DPS NEWS

Gov. Cox announces formation of the Governor’s Cybersecurity Task Force

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

SALT LAKE CITY ( Oct. 28, 2021) — Today, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox announced the formation of the Governor’s Cybersecurity Task Force. Building on the previous successes of partnerships already established in the law enforcement community, the Task Force will promote cybersecurity awareness, share information, identify cybersecurity assets and resources, promote best practices, and enhance cyber capabilities and response for all Utahns. 

“It has become clear that even cybersecurity attacks on the private sector can have impacts that frustrate residents, interrupt critical services and quickly become everyone’s problem,” said Gov. Cox. “Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility between the public and the private sector.”

“Neither the government nor the private sector has the information, authority, or resources to do it alone,” said state Chief Information Officer Alan Fuller. “Public-private partnerships are the foundation for effective cyber security and resilience strategies. Timely, trusted information sharing and reporting among stakeholders is essential to the security of the state.”

“I’m excited for the opportunity for our law enforcement cybersecurity experts in state government to team up with counterparts in other sectors to keep Utah safe in preparing for and responding to cyber attacks,” said Jess Anderson, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. “This task force will analyze the cyber threat to Utah and provide best practices, resources, education, mitigation, and incident response to cyber threats and cyber-attacks towards Utah-based private and public sector entities.”

Over the next year, the task force will create the Governor’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee composed of various leaders and policy makers within Utah’s cybersecurity community, including the following:

• The Governor or his designee
• The Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety
• The Chief Information Officer of the state of Utah
• The Chief Information Security Officer for the state of Utah.
• A representative from the Utah National Guard
• Two state legislators or high level policy makers 
• Two representatives from a federal law enforcement agency
• A representative from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity 
• Ten executive critical infrastructure private sector partners with a wide range of expertise and experience in cybersecurity initiatives. Below is a list of organizations that have shown commitment to participate on this board.

Education Sector

• Utah Education and Telehealth Network

Energy Sector

• Rocky Mountain Power

Chemical Sector

• Chevron
• Sinclair Oil

Healthcare Sector

• Utah Hospital Association 

Commercial Sector

• Salt Lake County Special venues
• Salt Palace Convention Center

Water/Wastewater Sector

• Central Utah Water Conservancy District

“I appreciate the governor’s foresight to invite industry experts to the table,” said Annette Newman, Disaster Preparedness Consultant with the Utah Hospital Association. “Utahns rely on our combined services on a daily basis. By working together, we can help Utah businesses and residents be safer online.”