Three tips to improve cybersecurity posture for local governments

New year, same story: the emergence of new cybercriminals and attack vectors means that any networked products and services are at the potential risk of attack. Whether this is unauthorized access, exploitation of vulnerabilities or tampered software, any number of threats could pose a significant risk to municipalities and their communities.

However, reducing the risk of a cyber incident in municipalities isn’t simple, and requires advanced technologies and tools, as well as an understanding of best practices. With cybercriminals increasingly leveraging advanced technologies and the damaging impact of cyberattacks on cities, there has never been a more critical time to invest in strengthening your cybersecurity posture.

Tip 1: Standardize, standardize, standardize
To begin, it’s important to understand that municipalities function much differently than private corporations. Municipalities often deal with older infrastructure and legacy systems, and don’t have the resources to switch over to the latest and greatest technology as soon as it comes out. Because municipalities also cover a range of industries, you’ll deal with different ages and stages of tech—just because the traffic cameras are the latest, for instance, doesn’t mean the libraries also have new cameras. Beyond discrepancies in performance ability, you also must consider that tech procured in the early 2000’s has a completely different lifecycle and may have separate or confusing warranties.

Because of all these competing factors, the ability to go back through and update all technology is difficult. Though the task may seem daunting, it’s not something that can be put off or ignored. In Oakland, Calif., for instance, the city fell prey to a cyberattack due to outdated systems and practices and is now facing multiple costly lawsuits. Municipalities simply cannot afford to wait until after the fact to go through their legacy systems and update their technology. By presenting a unified front, cyberattackers will have fewer vulnerabilities to exploit, and there will be consistent policies in place so no matter what they face, all members of the municipality will be on the same page.

To read the complete article, visit American City & County.