Texas governor signs bill for statewide Cyber Command

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed a bill into law creating the Texas Cyber Command, a new cybersecurity organization headquartered at the University of Texas at San Antonio, that aims to protect state and local government systems from escalating cyber threats.

Texas Cyber Command will feature a cyber threat intelligence center to identify and fix vulnerabilities in government systems and train state workers about preventing cyber breaches. It will also contain a digital forensics lab and an incident response unit. According to a press release from the governor’s office, it will also rely on the university’s partnerships with federal agencies including the National Security Agency, FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

“Our state is under constant attack by cyber criminals, attacks that occur thousands of times every single second of every single day,” Abbott said in the release. “Attacks often come from foreign actors from hostile countries like China, Russia, and Iran. They successfully attacked cities, counties, and government agencies in Texas, from Mission to Muleshoe. That changes today.”

San Antonio is a growing hub for cybersecurity, home to military and scientific research institutions, such as the NSA’s Texas Cryptology Center and U.S. 24th Air Force Cyber Command, as well as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Security, including UTSA. Its CyberSecurity Council claims the city has the second-largest concentration of cyber experts in the United States.

According to the bill, $135 million from the state’s General Revenue Fund will cover the cyber command’s operations through 2027, including the development of secure facilities, staffing and cybersecurity initiatives.

The University of Texas at San Antonio has committed $60.4 million for property acquisition and renovation to support command, San Antonio Express-News reported. The facility is expected to be operational within 18 months, initially employing 65 full-time staff and doubling by 2027.

In his State of the State Address last February, Abbott announced he was declaring the Texas Cyber Command an emergency item for the legislative session.

Like other states, Texas governments continue to face cybersecurity threats. In March, Mission, Texas, declared a state of emergency in response to a cyberattack. And last April, Abilene suspended its requirements of the state’s public records law after a disruptive cyberattack.