Cybersecurity and Local Government

3 Cybersecurity 101 for Local Governments

3.1 Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to acquaint elected officials and top managers of local governments with the basics of cybersecurity and to provide them with an overview of what they should know about this subject, especially if they are not cyber savvy or fluent. The chapter is not technology heavy, but rather addresses cybersecurity fundamentals in lay terms in order to ensure that local officials understand the fundamentals of cybersecurity and why it is important.

The chapter begins with perhaps the most important thing that local officials must fully grasp – cyberattacks. This is followed in order by discussions of cybersecurity vulnerabilities, cybersecurity administration and, finally, non-technical actions to take to ensure high levels of cybersecurity in local governments.

The book also includes a White Paper developed in 2020 by two of the book’s authors at the request of the Coalition of City CISOs (https://cityciso.org) about what local officials should know and should do about cybersecurity. Although the White Paper covers only 10 points and this chapter has covered 20, it is included here because it remains highly relevant and covers some of the most important information about cybersecurity that all local officials, regardless of title, should know. It is also available in an easy-to-follow format as a power point presentation. The White Paper can be downloaded from: https://publicpolicy.umbc.edu/research/white-papers ...