The federal government’s financial and operational stakes are at an all-time high. In its annual report, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center revealed that government facilities were the third most targeted infrastructure sector by ransomware attacks in the U.S. in 2023. The IC3 received a staggering 1,193 complaints from various sectors, including 156 against government facilities. Furthermore, the IC3 reported a significant surge in scams impersonating government officials, resulting in devastating losses of $350 million. These figures underscore the pressing need for solid cyber risk management measures within the federal government.
Prioritizing risk management
Cybersecurity at the federal level is less about immediate actions and more aligned with long-term strategies that unfold within the boundaries of structured frameworks. This paradigm facilitates a systematic way to address and preempt cyber threats through established frameworks such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines, the Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification and others.
To that end, experts recommend a proactive cyber risk management model and cloud…
