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O’Melveny & MyersWith cybersecurity becoming a growing issue in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti is initiating country’s first city-based Cyber Lab and has tapped law firm O’Melveny & Myers to serve on its advisory board.

The lab will be not-for-profit entity funded through a public-private partnership between the city and Cisco Systems that will disseminate information and intelligence based on analysis of more than 1 billion security-related events and more than 4 million daily attempted intrusions into city networks. There is no cost or obligation of membership.

The Los Angeles Cyber Lab builds on the mayor’s second Executive Directive, which created a Cyber Intrusion Command Center to lead cybersecurity preparation and response across City departments. The lab will alert small and medium-sized business partners to attacks as they occur, and larger businesses can receive automated updates to their own cyber defense systems.

The LA Cyber Lab was launched with capital equipment funded by the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles’ Spark grant program, which provides resources that support innovative approaches to civic issues.

“The security of our financial, business and personal information depends on aggressive, proactive cyberdefense — and the LA Cyber Lab will help tilt the balance in Angelenos’ favor against evolving threats from criminal hackers,” announced Mayor Garcetti on August 15th. “L.A. is a leader in this area, because we are constantly sharing information and using new technology to strengthen cybersecurity within City government. We’re expanding that capacity to protect Angelenos’ online safety, privacy, and property.”

Additional advisory board members include Amazon, Cisco Systems, Motorola, Microsoft and Riot Games.

In the coming year, the LA Cyber Lab and the City will launch an “Innovation Incubator,” which will use a simulated City network as a testing ground for new cyber defense technologies, and give local high school and university students experience working in a security environment.

The platform will evolve into a mutual exchange of threat information with private sector partners, further fortifying L.A.’s capacity to thwart cyber criminals. More information can be found at https://www.lacyberlab.org/.