybersecurity officials are boosting regional collaborations with added support from the federal government.

San Francisco CISO Michael Makstman, who cofounded the Coalition of City CISOs, said cities should pursue a "collective approach" on defending their networks.

"I don’t want to be sitting in D.C. just having people send me reports," CISA Deputy Director Nitin Natarajan said during RSA's annual conference.

The recent hire fills a gap in the city's IT security leadership that been left without a full-time replacement since May.