Staff
The El Paso Journal
Monday, February 06, 2023 | 18:27
Austin.- Governor Greg Abbott announced a model statewide security plan Monday for Texas state agencies to address vulnerabilities presented by the use of TikTok and other software on personal and state-issued devices.
Each state agency will have until February 15, 2023 to implement their own policy to enforce this state plan.
Following the Governor’s direction, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Information Resources developed a model plan to guide state agencies in managing personal and state-issued devices used to conduct state business. .
“The security risks associated with the use of TikTok on devices used to conduct our state’s important business should not be underestimated or ignored,” Governor Abbott said.
“The platform is owned by a Chinese company that employs members of the Chinese Communist Party, TikTok collects significant amounts of data from a user’s device, including details about a user’s Internet activity,” the president said.
He added that other prohibited technologies listed in the state’s model plan also pose a similar threat to the safety of Texans. It is critical that state agencies and employees are protected from vulnerabilities presented by the use of this app and other prohibited technologies while working on behalf of their fellow Texans.
“I thank the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Information Resources for their hard work in helping to protect the state’s sensitive information and critical infrastructure from potential threats posed by hostile foreign actors,” Abbott said.
In December 2022, Governor Abbott directed state agency leaders to immediately ban employees from downloading or using TikTok on any government-issued device.
Abbott informed Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dade Phelan that the Executive Branch stands ready to help codify and implement any necessary cybersecurity reform passed during the current legislative session, including passing legislation to make permanent the Governor’s directive for state agencies.
Governor Abbott has taken significant steps to combat threats to Texas cybersecurity, including signing the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act in 2021 to harden certain physical infrastructure against threats that include hostile foreign actors, an executive statement said. State.
The action plan…
Prohibit and prevent downloading or use of TikTok and prohibited technologies on any state-issued device identified in the state plan. This includes all cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other state-issued devices capable of connecting to the Internet. The IT department of each agency must strictly enforce this prohibition.
Prohibit employees or contractors from conducting state business on personal devices with prohibited technology.
Identify sensitive locations, meetings, or personnel within an agency who could be exposed to personal devices with prohibited technology. Personal devices with prohibited technology will be denied entry or use in these sensitive areas.
Implement network-based restrictions to prevent the use of prohibited technologies on agency networks by any device.
Work with information security professionals to continually update the list of prohibited technologies.
