As New York\u2019s attorney general, my top priority was protecting consumers from fraud, scams, and corporate misconduct. Today, the fraudsters\u2019 most important tools can be found online.<\/p>\n
Cyberattacks target consumers and businesses with impunity.\u00a0For instance,\u00a0one in four<\/a> businesses are victimized by wire fraud. New York is one of the biggest targets for cyberattacks and digital espionage, with more breaches than almost any other state.<\/p>\n Just look at the first three months of 2025:<\/p>\n In January, a data breach at the New York Blood Center\u00a0exposed<\/a>\u00a0the sensitive data of nearly 200,000 people.<\/p>\n In February, hackers\u00a0gained entry<\/a>\u00a0to the internal systems of the Business Council of New York State, stealing the names, Social Security numbers, bank account information, and medical data of 47,000 people.\u00a0The fraudsters\u2019 access to this data was\u00a0undetected for 160 days.<\/p>\n In March, Attorney General Letitia James filed a\u00a0lawsuit<\/a> against insurance companies Allstate and National General after their cybersecurity lapses allowed cybercriminals to obtain the driver\u2019s license numbers of more than 165,000 New Yorkers.<\/p>\n The Empire State a prime target for hackers. We\u2019re the premier financial center, home of the New York Stock Exchange and multiple global banks. We have leading universities like NYU and Columbia and world-class hospitals like Mount Sinai and Bellevue. Many of our nation\u2019s largest media companies \u2014 including Fox, Paramount, Hearst, and Warner Bros. Discovery \u2014 call New York City home.<\/p>\n These organizations have one thing in common: they handle enormous amounts of data, making the state a magnet for bad actors \u2014 both foreign and domestic.<\/p>\n New York has already taken important steps to combat cyber crime. Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act in 2019, requiring that cyber incidents be reported within\u00a0hours and\u00a0that businesses in possession of private information must adopt certain\u00a0safeguards<\/a>.<\/p>\n This summer, Gov. Hochul signed a new cybersecurity bill<\/a>, extending reporting requirements to municipalities, mandating additional cybersecurity training for government employees, and imposing new data protection regulations on information systems maintained by the state.<\/p>\n These measures are necessary but insufficient. Good security procedures help, but they don\u2019t address deeper risks inherent in who builds and controls the IT infrastructure. All the training in the world won\u2019t protect your data if there\u2019s a backdoor built into the servers.<\/p>\n One way Albany can address this threat is by increasing oversight of the cloud and data platforms operating in New York, requiring audit rights and local data sovereignty protections.<\/p>\n New York legislators could also pass state-level trusted vendor mandates to ensure that routers, switches, and other network gear come from U.S. or allied-country firms that meet strict security standards.<\/p>\n They might also consider creating a Digital Resilience Authority to coordinate public-private threat sharing, response planning, and emergency resources. This body could oversee a cybersecurity investment fund or grant-matching program to help municipalities, hospitals, schools, and small businesses upgrade their digital defenses.<\/p>\n Sensible pro-competitive policies on the federal level are also needed. For example, the Justice Department recently approved Hewlett Packard Enterprise\u2019s acquisition of Juniper on national security grounds. The U.S. intelligence community\u00a0urged<\/a>\u00a0the DOJ to approve the deal because they said it was key to giving American companies needed leverage to compete with the Chinese government-owned firms that continue leading the globe\u2019s 5G and AI pushes. These firms are legally\u00a0required<\/a> to hand over any data the country\u2019s Communist government demands and remain widescale cybersecurity threats.<\/p>\n None of these are partisan ideas. They\u2019re common-sense protections for New Yorkers.<\/p>\n When I served as New York\u2019s attorney general, the internet was in its infancy and dial-up access was the gateway. We formed the first internet bureau in the nation to fight online child pornography. From the very beginning, though, criminals have sought to use this technology for evil, and I\u2019m proud of the work I did fighting back against internet-based child pornography.<\/p>\n Today, the computers are smaller and faster, but human nature hasn\u2019t changed. We must remain vigilant and treat foreign cyber adversaries the same way we treat all fraudsters, scammers, and other bad actors \u2014 stop them before they inflict harm.<\/p>\n New York has an opportunity to lead the nation in adopting merger, procurement, and oversight policies that secure our data and protect\u00a0its citizens and businesses.\u00a0And in a state that\u2019s home to so many tempting targets, it\u2019s an opportunity we can\u2019t afford to miss.<\/p>\n Vacco served as New York State\u2019s 62nd attorney general.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As New York\u2019s attorney general, my top priority was protecting consumers from fraud, scams, and corporate misconduct. 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