Cybersecurity and Local Government

2 What is Cybersecurity?

2.1 Introduction

This chapter begins with a brief description of cybersecurity, followed by a definition of the term itself. Next, it discusses the three “dimensions” of cybersecurity or the “cybersecurity cube.” Third, it introduces the five functions of cybersecurity as laid out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. Finally, it concludes with a brief history of the origin of the internet and e-government.

Cybersecurity can be considered “good health care” for local governments and society at large. In fact, the term “cyber-hygiene” has been applied to the implementation of routine cybersecurity measures. In today’s world and probably for a long time into the future, cybersecurity is essential. This is because society has grown dependent on computing and the internet to structure daily lives and corporate or government operations which increasingly rely on information and information resources. Therefore, a simple interpretation of cybersecurity is the protection of information technology systems such as computers and mobile devices in organizations (and homes) and the data that they collect, manipulate, store, and transmit.

By extension, information transferred over networks, the networks themselves, and the software, hardware, and other devices involved must all be secured and protected. In some cases, such as with laptops or mobile devices, these information resources do not necessarily need to be ...