A two day conference in San Antonio is bringing together government and industry to discuss the growing issues of on line security, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Dr. Gregory White, who heads the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security at UTSA, says today, bad actors are less likely to want to steal your bank account information, and more likely to want to commit major acts of vandalism.
He says America's utilities are aware of the issue, and are training workers on how not to fall prey to cyber attacks. They happen the same way 'Nigerian princes' have been conning people out of cash for decades, through scam e-mails.
But he says its working.
"Compare how many people got sucked in by phishing a decade ago, compared to how many get sucked in today," he said.
White says all it takes is one flaw in a network and hackers will exploit it. He says that is why cybersecurity is such a key industry for the future.
He says every business now has training on how to protect the vital computer network, whether that business is Amazon.com or Joe's Plumbing.
"Talk to them about phishing, explain to them how the hackers can damage our business."
San Antonio is one of the nation's leaders in the cybersecurity realm, and Joe Sanchez, who heads the Cyber Texas Foundation, says the City could use a 'Cyber Security Czar' to coordinate operations.
"We have about an $11 to $12 billion economic impact in San Antonio a couple of years ago, which is key for the city's economy," Sanchez said.
He says having a full time person coordinating the cybersecurity industry in the city, as well as attracting and training employees and new companies, would show that San Antonio is serious about what promises to be a long term economic generator.
"That would be somebody who, from a city-county perspective, to help promote at a high level this industry and chart a unified course for the future."
San Antonio is already attracting some of the largest military cyber security operations in the world, with defense contractors Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin recently opening operations at Port San Antonio. The 24th Air Force Cyber Command located at Lackland Annex, as well as top level training facilities at UTSA, St. Mary's and elsewhere, are helping propel San Antonio's cybersecurity infrastructure.