Strengthen your Municipality with a Secure Out-Of-Band Communication Platform

Link: https://info.cygnvs.com/resources/insights/strengthen-your-municipality-with-cygnvs
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At the heart of our communities, municipalities deliver crucial services, ensuring public safety and maintaining infrastructure. Yet, this centrality also renders them susceptible to cyber threats. From ransomware assaults to state-sponsored intrusions, cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities embedded in the array of services local governments provide. Recent cyber incidents against Veolia North America’s Municipal Water division highlights the urgent need for municipalities to start planning and practicing for the cyber crisis to reduce the impact and cost.
Municipalities are facing an unprecedented surge in cyber threats. Ransomware attacks, state-sponsored intrusions, phishing attempts, and improper usage are becoming increasingly prevalent. These attacks exploit the vulnerabilities in the diverse range of services offered by local governments, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals.
The recent surge in cyber threats, and how CYGNVS, a secure out-of-band incident command center can significantly reduce the impact and cost of cyber-attacks by ensuring preparedness, proactive training, and streamlined incident response between internal and external teams.

The High Cost of Cyberattacks
The financial impact of cyberattacks on municipalities is staggering. Ransomware attacks alone cost U.S. government agencies approximately $19 billion in recovery costs and downtime in 2020. According to Cisco, 73% of utilities say they've experienced a public security breach. With most states allocating only 1-3% of their IT budgets to cybersecurity, it's clear that a more comprehensive and proactive approach is needed to protect vital infrastructure.

Challenges for Municipalities
Municipalities are facing unique cyber challenges every day. Here's a closer look at the hurdles that demand innovative solutions and strategic approaches:
- Diverse Services: Municipalities provide a broad range of services, from public safety to transportation, creating a diverse attack surface that is challenging to secure comprehensively.
- Regulatory Complexity: CISOs must navigate a complex web of federal, state, and local regulations, ranging from healthcare compliance (HIPAA) to law enforcement standards (CJIS).
- Geopolitical Targeting: Municipalities are increasingly targeted by both cybercriminals and nation-state actors. Attacks against local governments are viewed as attacks against the nation, making them attractive targets for geopolitical threat groups.
- Budgetary Constraints: Resource-constrained municipalities struggle to allocate sufficient funds for cybersecurity, making it challenging to attract and retain qualified cybersecurity professionals.
 
Redefining Cyber Resilience
A secure out-of-band incident command center has been purpose-built for incident response to help reduce the impact and cost of cyber-attacks.
​Let's explore how CYGNVS can enhance cyber resilience for municipalities: 
- Train Where You Fight: CYGNVS facilitates "training where you're going to fight," allowing municipalities to practice their response plan real-world cyber scenarios. This hands-on training approach ensures that response teams are well-prepared to address the evolving challenges of cyber incidents, ultimately reducing response times and minimizing the impact of cyber outages.
- Secure Out-of-Band Incident Response: CYGNVS establishes a secure out-of-band incident response platform, creating an isolated environment for response efforts. Even if the primary network is compromised, CYGNVS ensures that incident response operations remain secure and unaffected, serving as a beacon guiding teams through the chaos of a cyber crisis.
 - Single Pane of Glass for Incident Management: CYGNVS streamlines incident management by providing a single pane of glass for planning, practicing, responding, and reporting. This integrated approach ensures a cohesive and coordinated response, reducing the risk of critical information slipping through the cracks and enhancing overall incident response efficiency.
- Proactively Mitigating Cyber Risks: To avoid becoming statistics in the growing trend of cyberattacks on municipalities, a proactive stance is crucial. Municipalities must:

• Keep software and hardware patched and up to date.
• Establish clearly defined work policies and conduct regular cybersecurity training for employees and contractors.
• Implement solutions and services, such as CYGNVS, to proactively detect and respond to cyber threats.