Enhancing cybersecurity is a critical priority for the Bay Area because the region’s dense concentration of interconnected infrastructure—spanning public safety communications, transit systems, utilities, hospitals, local government networks, and election systems—creates a high-value target for cyberattacks that could produce widespread operational and public-safety consequences. As cyber threats continue to escalate in sophistication and frequency, from ransomware to nation-state intrusions and supply-chain compromises, strengthening digital defenses has become essential to safeguarding the continuity of government services and the region’s overall resilience. The FEMA Cybersecurity NPA underscores the need for jurisdictions like the Bay Area to invest strategically in risk assessments, network hardening, detection and monitoring tools, incident response capabilities, cyber governance, and workforce training to protect the systems that underpin daily life.

By aligning cybersecurity investments with capability gaps identified through the THIRA/SPR process, the Bay Area UASI ensures that regional cyber preparedness keeps pace with evolving threats and supports FEMA’s national readiness objectives. These efforts enable faster detection of malicious activity, more coordinated multi-agency response, and stronger continuity of operations for critical services relied upon by millions of residents, commuters, and businesses. Collectively, enhancing cybersecurity strengthens the region’s ability to prevent disruptions, mitigate cascading impacts, and maintain trust in essential public systems across one of the nation’s most technologically complex and interconnected metropolitan regions.