New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an executive order on Friday that implements more stringent measures to safeguard sensitive state agency information and better protect the state from cyber threats. 

The order directs the Department of Information Technology to conduct thorough IT and security assessments on state agencies in order to detect security vulnerabilities. Additionally, agencies are now required to adopt and implement cybersecurity, information security and privacy policies that are considered at least moderate-impact by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Agencies must certify compliance with the standards by Nov. 1. 

“Cybersecurity is not just a technological issue; it’s a matter of public safety and national security,” Grisham, a Democrat, said in a release. “That’s why I’ve taken decisive action to fortify the resilience of our state agencies against potential cyber intrusions.”

State agencies are defined as departments, offices, boards, commissions and others within the executive branch under gubernatorial control. Agencies that are unable to certify compliance with the new cybersecurity policies must request an exemption and provide a plan and timeline detailing steps to achieve compliance.