Already under attack by cybercriminals and ransomware operators, state and local government are facing heightened cybersecurity threats as they move into the second half of 2020, when they will be required to manage elections while dealing with hard economic choices, experts said this week.
State and local governments have struggled with cybersecurity for years, but the next six months will simultaneously raise the stakes while posing new challenges. The combination of reduced tax revenues and the additional costs caused by the pandemic could strain budgets for typical cost centers such as cybersecurity. Already, government-focused companies have noticed a significant loss of focus on cybersecurity in their state and local government clients.
It's understandable but worrisome when looking at the challenges ahead, says Mark Testoni, CEO of enterprise-software maker SAP's national security division.
"Cybersecurity is successfully working its way into boardrooms now, but if you are a governor or a mayor at this point [in time], you are more focused on keeping people alive and reducing impacts on their livelihood, so cyber is not a big issue," he says. "We can't necessarily now spend billions of dollars shoring up defenses. Unfortunately, if you are a cybercriminal, there is no better opportunity than that."
Because of the relative lack of cybersecurity expertise and their need to stay operational, state and local governments have become a favored target of cybercriminals, especially ransomware operators, because small government agencies are more likely to pay in order to recover from a ransomware attack. In 2019, more th ..
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