Washington state CISO Ralph Johnson to step down in September

Washington state's chief information security officer, Ralph Johnson, announced his departure from his role in September. Johnson has served in this position for the past three-and-a-half years. His announcement was made via a LinkedIn post on Friday, as reported by Statescoop.

Johnson, who joined Washington Technology Solutions at the end of 2022, has a long career in public sector cybersecurity, including previous CISO roles for Los Angeles County and King County, Washington. He described his work as a mission to protect systems, data, and public services. Johnson plans to continue in the cybersecurity field by providing advisory services to public-sector and regulated organizations. He noted that state CISO roles involve a broader scope of responsibility compared to private sector or smaller county positions. Key challenges facing state and local cybersecurity include competition with the private sector for talent and limited federal support.

Johnson also highlighted the dual impact of artificial intelligence, stating it lowers the barrier for attackers while simultaneously providing essential tools for analyzing vast amounts of telemetry data to improve threat detection and triage issues.

Source: Statescoop