Texas Launches Nation's Largest State Cybersecurity Department
Texas will soon have the 'largest state-based cybersecurity department in America' after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law this week.
'Our state is under constant attack by cyber criminals, attacks that occur thousands of times every single second of every single day,' Abbott said in a June 2 press release. 'They successfully attacked cities, counties, and government agencies in Texas, from Mission to Muleshoe. That changes today.'
Abbott signed HB 150 in a ceremony at the University of Texas-San Antonio, pledging $135 million to the Texas Cyber Command, according to the release. The command will 'protect Texans against cyber threats' by coordinating between San Antonio local, state, and federal agencies.
This 'cyber threat intelligence center' will find and fix 'weaknesses in state and local government systems,' educating users on 'identifying cyber breaches.' It will also coordinate 'swift and effective responses to cyber attacks' to create the 'gold standard in cybersecurity.' 'Its ultimate mission is to prevent and protect against cyber breaches,' Abbott said in the release. 'Working together with the Texas Cyber Command, Texas will be on the path to be a national leader in cybersecurity.'
Cyber attacks 'often come from foreign actors' like China, Iran, and Russia, according to Abbott.
In March 2024, ransomware attackers threatened to publish sensitive information from the Tarrant Appraisal District unless officials paid $700,000, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. The deadline passed, and the attackers are believed to have released the information. The incident was reported to the FBI.
A ransomware attack targeted several servers for the City of Dallas in May 2023, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. This led the city to spend at least $8.5 million on recovery. Even before that, a ransomware attack targeted the Dallas Central Appraisal District in 2022, causing the body to pay hackers $170,000 in cryptocurrency.
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CNN
19 minutes ago
- CNN
A memorial grows for Jonathan Joss
A family who moved to a south-side San Antonio neighborhood roughly six years ago said that they were warned right away about an eccentric man who lived across the street. They were told, they said, that Jonathan Joss would play drums on his roof at all hours of the night and would yell obscenities and racial slurs at people outside. They said that, when confronted, Joss would often say that he was rehearsing for a role. He really was an actor, though. He played the role of John Redcorn in the animated show 'King of the Hill' for more than a dozen seasons, including in the show's upcoming revival. Another neighbor, Daniela Ruano, 19, said she lived next door to Joss her entire life. He would yell racist slurs at her family, she said, honk his horn in the middle of the night and threaten to hurt them. The behavior, she said, had accelerated. 'I'd say like the last two years have been the worst with him. He started breaking down my fence from the back,' she said. 'We would call the police on him a lot.' Two years ago, she said, Joss threatened another neighbor's brother with a crossbow. Police reports confirm that officers responded to the incident, but did not find a crossbow on Joss when they arrived at the scene. Earlier this year, Joss' family home was destroyed in a fire. But he still came by, neighbors said. In a video Ruano took of the actor on June 1, he is seen walking around the neighborhood and yelling; he is carrying a makeshift pitchfork. At one point, he said he is 'rehearsing a scene.' That day she took the video, Joss, his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales and another friend were there to pick up mail. The group had just returned from Austin, de Gonzales said, where Joss had participated in a fan meet-and-greet event. Joss, 59, arrived in the usual manner that his neighbors said that they had grown unhappily accustomed to, makeshift pitchfork included. Then, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez – the neighbor whose brother said he had been threatened by Joss with the crossbow two years ago – drove up behind Joss who was parked in his driveway. He got out, the two exchanged words, witnesses said, and seconds later, Joss was dead. 'I shot him,' Ceja told police, according to an incident report. Ceja, 56, was arrested and charged with murder. His bond was set at $200,000, which he posted on Monday. He was released from jail with GPS monitoring on Wednesday afternoon and is due to appear in court on August 19, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office public information officer. When most people think of an actor's life, they tend to imagine gleaming houses high in the Hollywood Hills. For years, Joss lived in the modest house his father built in the 1950s. This week, a makeshift memorial for Joss began growing at the property's fence. A man pulled up in a truck with a royal blue memorial cross adorned with ribbons and flowers. He tied the cross to the fence above the growing memorial. The man, Adrian Reyes, told CNN he had known Joss since high school; they were both in the class of 1984 at Dillard McCollum High School, which recently held its 40th year reunion. 'We're very, very close with him in that class. We track him everywhere,' said Reyes. 'We helped him financially. We helped him get to his events when he didn't have transportation.' 'It's a shame that people are learning about him now that he's gone rather than when he was alive and how talented he was and what a talent we lost,' Reyes said. 'He was a different kind of guy, but he was the life of the party.' Neighbors said there were years, maybe even decades, of disputes, particularly between Joss and Ceja. San Antonio Police logs show numerous calls to both addresses over the past year. 'Me and Jonathan had all these fun little side projects where we were coming up with these little scripts, most of them just for fun to make ourselves laugh. And we would be acting them out in the yard and I guess to the outside world maybe it looked a little crazy,' de Gonzales told viewers on Instagram Live. He did say that although they would sometimes walk around the neighborhood with things like a stick or pitchfork, they never 'threatened' or 'pointed any weapons at anybody.' Police were called to Joss' residence nearly 50 times since January 2024. In some instances, officers were dispatched multiple times in a single day. Neighbors said Joss' behavior turned more erratic and harassing as the years went on. Some said they saw him throw trash and wine bottles onto a nearby property under construction and damage that neighbor's mailbox. 'He went over there and yanked the mailbox off the top, and it was in a brick casing. So he yanked off the door and beat it up where our neighbor had to go replace it,' said one neighbor, who spoke to CNN but asked that their name not be used due to the attention the killing was bringing to their street. 'Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired, Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life,' de Gonzales said after the shooting, about their trip back to the burned-down home site. De Gonzalez said that the person who killed Joss yelled 'violent homophobic slurs' before opening fire. 'He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,' de Gonzales said. (CNN has attempted multiple times to contact Ceja and also reached out to his lawyer.) The San Antonio Police Department issued a statement on Monday rebutting this. 'Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation,' the department posted online. But, on Wednesday, as the police department was sharing a Pride Month community forum event, they also released a new statement saying they were continuing the investigation. 'Although we arrested a suspect, our homicide detectives continue to follow every lead to fully understand what led to this senseless act.' On Thursday, San Antonio police expressed more regret. 'We issued a statement the day after Jonathan Joss's murder that was way, way, way premature,' SAPD Chief William McManus told CNN affiliate KENS on Thursday. 'We shouldn't have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information and I will own that.' He echoed similar sentiments at a forum hosted by San Antonio Pride and the SAPD on Thursday evening, explaining that a judge can attach a hate crime to charges later on. He said they will gather all of the facts leading up to Jonathan Joss' death and will present the case to the District Attorney's office to make that call. He added that police are also investigating the January fire at Joss' home. Joss had told everyone that he was going through a lot. Online, he said he was fighting an uphill battle with financial difficulties. In November, Joss spoke about the difficult living conditions he and his then-fiancé were facing. He said that their home lacked basic utilities such as gas and electricity and described using a fire pit to heat coffee. Despite the challenges, he expressed hope about 'getting through some rough times.' There was one bright spot: his marriage to de Gonzales. Still, Joss also talked about using a stove to heat up water for a hot shower. On Instagram, he showed the poor condition of his house, revealing several holes in the walls and ceiling. In January, Joss experienced two house fires. The second destroyed the house and his car and killed his three dogs, according to social media posts from Joss and his partner. 'Everything I owned… gone. My memories, my keepsakes, my family, my comfort in this world lost in the flames,' he wrote on Facebook. In the months that followed, Joss frequently took to social media to ask fans for financial support. He regularly shared a GoFundMe link started by a fan, which has now raised over $20,000. He sold autographed photos, personalized video messages, t-shirts and '$1 wisdom sayings.' He also posted about marrying his partner on Valentine's Day. In one post with de Gonzales, Joss wrote: 'We shall endeavor to persevere together.' He frequently tried to secure transportation and financial support on Facebook to be able to make celebrity appearances at conventions. Just two days before he was killed, Joss showed up at a 'King of the Hill' Revival Sneak Peek event at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas – although he had already written on Facebook that he was not invited to attend. Attendee Brandon Robinson said Joss walked up to the Q&A mic and started 'ranting.' Robinson originally thought Joss' speech was planned but said he soon realized it wasn't. After making some references to his character in 'King of the Hill,' Joss said: 'My house burned down three months ago because I'm gay.' The panelists then announced Joss as the voice of the show's character John Redcorn, prompting applause from the audience. Joss spoke about feeling ignored at the event in one of his final interviews, which took place on 'Bwaaa! A King of the Hill podcast.' But he also said he'd loved his life as an actor. 'I've just been really lucky to have really decent parts. I mean, I never had a – I've never done a bad thing when it comes to acting,' Joss said. Another family showed up this week to remember Joss at the site of the shooting. Paul Gonzalez and Tiffany Zurita said that they lived nearby, but never knew Joss lived in the area. 'We grew up watching the cartoon, you know, me and my wife when we were kids – so just shocked by it,' Gonzalez said of the killing. They brought a pinwheel to place at the memorial, explaining that it helped their own family when experiencing loss. It was something 'to kind of bring that little life back in,' Zurita said. 'You know, the wind's blowing, you see it blowing in the wind, and it just, you know, kind of reminds you that that person's still here,' she said. 'It's a symbol of peace and serene surroundings.' They both said prayers for everyone involved in the tragic incident – and for the neighbors as well. 'I hope they all find peace in time,' said Gonzalez. CNN's Lisa Respers France, Dianne Gallagher, Devon Sayers, Andy Buck, Jeremy Grisham, and Leah Thomeer contributed to this report.
CNN
28 minutes ago
- CNN
A memorial grows for Jonathan Joss
A family who moved to a south-side San Antonio neighborhood roughly six years ago said that they were warned right away about an eccentric man who lived across the street. They were told, they said, that Jonathan Joss would play drums on his roof at all hours of the night and would yell obscenities and racial slurs at people outside. They said that, when confronted, Joss would often say that he was rehearsing for a role. He really was an actor, though. He played the role of John Redcorn in the animated show 'King of the Hill' for more than a dozen seasons, including in the show's upcoming revival. Another neighbor, Daniela Ruano, 19, said she lived next door to Joss her entire life. He would yell racist slurs at her family, she said, honk his horn in the middle of the night and threaten to hurt them. The behavior, she said, had accelerated. 'I'd say like the last two years have been the worst with him. He started breaking down my fence from the back,' she said. 'We would call the police on him a lot.' Two years ago, she said, Joss threatened another neighbor's brother with a crossbow. Police reports confirm that officers responded to the incident, but did not find a crossbow on Joss when they arrived at the scene. Earlier this year, Joss' family home was destroyed in a fire. But he still came by, neighbors said. In a video Ruano took of the actor on June 1, he is seen walking around the neighborhood and yelling; he is carrying a makeshift pitchfork. At one point, he said he is 'rehearsing a scene.' That day she took the video, Joss, his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales and another friend were there to pick up mail. The group had just returned from Austin, de Gonzales said, where Joss had participated in a fan meet-and-greet event. Joss, 59, arrived in the usual manner that his neighbors said that they had grown unhappily accustomed to, makeshift pitchfork included. Then, Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez – the neighbor whose brother said he had been threatened by Joss with the crossbow two years ago – drove up behind Joss who was parked in his driveway. He got out, the two exchanged words, witnesses said, and seconds later, Joss was dead. 'I shot him,' Ceja told police, according to an incident report. Ceja, 56, was arrested and charged with murder. His bond was set at $200,000, which he posted on Monday. He was released from jail with GPS monitoring on Wednesday afternoon and is due to appear in court on August 19, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office public information officer. When most people think of an actor's life, they tend to imagine gleaming houses high in the Hollywood Hills. For years, Joss lived in the modest house his father built in the 1950s. This week, a makeshift memorial for Joss began growing at the property's fence. A man pulled up in a truck with a royal blue memorial cross adorned with ribbons and flowers. He tied the cross to the fence above the growing memorial. The man, Adrian Reyes, told CNN he had known Joss since high school; they were both in the class of 1984 at Dillard McCollum High School, which recently held its 40th year reunion. 'We're very, very close with him in that class. We track him everywhere,' said Reyes. 'We helped him financially. We helped him get to his events when he didn't have transportation.' 'It's a shame that people are learning about him now that he's gone rather than when he was alive and how talented he was and what a talent we lost,' Reyes said. 'He was a different kind of guy, but he was the life of the party.' Neighbors said there were years, maybe even decades, of disputes, particularly between Joss and Ceja. San Antonio Police logs show numerous calls to both addresses over the past year. 'Me and Jonathan had all these fun little side projects where we were coming up with these little scripts, most of them just for fun to make ourselves laugh. And we would be acting them out in the yard and I guess to the outside world maybe it looked a little crazy,' de Gonzales told viewers on Instagram Live. He did say that although they would sometimes walk around the neighborhood with things like a stick or pitchfork, they never 'threatened' or 'pointed any weapons at anybody.' Police were called to Joss' residence nearly 50 times since January 2024. In some instances, officers were dispatched multiple times in a single day. Neighbors said Joss' behavior turned more erratic and harassing as the years went on. Some said they saw him throw trash and wine bottles onto a nearby property under construction and damage that neighbor's mailbox. 'He went over there and yanked the mailbox off the top, and it was in a brick casing. So he yanked off the door and beat it up where our neighbor had to go replace it,' said one neighbor, who spoke to CNN but asked that their name not be used due to the attention the killing was bringing to their street. 'Jonathan and I had no weapons. We were not threatening anyone. We were grieving. We were standing side by side. When the man fired, Jonathan pushed me out of the way. He saved my life,' de Gonzales said after the shooting, about their trip back to the burned-down home site. De Gonzalez said that the person who killed Joss yelled 'violent homophobic slurs' before opening fire. 'He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other,' de Gonzales said. (CNN has attempted multiple times to contact Ceja and also reached out to his lawyer.) The San Antonio Police Department issued a statement on Monday rebutting this. 'Despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation,' the department posted online. But, on Wednesday, as the police department was sharing a Pride Month community forum event, they also released a new statement saying they were continuing the investigation. 'Although we arrested a suspect, our homicide detectives continue to follow every lead to fully understand what led to this senseless act.' On Thursday, San Antonio police expressed more regret. 'We issued a statement the day after Jonathan Joss's murder that was way, way, way premature,' SAPD Chief William McManus told CNN affiliate KENS on Thursday. 'We shouldn't have done it. It was way too soon before we had any real information and I will own that.' He echoed similar sentiments at a forum hosted by San Antonio Pride and the SAPD on Thursday evening, explaining that a judge can attach a hate crime to charges later on. He said they will gather all of the facts leading up to Jonathan Joss' death and will present the case to the District Attorney's office to make that call. He added that police are also investigating the January fire at Joss' home. Joss had told everyone that he was going through a lot. Online, he said he was fighting an uphill battle with financial difficulties. In November, Joss spoke about the difficult living conditions he and his then-fiancé were facing. He said that their home lacked basic utilities such as gas and electricity and described using a fire pit to heat coffee. Despite the challenges, he expressed hope about 'getting through some rough times.' There was one bright spot: his marriage to de Gonzales. Still, Joss also talked about using a stove to heat up water for a hot shower. On Instagram, he showed the poor condition of his house, revealing several holes in the walls and ceiling. In January, Joss experienced two house fires. The second destroyed the house and his car and killed his three dogs, according to social media posts from Joss and his partner. 'Everything I owned… gone. My memories, my keepsakes, my family, my comfort in this world lost in the flames,' he wrote on Facebook. In the months that followed, Joss frequently took to social media to ask fans for financial support. He regularly shared a GoFundMe link started by a fan, which has now raised over $20,000. He sold autographed photos, personalized video messages, t-shirts and '$1 wisdom sayings.' He also posted about marrying his partner on Valentine's Day. In one post with de Gonzales, Joss wrote: 'We shall endeavor to persevere together.' He frequently tried to secure transportation and financial support on Facebook to be able to make celebrity appearances at conventions. Just two days before he was killed, Joss showed up at a 'King of the Hill' Revival Sneak Peek event at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas – although he had already written on Facebook that he was not invited to attend. Attendee Brandon Robinson said Joss walked up to the Q&A mic and started 'ranting.' Robinson originally thought Joss' speech was planned but said he soon realized it wasn't. After making some references to his character in 'King of the Hill,' Joss said: 'My house burned down three months ago because I'm gay.' The panelists then announced Joss as the voice of the show's character John Redcorn, prompting applause from the audience. Joss spoke about feeling ignored at the event in one of his final interviews, which took place on 'Bwaaa! A King of the Hill podcast.' But he also said he'd loved his life as an actor. 'I've just been really lucky to have really decent parts. I mean, I never had a – I've never done a bad thing when it comes to acting,' Joss said. Another family showed up this week to remember Joss at the site of the shooting. Paul Gonzalez and Tiffany Zurita said that they lived nearby, but never knew Joss lived in the area. 'We grew up watching the cartoon, you know, me and my wife when we were kids – so just shocked by it,' Gonzalez said of the killing. They brought a pinwheel to place at the memorial, explaining that it helped their own family when experiencing loss. It was something 'to kind of bring that little life back in,' Zurita said. 'You know, the wind's blowing, you see it blowing in the wind, and it just, you know, kind of reminds you that that person's still here,' she said. 'It's a symbol of peace and serene surroundings.' They both said prayers for everyone involved in the tragic incident – and for the neighbors as well. 'I hope they all find peace in time,' said Gonzalez. CNN's Lisa Respers France, Dianne Gallagher, Devon Sayers, Andy Buck, Jeremy Grisham, and Leah Thomeer contributed to this report.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Texas bill creating more weekend early voting could boost turnout, but delay election results
This coverage is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Texas' free newsletters here. Texans will have a new schedule for early voting in coming years under new legislation that starts the voting period later but slides it right up to Election Day, eliminating the three-day break in between. Experts say Senate Bill 2753, which lawmakers approved this week, will likely boost turnout, as it includes more time for voting on weekends. The author of the bill, Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, told Votebeat that the change also 'simplifies the process' and would reduce the cost of election operations and equipment. But local election officials said they aren't so sure of that, and are still determining how it will work and what it could cost counties. The bill doesn't allocate any funding for counties to implement the changes. And there's one notable side effect of taking away the gap after the early-voting period: Partial vote tallies from the early ballots, which are typically released shortly after polls close on Election Day, won't be available until later, election administrators said. The bill is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk for his signature, though it can become law without it. The changes have to go into effect no later than August 2027. Some election officials warned that they are likely to need additional election workers to work longer hours to comply with the requirements, as well as more voting equipment and possibly additional polling locations. 'These are just things that we don't know yet because we haven't run an election in this model yet,' said Jennifer Doinoff, Hays County elections administrator and the legislative committee chair for the Texas Association of County Election Officials. 'It's something we're going to have to look at and build from the ground up.' It's not yet clear when counties would begin implementing the changes. The bill directs the Texas secretary of state to adopt rules and procedures to implement the new timeline and provide a report telling the Texas Legislature 'as soon as practicable' after Sept. 1 that the agency 'has consulted with county election officials and is confident that the counties in this state are prepared." Also, the Legislature could make changes based on the secretary of state's report because there is a full regular legislative session in 2027 before SB 2753's new early voting timeline has to be used. Currently, during general elections that have county and state offices on the ballot, Texas offers 12 days of early voting, starting the 17th day before Election Day and ending four days before Election Day. This allows for only a single weekend of voting. The new law would also require 12 days of early voting, but the period would begin on a Thursday and run for 12 days straight, including two weekends, right up to Election Day. In addition, Sunday voting hours would be extended from six to nine hours a day, and early voting would also be available on any holidays during that period. While the number of days doesn't change, election officials said the new schedule will eliminate a treasured break for workers before Election Day, and they worry they'll lose workers without it. Some officials also said it can be hard to find people to work Sundays. In Collin County, the early-voting staffers typically also work on Election Day, said Kaleb Breaux, the county's elections administrator. 'It's a laborious process for them, just mentally and physically,' Breaux said. 'By the time they get to that last week of early voting, they're just worn out.' Election offices also used the break to set up equipment for Election Day voting, which uses a different set of machines. Election officials will have to work out whether and how to pay poll workers for any overtime. The bill didn't allocate any funds for counties to pay poll workers. Hall, the bill author, played down the concerns about staffing, and said he expects some workers would prefer to work on the weekend. 'It's a matter of organization and management,' he said. Hall said he doesn't anticipate new personnel costs since the total number of days the polls will be open won't change. The bill will also require changes to the way election officials allocate their space and equipment. It will require any location used as an early-voting polling place to also be used as an Election Day polling place, a new mandate. But in some counties, finding and leasing facilities is difficult. 'We'll have to completely reconfigure early voting,' Trudy Hancock, the Brazos County elections administrator said. Election officials are also anticipating changes in the timeline for posting election results on Election Day. Early-voting ballots will have to be tabulated at the same time as Election Day ballots, and the extra volume will add to the time needed to complete the security and paperwork steps required after polls close. So tallies from each polling place could take longer to come in, Breaux said. Hall said he doesn't expect the timeline for full election results to change very much. The partial results that may be delayed 'serve absolutely no purpose in the election process other than to give people a piece of information as quickly as possible,' he said. 'I expect they'll be able to get the total votes not much later if the counties handle it right,' he said. The schedule change aligns Texas more closely with 22 other states that have a single voting period that runs right up to Election Day, including Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado, Indiana, California and Illinois, according to the Voting Rights Lab. Hall told Votebeat he didn't model the bill after any specific state. In some of those states, making voting accessible the day before Election Day has helped increase voter turnout, said Daniel Griffith, senior policy director at Secure Democracy Foundation. 'That Monday just right before Election Day, that's when a lot of folks are really thinking about the election,' Griffith said. 'The later you kind of push that last early voting day, the more participation you get.' Colorado, which is primarily a vote-by-mail state, implemented a single voting period over a decade ago and it has worked smoothly. For in-person voting, the entire state uses a countywide voting model, where people can vote at any polling location in their county — for the entire voting period. That means election officials have fewer polling locations to staff. Fewer than half of Texas' 254 counties use the countywide model. In the rest, voters have to cast their ballot at their assigned precinct, which typically requires more polling locations on Election Day. The number of early-voting sites varies from county to county, and not all of them use the same sites on Election Day. Texas counties will need funds and resources to implement the changes in the bill, said Jennifer Morrell, CEO and co-founder of The Elections Group, an election administration consulting firm. Colorado reimburses local jurisdictions when there are state or federal candidates on the ballot, Morrell said, and adjusts the amount for changes in poll worker pay and other costs. Texas will need to do the same, she said. 'Costs go up: paper, ink, equipment,' Morrell said. 'You can't just make stuff up and then expect a local jurisdiction to just do it without additional funding. And even if election officials get creative, they can't maintain it for long.' Natalia Contreras is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with the Texas Tribune. She's based in Corpus Christi. Contact Natalia at ncontreras@ Disclosure: Secure Democracy and Texas Secretary of State have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
