Securing Government First: Reducing Risk and Protecting State, Local, Tribal & Territorial (SLTT) from Cyber Threats
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Presented at SecureWorldAtlanta 2019 by
State, Local, Tribal and Territorial (SLTT) governments face the threat of continuous cyber-attacks from numerous groups with different intentions to disrupt their ability to provide services and support to citizens. Citizens trust an rely on their governments to provide and maintain services that they rely on for essential life sustainment and emergencies. In recent decades research and investments in technology to enhance methods, solutions, and equipment have improved service delivery and emergency response operations provided by governments.SLTTs have adopted and embraced advanced technology solutions that increased and improved their capabilities to provide essential and emergency services to their citizens. The effective management and security of these critical services are under constant scrutiny, and even the smallest system failure may be unacceptable to citizens and erode their trust in government. Several studies have shown that cybersecurity programs at the SLTT level receive varying support to ensure security and reduce the risk of compromise. How can budget constrained, understaffed, and low skilled employees of SLTTs establish, maintain and protect the security of their critical information (CI) systems reducing risk and avoiding failures due to cyber-attack? Security professionals, Chief Information Officers (CIO) and Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) are often placed in frustrating positions that limit their options to reduce risk because they are resource constrained. Implementing cybersecurity and risk frameworks that offer foundations to build stakeholder awareness, increase funding, establish needed enforcement authorities can identify gaps, reduce frustration and boost confidence in programs. Combining these basic frameworks with continuous improvement through leadership, information sharing, and partnership building has proven successful in industry cybersecurity programs and can work in SLTTs.