State, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies and municipalities are under attack. Observations and data from security vendor BlueVoyant highlight the attacks and the results.
We’ve long known that state and local government has been a target. But new data from BlueVoyant’s State and Local Government Security Report makes the case that it’s only getting worse. According to the report:
- Monthly attacks have risen 50% since 2017
- Ransoms rose from $30,000 in 2017 to over $1,000,000 in 2019
- 555 compromised email accounts across only 38 analyzed data breaches
- 95K incidents of inbound targeting of SLTT in just 6 months
The bad guys realize government is expected to always be running, so they’re the perfect target to take out with ransomware. They also do business with countless companies with money changing hands, making them also the perfect target for fraud, island hopping, and more.
BlueVoyant recommends a number of responses including performing a cybersecurity risk assessment, considering managed security services, and cyber insurance. I’d also add the need to Security Awareness Training to empower users with the knowledge of how to identify malicious phishing attacks – something BlueVoyant admit in the report as a primary attack vector – and keep government organizations from being breached.
