Gov. Kathy Hochul: New York City on "heightened alert" for attacks by Russian hackers
NEW YORK -- The Big Apple could very well be Vladimir Putin's next target, and he wouldn't even have to fire a single bullet. The battlefield could end up being cyberspace.
As CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported Thursday, officials here are on high alert for a possible attack as a tit-for-tat response to the imposition of tough sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine.
It's just under 5,000 miles from Red Square to Times Square, but the faint tentacles of cyberhackers could reach here in minutes, causing untold havoc in a target-rich city like New York. Already, Gov. Kathy Hochul is marshalling state cyberwarriors to repel the Russians.
"We are on heightened alert with respect to cybersecurity and our own defenses," Hochul said.
The governor says she is working with the feds and local governments to detect and prevent cyberattacks related to the Russian military advances in Ukraine. Just days ago she and Mayor Eric Adams opened a joint cybersecurity command center in downtown Brooklyn.
"First time in our nation there's been this level or coordination," Hochul said.
The Russian threat is serious, especially after reports that some Ukrainian computers were hit by data-wiping software as the invasion was launched.
"The bottom line is we have to be strong and vigilant in every area. Who knows what the heck Putin will do?" Sen. Chuck Schumer said.
Security expert Manny Gomez says vigilance now is imperative.
"New York is the number one target with all its financial centers -- the Dow Jones, the stock exchange, the AMEX, the NASDAQ. If he takes out New York, it's going to be sure chaos. Plus, the repercussions of that because it's New York City, it is the capital of the world internationally, it's going to have a huge impact," Gomez said.
And its not just Wall Street. The city has a subway system that moves millions of people a day, major corporate headquarters, and some of the world's top teaching hospitals.
"As a security expert, what's your biggest worry for New York State and New York City?" Kramer asked Gomez.
"My biggest worry are the energy grids because you take one or more of those out, you don't have to take out a single entity like the MTA or a hospital of the stock market. You take them all out," he said.
Officials have said that hackers make hundreds of attempts to get into our systems every day. Last year, the city Law Department was breached. A hacking group believed to have links to the Chinese government penetrated the MTA last April.
A spokesman for Mayor Adams told CBS2 that the former cop is getting regular briefings.
"We're remaining vigilant," the spokesman said, "but we haven't seen any new credible threats at this time."