According to CyberEdge, 68.2 percent of governments were compromised by at least one successful attack in the past year. The motive for attacks has primarily become financial, with ransomware becoming particularly lucrative, but espionage and “hacktivism” shouldn’t be ruled out either — especially around elections.
Despite the concerns, however, the majority of states and cities dedicate 5 percent or less of their IT budgets to cybersecurity; the majority of counties dedicate 10 percent or less. At the same time, recent federal grant programs will bring about $800 million to state and local governments to fund cybersecurity improvements in the next four years.
In recognition of cybersecurity month, Dustin Haisler and Government Technology Staff Writer Jule Pattison-Gordon were joined by two nationally recognized, award-winning cybersecurity leaders and authors — Deb Snyder and Dan Lohrmann. The former chief information security officers and e.Republic* senior fellows shared their views on the current cybersecurity landscape, funding opportunities and challenges; what agencies should be doing to mitigate their risks; and the applicability of national standards to lower levels of government.
LEARN MORE
Cybersecurity by the Numbers
Lohrmann on Cybersecurity Blog
Connect with Deb Snyder on LinkedIn
Connect with Dan Lohrmann on LinkedIn
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*e.Republic is Government Technology’s parent company.
