Griffo: Governor should assemble stakeholders to examine ability to respond to and prevent cyberattacks
August 6, 2026
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ISSUE:
- Critical Infrastructure
Following cyberattacks targeting water systems across the country, state Sen. Joseph Griffo is urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to assemble state agencies, private sector representatives and county leaders from across New York to assess the state’s preparedness level and ability to thwart online threats.
According to news reports, cyberattacks were recently reported in several states, prompting the FBI, Environmental Protection Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to warn utilities nationwide that hackers are trying to disrupt critical water infrastructure.
“These potentially crippling and far-reaching attacks have exposed vulnerabilities and shortcomings in the delivery of important resources,” Sen. Griffo wrote in a letter to Gov. Hochul. “It is now incumbent upon New York to ensure that we can identify potential threats and are prepared if a similar attack takes place here.”
Sen. Griffo envisioned the potential for cybersecurity attacks several years ago when, as chair of the Senate’s Banking Committee, he hosted six Senate committees at the Griffiss Institute in Rome to hear testimony from experts in law enforcement, finance and computer science about the state’s preparedness for such acts. The joint hearing was the largest in the history of the state Senate.
The Senator also continues to support legislation and initiatives that would help protect New Yorkers from malicious cyber activity.
“These online threats are a real danger to our state's businesses, infrastructure and security and have hit local governments, hospitals and health systems, schools and other organizations,” Sen. Griffo said. “It is important that we plan properly, have open and effective communication across all spectrums that could potentially be targeted, and that we ensure that redundancies and procedures are in place to respond to and hopefully prevent cyberattacks."
A copy of Sen. Griffo’s letter is attached.
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