Why the Government Industry is a Target for Cyberattacks
The government industry is a prime target of cyberattacks for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common include the fact that governments have access to highly sensitive data and they control critical infrastructure that can be disrupted by cyberattacks. Additionally, government agencies may be targeted by hacktivists with political motivations.
In recent years, cyberattacks have increasingly been used as a tool of war. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a prime example of this, as cyberattackers affiliated with Russia have launched attacks against Ukraine and its allies to disrupt their military operations and daily life. As these types of attacks grow more common, government organizations face increased security risks.
The Importance of Cybersecurity to Government Institutions
Government institutions are entrusted with sensitive data and important responsibilities. A data breach or disruptive cyberattack can cause significant damage not only to the organization but also to its constituents. As a result, implementing strong cybersecurity to protect against these attacks is a major responsibility of government agencies.
Types of Protections
Government agencies need to implement defenses against a range of potential threats. Some of the types of protections that they require include the following:
- Internet of Things (IoT): Critical infrastructure is commonly operated and controlled by IoT devices, which can pose a significant risk to government cybersecurity due to unpatched vulnerabilities and other factors. IoT devices must be carefully managed to ensure that they are not infected by botnet malware or used as access points for agency networks.
- Data Security: Government agencies have access to large volumes of sensitive information, including citizens’ data and classified information. Protecting this information against data breaches and ransomware is essential for the security of the government and its citizens.
- Cloud Security: Companies and government agencies are rapidly adopting cloud infrastructure due to the scalability, resiliency, and other benefits that it offers. However, errors in configuration management, access control, and third-party risk management can expose cloud-hosted data or applications to attack.
- Network Security: Network security is the foundation of cybersecurity. Network security controls can help block an attacker from accessing an organization’s systems and help restrict lateral movement by an attacker that already has a foothold on an organization’s network.
- Application Security: Government organizations provide critical services to their constituents, including taxes, healthcare, and more. AppSec or WAF solutions are vital to protecting the availability of these applications and the security of the data that they store and process.
- Endpoint Security: Government employees commonly have agency-owned laptops and mobile devices that are a common target of cyberattacks. Endpoint security solutions installed on devices can help to prevent and remediate malware infections and other cyber threats.
- Mobile Security: As the use of mobile devices for business purposes has grown, cybercriminals are increasingly targeting them in their attacks. Mobile security solutions can help to block the installation of mobile malware and manage the risk of smishing and other attacks.
- Consolidated Security Architecture: Protecting against a range of cyber threats with standalone solutions produces a complex, unmanageable security architecture. A consolidated security architecture — which includes the required security capabilities in a single solution — improves security visibility and threat detection and response capabilities.
The Challenges of Government Cybersecurity
Some of the most common cybersecurity challenges that government agencies face include the following:
- Sophisticated Adversaries: Government agencies are the target of sophisticated cyber threat actors — including state-sponsored hacking groups, hacktivists, and organized crime — that intend to steal sensitive data or disrupt critical functions. The need to protect against organized crime and nation-state actors makes cybersecurity more challenging than for smaller organizations.
- Limited Resources: Government agencies commonly have limited budgets and resources that they can devote to IT and cybersecurity. As a result, it can be difficult to design and implement effective defenses against advanced cyber threats.
- Fragmented Architecture: Most governments are divided into individual agencies and departments with varying roles, sizes, and levels of technical expertise. This increases the difficulty of ensuring that the government as a whole is secure against cyber threats.
Cybersecurity Strategies and Regulations
An effective cybersecurity program is one that is guided by a mature security strategy. Attempting to identify, purchase, and deploy security solutions on the go to address specific threats results in an unmanageable security architecture and exploitable security gaps.
An organizational cybersecurity strategy should be guided by both internal and external drivers. From an internal perspective, the security strategy should protect the organization’s data and IT assets and support the organization’s goals. External influences include regulations and standards that mandate certain security capabilities — such as requirements for the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA) and endpoint security solutions — and controls that the organization should have in place to achieve a minimum acceptable level of security.
The Need for a Comprehensive and Collaborative Cybersecurity Solution for Government
Since government agencies are some of the main targets of cybercriminals and nation-state cyber threat actors, the sensitive data that they control means that cyber threat actors will be willing to spend significant time and resources to identify exploitable vulnerabilities in their defenses.
This targeted attention by sophisticated threat actors means that government agencies require robust cybersecurity. Comprehensive cybersecurity solutions can help to close the security gaps that cyber threat actors would exploit, reducing the risk to the organization and its data.
Securing Government Agencies with Check Point Infinity
Government agencies need comprehensive, manageable cybersecurity coverage that provides robust protection against a range of cyberattack vectors. Check Point Infinity offers consolidated security that simplifies security management and enables more effective management of potential threats. Learn more about Check Point’s cybersecurity solutions for federal governments.
Check Point Infinity Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) provides government agencies with access to all of the capabilities of Check Point Infinity under a single license agreement, enabling government organizations to scale security based on their needs and budget. Find out more about Infinity ELA today or reach out to experts.
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