"Power in Numbers: How a Whole-of-State Approach Can Improve Cybersecurity"

There has been a noticeable increase in cyberattacks against government organizations. There were 17 million leaked government documents in the first quarter of 2020, a 278 percent increase over the first quarter of 2019. Between July 2021 and June 2022, the number of cyberattacks targeting states' critical infrastructure climbed from 20 percent to 40 percent of all attacks detected by Microsoft. The vast amount of data under the control of government entities, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), financial records, and data pertaining to critical infrastructure, makes them prime targets. Many government agencies lack the personnel, tools, and resources necessary to build an effective defense against today's sophisticated and aggressive cyberattackers and nation-states. The current state of cybersecurity across many public organizations is characterized by shortcomings that impede defense measures. Ineffective implementation and validation of systems/software coexist with a lack of collaboration, transparency, and governance. These inadequacies can lead to protection gaps, sluggish responses to security breaches, and improperly integrated tools, causing inefficiency and rising costs. With a seemingly endless number of sophisticated threats that eventually endanger constituents, a tried-and-true architecture is being implemented to meet cybersecurity demands. In the face of widespread digital risks, this approach encourages and simplifies the exchange of information for the greater good. Due to the unique and immense cybersecurity challenges faced by public-sector organizations, a Whole-of-State (WOS) approach is being applied on a larger scale to promote collaboration and dismantle traditional organizational silos in an effort to stay ahead of aggressive attack campaigns. The WOS idea is that there is strength in numbers. Even the largest private companies are frustrated by the present cybersecurity landscape's persistent pitfalls. This fact accentuates the substantial disadvantage public organizations suffer due to limited employees, resources, and funding. Sharing a common baseline of data for threat intelligence and incident response generates useful, actionable intelligence to enhance security. In the context of cybersecurity, WOS can bring together policy, finance, and support processes to achieve efficiencies and streamline operations. This article continues to discuss the WOS approach to cybersecurity. 

HSToday reports "Power in Numbers: How a Whole-of-State Approach Can Improve Cybersecurity"