State and local governments under siege from cyber threats

2020-10-15 03:30

With both security budgets and talent pools negatively affected by the ongoing pandemic, state and local governments are struggling to cope with the constant wave of cyber threats more than ever before, a Deloitte study reveals.

Collaboration with local governments and public higher education is critical to managing increasingly complex cyber risk within state borders.

"The last six months have created new opportunities for cyber threats and amplified existing cybersecurity challenges for state governments," said Meredith Ward, director of policy and research at NASCIO. "The budget and talent challenges experienced in recent years have only grown, and CISOs are now also faced with an acceleration of strategic initiatives to address threats associated with the pandemic."

"The pandemic forced state governments to act quickly, not just in terms of public health and safety, but also with regard to cybersecurity," said Srini Subramanian, principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "However, continuing challenges with resources beset state CISOs/CIOs. This is evident when comparing the much higher levels of budget that federal agencies and other industries like financial services receive to fight cyber threats."

Only 28% of states reported that they had collaborated extensively with local governments as part of their state's security program during the past year, with 65% reporting limited collaboration.

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