Texas expands cyber defense as data center growth raises risks
Texas has established the Texas Cyber Command and is participating in Project Watershed 250 with the White House to protect critical infrastructure, including water systems and data centers, from cyberattacks. This initiative comes as data center growth in the state raises concerns about increased vulnerability and potential impacts on grid stability if cyberattacks are successful.
Texas is expanding its cyber defense capabilities with the creation of the Texas Cyber Command (TXCC), a new state agency designed to prevent, withstand, and recover from cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. This initiative is particularly relevant given the rapid growth of data centers across the state, which officials acknowledge make Texas a larger target for cyber threats.
Further enhancing these efforts, Texas cyber officials announced on August 31st that the state was selected by the White House for Project Watershed 250, a federal-state pilot program focused on protecting the nation's vulnerable water systems. This program, which positions Texas as a potential model for other states, follows previous cyber incidents, including a 2021 attack on the Muleshoe water system attributed to a Russian hacker group.
Retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Timothy James White, former commander of the U.S. National Cyber Mission Force, leads the TXCC, which has a budget of approximately $70 million annually and 65 employees. Experts like Francesca Lockhart from the Strauss Center for International Security and Law highlight the vulnerabilities in data center software and warn of potential "cascading negative effect on grid stability" if a large number of data centers were compromised simultaneously, underscoring the urgency of these expanded cyber defense measures.