How AI can assist cities and counties with cybersecurity

The Public Technology Institute’s 2023 Local Government Cybersecurity National Survey was just released. Based on past years results, there were few surprises but continued reassurance that cybersecurity continues to remain the top focus of all local governments. The survey asked about financial support, where 64 percent reported that cyber budgets were inadequate. Only 36 percent felt their cybersecurity budgets were adequate.

Is your cyber security budget adequate to support cybersecurity initiatives?

The good news is that 55 percent reported an increase over last year, but a disturbing 7 percent reported financial support for cyber went down. Of the following activities, respondents were asked to rank the priority initiatives for the next twelve months.

Of the following activities, please rank the priority initiatives for the next 12 months.

When it comes to the obstacles local governments face when it comes to cybersecurity, one can see a clear picture of the headwinds they face.

Of the following, please rank the barriers that you believe your organization faces to address cybersecurity challenges.

This year a new question was added, “Are you turning more to vendors that utilize AI solutions for cybersecurity support?” While AI has been around for many years, it appears interest in AI and cybersecurity has reached renewed and heightened interest, 40 percent responded with a “yes.”

Are you turning more to vendors that utilize AI solutions for cybersecurity support?

Of course, like all entities of government, much of any pivot to AI cybersecurity tools are wholly dependent on the vendor and managed service provider community offerings. So, when one considers the many challenges of sustainable cybersecurity budgets, staff training, retention and recruitment, automation becomes increasingly important.

AI certainly holds great promise when one considers that AI systems are 24/7, they never sleep or go on vacation, AI is superior at finding patterns and anomalies in milliseconds as opposed to days or weeks. Despite the noted advantages many local government tech leaders remain uncertain about what is either possible or even available. So, the timely question of the day is, how can AI assist in cybersecurity operations aimed at protecting our cities and counties? Realistically, local governments can use AI in cybersecurity to enhance or supplement their ability to protect sensitive data, infrastructure, and systems from cyber threats. So exactly how can AI assist local governments? Here are several ways in which AI can be leveraged for cybersecurity in the context of local governments:

1 Threat detection and analysis
AI can analyze network traffic patterns and detect anomalies that may indicate unauthorized access or suspicious activities.

2. Behavioral analytics
AI can monitor user and system behavior to identify deviations from normal patterns, helping to detect insider threats and advanced persistent threats (APTs).

3. Malware detection
AI-powered antivirus solutions can recognize and quarantine malware, including new and previously unknown variants.

4. Predictive analytics
AI can analyze historical data to predict potential future cyber threats and vulnerabilities, allowing local governments to proactively address security weaknesses.

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