The public sector saw a 78.7% increase in data breach costs in 2021, second only to the media industry (92.1%), according to the 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report. The average time to identify and contain breaches across the board was reported at 287 days. Read state and local government security news and research on threat prevention, detection and remediation in the public sector.
Latest Articles

ITG05 operations leverage Israel-Hamas conflict lures to deliver Headlace malware

12 min read - As of December 2023, IBM X-Force has uncovered multiple lure documents that predominately feature the ongoing Israel-Hamas war to facilitate the delivery of the ITG05 exclusive Headlace backdoor. The newly discovered campaign is directed against targets based in at least 13 nations worldwide and leverages authentic documents created by academic, finance and diplomatic centers. ITG05’s infrastructure ensures only targets from a single specific country can receive the malware, indicating the highly targeted nature of the campaign. X-Force tracks ITG05 as…

NIST’s security transformation: How to keep up

4 min read - One thing that came out of the pandemic years was a stronger push toward an organization-wide digital transformation. Working remotely forced companies to integrate digital technologies, ranging from cloud computing services to AI/ML, across business operations to allow workers to keep up high production and efficiency standards. Now that businesses and consumers have adjusted to the new normal of digital transformation, it is time to develop a security transformation strategy. Coping with the speed of change A constantly evolving tech…

Cyber experts applaud the new White House cybersecurity plan

4 min read - First, there was a strategy. Now, there’s a plan. The Biden Administration recently released its plan for implementing the highly anticipated national cybersecurity strategy published in March. The new National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (NCSIP) lays out specific deadlines and responsibilities for the White House’s vision for cybersecurity. The plan is being managed by the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD). Cybersecurity experts have applauded the Administration’s plan as well as the new implementation calendar. For example,…

How the FBI Fights Back Against Worldwide Cyberattacks

5 min read - In the worldwide battle against malicious cyberattacks, there is no organization more central to the fight than the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). And recent years have proven that the bureau still has some surprises up its sleeve. In early May, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the conclusion of a U.S. government operation called MEDUSA. The operation disrupted a global peer-to-peer network of computers compromised by malware called Snake. Attributed to a unit of the Russian government Security Service,…

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