Cyberattacks on State, local, Tribal government up 50%

Since 2017, attacks – which the report defines as targeted instances of intrusion, fraud or damage by malicious cyber actors rather than discovery of insecure databases or accidental online leaks – rose an average of almost 50%, according to the “State and Local Government Security Report” that BlueVoyant, a cybersecurity firm, released Aug. 27. That amount that is likely only a fraction of the true number, the report adds.

The research confirmed the company’s belief that active threat targeting happens across the board. “For every selected county’s online footprint, evidence showed some sign of intentional targeting,” the report states. What’s more, five counties — or 17% of the 28 studied — showed signs of potential compromise, indicating that traffic from governments assets was reaching out to malicious networks.

Ransomware is the main way municipal assets are attacked. What’s more concerning than the growing number of attacks, however, is the increase in how much bad actors demand in ransom, the report states. Average ransom demands rose from a monthly average of $30,000 to nearly half a million dollars, with total monetary value of ransom demands reaching into the millions.

Even when cities don’t pay, the costs can be staggering. For instance, the 2019 ransomware attack on Baltimore cost the city more than $18 million in damages and remediation.

The coronavirus response and upcoming presidential election have helped put cybersecurity in the limelight.

Being breached once and successfully extorting funds may make you an even bigger target. All Tribal Councils need to make a Cyber Security Plan of Action. The question is NOT, “Am I going to be attacked?” But, rather, when and how often?

We can give you peace of mind that the funds meet the federal requirements, and help you avoid the hassle of a cybersecurity breach.

We highly recommend the use of a fractional Computer Security Officer (CSO.)

The opportunity exists, now, to get your staff the experience and infrastructure plans in place to ensure your future safety.