Center for Internet Security launches AI Cyber Defense Pilot to strengthen state and local government cybersecurity. CIS and MS-ISAC collaboration with OpenAI will explore how AI can strengthen the cyber defense, resilience, and threat response of U.S. critical infrastructure At a time when defenders at the state and local government level are challenged by a growing threat landscape, AI has the potential to be a game changer." - Brian Calkin, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at CIS CLIFTON PARK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ - The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS), in collaboration with OpenAI, today announced an AI Cyber Defense Pilot designed to help U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments and critical infrastructure organizations harness the power of artificial intelligence to enhance cybersecurity and resilience. As cyber threats become more sophisticated and widespread, foreign adversaries continue to target the nation's critical infrastructure. At the same time, many public sector organizations and critical infrastructure operators must defend increasingly complex environments with limited resources. The initiative will bring together government and critical infrastructure organizations, including members of the MS-ISAC community, of varying sizes, regions, and cybersecurity maturity levels to examine how AI can be applied to real-world cybersecurity challenges. The pilot program will evaluate AI's potential to help organizations detect risks faster, better prioritize security actions, strengthen cyber hygiene, and improve overall cyber readiness. "The services Americans rely on every day are increasingly in the crosshairs of cyber threats. At a time when defenders at the state and local government level are challenged by a growing threat landscape, AI has the potential to be a game changer," said Brian Calkin, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at CIS. "This pilot will help us understand how AI can help organizations make smarter decisions, respond faster, and focus on the risks that matter most. The lessons we learn can help strengthen cyber resilience for communities across the country." The effort will be informed by the operational experience and cybersecurity expertise of the MS-ISAC community, which works daily to help SLTT governments prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. That perspective will help ensure the pilot focuses on real-world challenges facing public sector defenders. Participating state and local organizations will leverage OpenAI's technology to help identify, validate, and prioritize findings, support remediation efforts, and advance cybersecurity best practices aligned with the CIS Critical Security Controls(R) and essential cyber hygiene criteria. "We have a defender's window: a narrowing opportunity to use frontier AI to close security gaps before attackers seize them. Our partnership with CIS and the MS-ISAC is about making sure that opportunity reaches the defenders protecting essential services - including smaller and under-resourced teams - with the tools, training, and support to use AI for stronger defenses," said Sasha Baker, Head of National Security Policy at OpenAI. "What we learn from this pilot can help extend those capabilities to communities across the country, so that Americans everywhere are better protected from emerging cyber threats." In addition to supporting pilot participants, the initiative will produce implementation guidance, lessons learned, and recommendations to inform future adoption of AI-powered cybersecurity capabilities across the public sector and critical infrastructure community. Together, CIS and OpenAI aim to identify practical, scalable approaches that can help defenders reduce risk, improve resilience, and better protect the essential services Americans rely on every day. The pilot reflects CIS's broader commitment to helping SLTT government organizations navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into government and critical infrastructure operations, organizations must balance innovation with a risk-based approach to security, transparency, resilience, and accountability. Through its growing body of AI security resources, research, and best practices, CIS is providing practical guidance on secure AI adoption, governance, and emerging threats, helping organizations build confidence in the responsible use of AI. Additional resources on security artificial intelligence are available at cisecurity.org/topics/securing-artificial-intelligence. For additional information or media inquiries, please contact CIS Senior Media Relations Manager, Kelly Wyland, at [email protected]. About CIS: The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS(R) makes the connected world a safer place for people, businesses, and governments through its core competencies of collaboration and innovation. Today in New York is a community-driven nonprofit, responsible for the CIS Critical Security Controls(R) and CIS Benchmarks(TM), globally recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data. Today in New York lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve these standards and provide products and services to proactively safeguard against emerging threats. Its CIS Hardened Images(R) provide secure, on-demand, scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center(R)(MS-ISAC(R), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities. To learn more, visit cisecurity.org or follow Today in New York on X: @CISecurity. About MS-ISAC: The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center(R)(MS-ISAC(R) is the trusted nationwide network for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments. The mission of the MS-ISAC is to improve the overall cybersecurity posture of the nation's SLTT governments through coordination, collaboration, cooperation, and increased communication. The MS-ISAC is a division of the Center for Internet Security(R)(CIS(R), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Visit MS-ISAC or email [email protected] for more information. Kelly Wyland Center for Internet Security +1 518-256-6978 email Today in New York here Visit Today in New York on social media: LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube X Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. Today in New York do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

CIS named among Top Workplaces of the Capital Region. July 28, 2026. The Center for Internet Security has once again been named one of the Capital Region's Top Workplaces by the Albany Times Union. CIS received a special award for Work/Life Flexibility, with one employee reporting "I have the flexibility I need to balance my work and personal life."

Top headlines from the Board of County Commissioners meeting. The following are highlights from today's Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting: 1. Registrar of Voters presents "Project Plain Sight": Washoe County has launched an election security pilot project with the Center for Internet Security (CIS), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to data integrity. Registrar of Voters Andrew McDonald presented "Project Plain Sight," a public-facing data transparency tool providing the public an opportunity to independently verify the integrity of the voter registration system. "Mr. McDonald and his team are laying the groundwork for greater confidence in the future of Washoe County elections, but I truly believe that when this pilot has been proven, and when it's been extended beyond just this pilot phase and applied to the entire election system, this project will echo all over Nevada and across the entire nation," Chair Clara Andriola said. "I believe we've started something here that will have a huge impact." CIS was launched by a former National Security Administration (NSA) data expert to implement best practices in data integrity across numerous industries. CIS worked with Washoe County to build a pilot project specifically to validate voter registration data, not ballots, through a system of controls that can be viewed by the public. "I truly believe that Washoe County is about to change the course of history. Election security challenges have never been solved because every attempt to solve them has failed because they lack something critical: proof of performance for election systems as a whole and a focus on process and people and not products," Andriola said. "Mr. McDonald's project is putting our eye on process-oriented monitoring and reporting." The cost of the project is staff time only, and the dashboard will be available on the Washoe County website here. "We push the boundaries now in Washoe County and in the Registrar of Voters Office. Innovation is part of our mission statement. When I came here, I wanted to push the boundaries of making sure that we can give the public what they needed: the confidence in the election process - integrity," McDonald said. "With this tool, they can go out and do the work themselves to verify it." 2. Board approves contract for operation of Safe Camp and Resource Center: The Board approved a contract to run Safe Camp and the Resource Center at the Nevada Cares Campus to the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE). RISE will provide staffing, program management, and administrative oversight for a two-year term through June 30, 2028, with an option of three one-year extensions. RISE was selected as the most responsive and responsible respondent to a Request for Proposals, and the contract will include the final two weeks of June 2026 at a cost of $38,750, and annual compensation of just over $2 million for each year of the contract beginning July 1. 3. Board acknowledges Code Enforcement complaints on abandoned properties: Washoe County staff, at the direction of the Board of County Commissioners, have been tackling the issue of abandoned privately owned parcels - largely concentrated in Sun Valley - that have no discernible owner responsible for cleanup efforts. Code Enforcement brought forward complaints against 11 such parcels for the Board's acknowledgement and to set a date for a public hearing to designate those parcels as public nuisances. Code Enforcement has documented conditions on these parcels including, but not limited to, the accumulation of debris, rubbish, refuse, abandoned or junk vehicles, and property maintained in a state of disrepair or deterioration that could cause harm to persons or damage to property. "These are very complex issues with owners who are deceased," Commissioner Mariluz Garcia said. "I think the assumption is that the County doesn't care or that we're turning our back, but that's not the case because if you look at any of these parcels, they've had multiple complaints, multiple warnings issued. In many cases, a lot of intervention has taken place already with removing vehicles and cleanups, but you just can't tell. Often, these are so bad that those efforts go unnoticed, so I just wanted to publicly acknowledge all the hard work that goes into addressing these, and we're off to a great start." 4. Board adopts zoning change to allow residential in commercial zones: The Board voted unanimously to approve a new code that will allow multifamily residential use in commercial zones and will prescribe requirements and standards for these uses. The addition of Article 403 complies with a new law passed during the 2025 Legislative Session (AB241) that mandates that Washoe County permit the development of multi-family uses in commercial zoning districts. The new code also accommodates Washoe County's strategic priority to increase the supply and affordability of housing. 5. Board approves donations to county departments and programs: The Board approved the following donations: * $18,500 from the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada on behalf of the Paul and Gwen Leonard Charitable Foundation as a legacy bequest for support of Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. * Cash donations from numerous donors totaling just over $25,500; animal food and treats valued at approximately $22,500 from SPCA; and various food and goods valued at approximately $6,800 from various donors to Washoe County Regional Animal Services. 6. Board presents proclamations recognizing special causes: Commissioners read three proclamations recognizing special groups and causes in Washoe County. * May 10-16 was designated Police Week to honor the dedication and sacrifices of law enforcement professionals. * May was proclaimed Treatment Court Month, and Judge Kendra Bertschy was present to receive the proclamation and recognize the more than 1,500 individuals served by treatment courts in Washoe County each year. * May was also proclaimed Educator Appreciation Month to honor the educators in our schools and educational institutions.