Cybersecurity and Local Government

CYBERSECURITY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT Learn to secure your local government's networks with this one-of-a-kind resource

In Cybersecurity and Local Government, a distinguished team of researchers delivers an insightful exploration of cybersecurity at the level of local government. The book makes a compelling argument that every local government official, elected or otherwise, must be reasonably knowledgeable about cybersecurity concepts and provide appropriate support for it within their governments. It also lays out a straightforward roadmap to achieving those objectives, from an overview of cybersecurity definitions to descriptions of the most common security challenges faced by local governments.

The accomplished authors specifically address the recent surge in ransomware attacks and how they might affect local governments, along with advice as to how to avoid and respond to these threats. They also discuss the cybersecurity law, cybersecurity policies that local government should adopt, the future of cybersecurity, challenges posed by Internet of Things, and much more.

Throughout, the authors provide relevant field examples, case studies of actual local governments, and examples of policies to guide readers in their own application of the concepts discussed within.

Cybersecurity and Local Government also offers:

• A thorough introduction to cybersecurity generally, including definitions of key cybersecurity terms and a high-level overview of the subject for non-technologists.
• A comprehensive exploration of critical information for local elected and top appointed officials, including the typical frequencies and types of cyberattacks.
• Practical discussions of the current state of local government cybersecurity, with a review of relevant literature from 2000 to 2021.
• In-depth examinations of operational cybersecurity policies, procedures and practices, with recommended best practices. Perfect for local elected and top appointed officials and staff as well as local citizens, Cybersecurity and Local Government will also earn a place in the libraries of those studying or working in local government with an interest in cybersecurity.

DONALD F. NORRIS, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. Before retiring from UMBC in 2017, he was Director of the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research for 27 years and Director of the UMBC School of Public Policy for 10 years.

LAURA K. MATECZUN, JD, is a PhD student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. Her research is focused on local government cybersecurity. Laura has received a Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy & Policy from UMBC.

RICHARD F. FORNO, PhD, is Principal Lecturer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. He is Assistant Director of UMBC's Center for Cybersecurity.

CYBERSECURITY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Learn to secure your local government's networks with this one-of-a-kind resource

In Cybersecurity and Local Government, a distinguished team of researchers delivers an insightful exploration of cybersecurity at the level of local government. The book makes a compelling argument that every local government official, elected or otherwise, must be reasonably knowledgeable about cybersecurity concepts and provide appropriate support for it within their governments. It also lays out a straightforward roadmap to achieving those objectives, from an overview of cybersecurity definitions to descriptions of the most common security challenges faced by local governments.

The accomplished authors specifically address the recent surge in ransomware attacks and how they might affect local governments, along with advice as to how to avoid and respond to these threats. They also discuss the cybersecurity law, cybersecurity policies that local government should adopt, the future of cybersecurity, challenges posed by Internet of Things, and much more.

Throughout, the authors provide relevant field examples, case studies of actual local governments, and examples of policies to guide readers in their own application of the concepts discussed within.

Cybersecurity and Local Government also offers:

• A thorough introduction to cybersecurity generally, including definitions of key cybersecurity terms and a high-level overview of the subject for non-technologists.

• A comprehensive exploration of critical information for local elected and top appointed officials, including the typical frequencies and types of cyberattacks.

• Practical discussions of the current state of local government cybersecurity, with a review of relevant literature from 2000 to 2021.

• In-depth examinations of operational cybersecurity policies, procedures and practices, with recommended best practices.

Perfect for local elected and top appointed officials and staff as well as local citizens, Cybersecurity and Local Government will also earn a place in the libraries of those studying or working in local government with an interest in cybersecurity.

Auteur

DONALD F. NORRIS, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. Before retiring from UMBC in 2017, he was Director of the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research for 27 years and Director of the UMBC School of Public Policy for 10 years.

LAURA K. MATECZUN, JD, is a PhD student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. Her research is focused on local government cybersecurity. Laura has received a Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy & Policy from UMBC.

RICHARD F. FORNO, PhD, is Principal Lecturer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. He is Assistant Director of UMBC's Center for Cybersecurity.

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Why Local Government Cybersecurity?

This book begins with a simple question: why examine cybersecurity among America's local (or grassroots) governments? What's so special about these organizations that they deserve scrutiny? They are, after all, just organizations, and most, if not all organizations have certain similarities, especially the need to maintain effective levels of cybersecurity.

The need for cybersecurity is demonstrated every day and is a common staple in the popular media. And local governments do not differ much, if any, in the need for cybersecurity from organizations such as Microsoft, Target, Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase, the White House, or many others. The similarity to which readers should be aware is that all of these organizations have been successfully hacked...as has a growing number of local governments. 1.1 Most Important Reason

Perhaps the most important reason that cybersecurity among local governments warrants our attention is that these governments are increasingly targets of cybercriminals and are under constant, or nearly constant, attack (Norris et al., 2018, 2019, 2020 ). Moreover, aside from relatively few studies, little is known about the specific vulnerabilities, exposures, practices, and shortcoming of local governments in this matter - yet every local government cybersecurity official who one of the authors (Norris) helped interview in 2013 agreed that their governments were under constant attack. Among local governments responding to a survey that two of the authors (Norris and Mateczun) helped conduct in 2016, 28 percent reported being attacked at least hourly or more frequently, and 19 percent said at least once a day (for a total of 47 percent of all respondents). What is really troubling, however, is that more than a quarter (nearly 28 percent) said that they did not know how frequently they were being attacked (Norris et al., 2019).

Among local government Chief Information Security Office…