Cybersecurity resources for state and local governments

For hackers and malicious actors focused on the state and local government sector, 2020 proved to be a fruitful year — and 2021 is following the same pattern.

In 2021, cybersecurity analysts reported that DDoS attacks targeting government administration and public sector websites grew by 491 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period the year before. Defending against these ongoing threats to government agencies can seem especially daunting when the tools used by attackers are ever changing. In January 2021, more than 17 million new types of malware and potentially unwanted applications were found by cybersecurity experts.

Not only are cyberattacks increasing, but resource-constrained state and local governments must also meet the increasing demand from citizens for 24/7 digital services and access to data. They must also balance compliance requirements from FedRAMP, CJIS and FISMA. However, even for resource-constrained state and local governments, being prepared for cybersecurity threats and staying on top of the emerging cyber threat landscape doesn't have to be daunting or costly. There are many free resources available to help.