Understanding the barriers to addressing cybersecurity challenges in American state and local governments

Lewis, JeromeWe are living in the age of technology and the world is becoming more connected. This changing and dynamic world breeds many needs, including cybersecurity protections. While the federal government focuses on large-scale solutions to cybersecurity challenges, state and local governments cannot wait for the federal government to provide all responses and solutions before taking action. For this reason, states must take precautions to minimize cyber attacks and create a secure cyberspace. ☐ Lack of sufficient funding, inadequate availability of cybersecurity professionals, lack of documented processes, increasing sophistication of threats, and lack of visibility and influence within the enterprise are the main barriers to addressing cybersecurity challenges in United States state and local governments. It is not possible to completely protect the cyberspace by creating a specific framework and applying stable strategies because those attacks and techniques are extremely dynamic. There are known strategies to reduce the effects of cyber attacks, but complete protection is not feasible. Building partnerships with the larger security community and outsourcing security needs, creating a cybersecurity strategic plan, and enabling more law enforcement are crucial steps in addressing cybersecurity challenges. Despite all these precautions, the local and state governments are inevitably going to face cyber attacks. The most important action to take is to develop sophisticated systems for early detection and rapid response to cyber attacks.University of Delaware, School of Public Policy and AdministrationM.P.A