Gov. Charlie Baker
HYANNIS – Governor Charlie Baker has signed an executive order establishing the Massachusetts Cyber Incident Response Team to boost the state’s defense against cybersecurity threats.
Baker said it’s a vital step as government and private organizations shift more and more services online.
The team will develop and maintain a response plan to attacks, as well perform annual security reviews of state departments.
“State governments and other organizations across the country are increasingly being targeted by bad actors aiming to disrupt operations and compromise information systems,” said Baker.
“This executive order will further strengthen the Commonwealth’s policies, procedures and resources required to prevent potential threats and appropriately respond to attacks on government infrastructure and services.”
The team is led by the Secretary of the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security.
In June, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority was affected by a ransomware incident, though service was largely uninterrupted and no major data was compromised, according to officials.
The Steamship Authority was also impacted by a ransomware attack in 2021.
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