There are many industries that are particularly vulnerable to hackers. Healthcare businesses are often targeted because they deal with HIPAA-protected data, law firms must protect client data, and finance is vulnerable due to sensitive financial information they deal with.
Government is another heavily-targeted sector, due to the critical services they provide to the public as well as sensitive data they house. Sometimes, safeguarding data can be a matter of public safety, rather than just protecting the privacy of the public.
If you wonder how hackers target small municipalities, why they do it, and how to mitigate threats, here's a guide to small government cybersecurity and the risks of cyber breaches.
What Are the Cyber Threats Challenging the Public Sector?
Some of the most common threats you might face if you run a small government IT department include social engineering and malware. Social engineering is when cybercriminals attempt to fool victims into performing a desired action (usually sending money) by creating a sense of urgency. Some examples include:
- Email spoofing (phishing)
- Text message scammers (smishing)
- Voice phone call spoofs (vishing)
- Pharming (fake websites made to mimic legitimate businesses or entities)
To read more about social engineering, check out our blog: What is Social Engineering? Attacks, Techniques, and Ways to Avoid It
Endpoint breaches are another major cybersecurity threat to small government. A network endpoint is any device that connects to your business network. This could include office printers, smart devices such as digital refrigerators displays, and any other digital device a hacker could commandeer to breach your network.
Why Should Cybersecurity be a Top Priority in Small Government?
Many entities rely on the programs and information technology systems that municipalities handle. This means that a cyber attack could have a ripple effect across the local bureaucracy, affecting everything from marriage license issuance to DMV records.
Hackers are aware of these critical services, so they'll go after crucial information systems and demand payouts, or ransoms, to release stolen records. Often, criminals will gain control of your network for a long time before they make themselves known. This gives them time to formulate demands and go after any backups you may have in place.
To learn more about how these criminals operate, check out our blog: The Business of Cybercrime
Case Study: County in Georgia Learned the Importance of Cybersecurity the Hard Way
In January 2024, the local government of Fulton County in Georgia learn the hard way the true value of anti-malware protections. After a hacking group, Lockbit, injected malware into the county's network, they demanded a ransom payment to prevent them from posting stolen resident information online.
The county refused to pay the cybercriminals, and since there was suspicion that hackers interfered with election results, the FBI got involved.
Services shut down by the attack included:
- Telephone access
- Background checks using court records
- Court and tax systems
- County jail processing systems
- Online water billing
In the aftermath of the attack, Fulton County confirmed that they never spent any taxpayer dollars to the foreign hacking group.
However, many services remained disrupted for extended periods of time. In addition, the hackers claimed they had sensitive constituent information that they threatened to release on the dark web. It is still unclear how much data the hackers accessed. However, officials discovered no leaked personal information of local citizens.
How to Mitigate Cyber Attacks on Municipalities & Infrastructure
One of the best first steps in defending your local municipality against hackers is by investing in high-quality outsourced government IT services. Managed IT solutions for government entities offer a more sophisticated skillset and amount of industry expertise in areas including:
- Cybersecurity tools & best practices
- Phishing training administration
- Long-term project planning
- Infrastructure management
- IT budgeting
- Day-to-day troubleshooting
- Network assessments to uncover security gaps
How to Find Government Technology Solutions
If you're on the hunt for government IT solutions, there are a few key things top look for in quality providers. Ensure their reviews reflect speedy, helpful service, and they have experience working with government agencies.
It's also crucial to find a government IT solutions provider that uses industry-standard tools and practices to secure your network. Read about some of these key tools in our blog: Ask the Expert: 7 Cybersecurity Essentials To Check Off
IT services for government entities must offer the most secure and innovative solutions on the market, since government hackers are amongst the most skilled and sophisticated. If you're ready to dive into the latest IT solutions for local government, click the button below to speak to a cybersecurity expert.
