Californians get hacked all the time. The state’s top cybersecurity job is vacant

Former state cybersecurity employees told CalMatters they think it’s difficult for the cybersecurity center to keep commanders because the pay is less than for similar jobs in the private sector. State employees may treat an acting commander — who will be in the job temporarily — differently than a commander appointed by Newsom.

A former cybersecurity center employee who spoke to CalMatters on background for fear of professional reprisals said the biggest issue with the position is lack of real authority; the commander has limited capacity to act and hold people accountable.

Public agencies, especially in California, are major targets for cybercriminals seeking confidential information or just want to cause panic, said Steven Ward, a cybersecurity fellow at center-right think tank R Street Institute and former digital forensics examiner for law enforcement agencies in Sacramento.

Ward said the vacancy is reflective of a number of trends: First, the cybersecurity threat landscape moves quickly, and public agencies move slowly. Second, it mirrors a larger cybersecurity workforce shortage. California has the second-highest in the U.S., according to a 2022 report by the nonprofit  International Information System Security Certification Consortium.