SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The state of New Mexico will be receiving nearly $13 million in federal funding over the next four years to enhance cybersecurity in the state. This after a Cybersecurity Planning Committee, established in September 2022 by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, submitted an application for the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.
According to a New Mexico Department of Information Technology press release, the state learned it had received its first installment of the grant for $2,540,403 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on January 10. The state also matched with $282,267 for a total of $2,822,670.
“Cyber threats such as ransomware and identity theft threaten our privacy, wallets, infrastructure, and even our national security,” said Department of Information Technology Cabinet Secretary Peter Mantos. “We welcome federal help in addressing these issues through such grants and plan to provide help statewide.”
The release states the initial $2.8 million will be leveraged to stand up a holistic cybersecurity program to meet the mandatory requirements for the statewide cybersecurity plan. The program’s primary objectives will be to establish risk-based processes and make them available to stakeholders to address cyber risk and how to identify and protect information technology ecosystems.
