Zero trust revolutionizes network security architecture because it is data-centric and designed to stop data breaches. While that is its primary purpose for government, it also increases agility for modern networks that traditional network designs can’t emulate. It has been almost two years since the Office of Management and Budget issued its federal zero trust architecture strategy, which set out specific goals for agencies to achieve b...

Cybersecurity professionals working for state and local agencies and educational systems are likely already aware that cyber attacks targeting their organizations are increasing sharply – the second quarter of 2023 saw a 40% increase over the first quarter of the year. System defenders face the ongoing challenges of resource constraints, increasingly complex networks, and data overload. Add in emerging cyber threats from the accelerating...

Recent headlines have been full of stories about state and local governments and school systems being targeted by malicious actors. And these organizations are likely to face tight budgets and limited manpower to deal with a cyber threat. For many agencies, the reality is it’s a matter of when – not if – they will be attacked. There are steps that can be taken to be better prepared to cope with the arduous task of recovery, m...

Ransomware, malware, phishing, DDoS, social engineering, zero-day exploit, botnets – the list of types of attacks out there is long enough to keep even the most seasoned cybersecurity expert awake at night. And with the increased use of remote computing, the cyber attack surface grows as more edge devices are added to networks. Creating a zero trust environment holds a lot of promise to provide significantly improved cybersecurity. In th...

Government at all levels is moving as quickly as possible to integrate new solutions and overhaul processes that need streamlining. At the same time, officials are keeping close watch on AI and other emerging technologies, wary of the law of unintended consequences. For instance, in early September California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to study the development, use and risks of generative artificial in...

Events on the world stage are also playing out in cyberspace. Nation-states continue their kinetic wars into internet realms, commit crimes such as financial and intellectual property theft, and pursue their global strategic goals hidden from view. Ransomware attacks are increasing again. It’s a tough time for cybersecurity professionals. “We’re seeing attackers cause bigger impacts with less skills. They’re also more b...

The cybersecurity slogan for zero trust is a simple one: Never trust, always verify. This slogan fits into the Department of Defense mindset, which is always focused on how to reduce risk, but it’s a challenge to apply it to the federal government’s largest agency. An important tool in pursuing zero trust is to implement microsegmentation – partitioning a network into small, isolated sections to reduce the attack surface in e...

Many government agencies wrestle with their legacy systems and outdated processes every day, especially when it comes to cybersecurity and data flow. Agencies usually have multiple servers, private or hybrid clouds, and thousands of end points, from desktop computers to smart phones, tablets to sensors, generating millions of bits of data. An army of data analysts wouldn’t be able to keep up with the volume of logs being generated (and n...

Cybersecurity is akin to the 20th century Cold War. On the one hand, bad actors – whether nation-states or common criminals – are constantly searching for new vulnerabilities and creating new tools to attack them. On the other, all government agencies and private sector companies are trying to remain alert and find new ways to fend off those attacks. Among the innovative ways agencies are responding to the ever-evolving threat land...

Ever since the dawn of the internet, its value lies in the data it handles, whether moving it, storing it, or calculating with it. As a result, just as Willie Horton once said he robbed banks because “that’s where the money is,” many of today’s cyber bad actors target agencies’ data because they can monetize it. Even hostile nation-states such as North Korea seek U.S. and state agencies’ data because they ne...