How to Reduce Ransomware Risks for Public Safety Agencies

Public services, like emergency response, keep communities safe and sensitive information secure. But they are also dependent on systems running 24/7, which is no longer a guarantee.

Over the past several years, public safety agencies have been targeted by ransomware attacks at a higher rate. As recent as December of 2024, a cyberattack forced dispatchers in Wood County, Ohio to take emergency calls with pen and paper. This delayed their emergency response.

Fortunately, no ransom was demanded of Wood County, OH, but not all municipalities are so lucky. In 2023, ransomware attacks across California cost agencies a combined total of $2.1B in downtime and ransoms.

Not every attack cripples an entire municipality and results in a ransom. But any amount of downtime costs your agency money. By understanding cyber threats to public safety, and why your agency may be vulnerable, you can proactively mitigate risk. You can implement systems with the security measures necessary to keep critical services running – even during natural and cyber disasters.

Surge in Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware attacks are increasing in both the US and public sector, driven by several key factors:

• The rapid shift to remote work in 2020 expanded digital infrastructures, creating more vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit.
• The rise of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) has lowered the barrier for entry, allowing cybercriminals to launch sophisticated attacks with minimal effort or expertise.
• More organizations are paying ransoms, which only incentivizes hackers to keep going.

According to an IBM report, global cyber attacks increased 38% from 2021 to 2022. In the first half of 2024, there were 2,132 ransomware attacks worldwide. A whopping 51% were against US victims.

Many of the attacks last year targeted the commercial sector, but two sectors were targeted at an alarming rate: Healthcare and Emergency Services (8.2%) and Defense and Government (7.9%). In 2023, Government Facilities were one of the top three infrastructure sectors affected by ransomware.

In these sectors, the cybercriminals took advantage of outdated IT systems, poor password security, and unsuspecting employees. The result? Critical services at many organizations slowed or stopped, impacting facilities and patients alike.

Unfortunately, critical sectors like healthcare, public safety and government agencies can’t afford downtime – one of the many reasons they are targeted. Without strong cybersecurity, backups and proactive monitoring, organizations are at risk.

Why Government Agencies Are Prime Targets

Due to several common vulnerabilities, government agencies are prime targets for ransomware attacks.

Public safety agencies can’t afford downtime. Emergency services must operate 24/7. A ransomware attack that disrupts these services puts lives at risk and shakes public trust. Cybercriminals understand this. They target agencies because they know downtime isn’t an option, which increases the likelihood of a quick ransom payment.

Public departments also store sensitive data like personal details, financial information, law enforcement records and more. This data can be exploited for identity theft or financial fraud. By threatening to leak it or prolong outages, hackers can pressure agencies into paying ransoms. This makes public agencies a lucrative target for ransomware attacks, reinforcing the need for cybersecurity.

Unfortunately, many agencies still rely on old legacy systems. These systems weren’t built with today’s cyber threats in mind. Weak encryption, poor password policies and unsupported software create easy entry points for attackers.

To make matters worse, on-prem systems often have outdated security measures. Without advanced threat detection and continuous monitoring, agencies can’t identify or respond to breaches in real-time. Once inside, attackers can encrypt files and demand a ransom before anyone notices. This delay costs agencies time, money and public trust.

Remote work has also widened attack surfaces, giving cybercriminals more access points into systems. Phishing schemes and malicious links target unsuspecting employees, who unwittingly grant access to sensitive networks. With more devices connecting remotely, monitoring and securing access points has become more complex.

Given the high value of public sector data and potential vulnerabilities, your agency could be targeted next. To protect it, your agency needs to upgrade from its on-prem or legacy systems.

Risk of On-Prem Systems

In the digital age, on-prem systems come with security risks. Maybe yours is an exception, but it’s common for legacy systems to fall behind on version updates. Public agencies often struggle with tight budgets and limited IT staff. On-prem hardware and software updates can be time-consuming and expensive. As a result, agencies may postpone or overlook updates, leaving their systems vulnerable to the latest threats (which may specifically target outdated systems).

On-prem systems also lack the advanced security features that come with cloud solutions. Threat detection, continuous monitoring, and automatic security patches are challenging to maintain on-site. If your security measures can’t evolve as fast as cyber threats, your agency will become an easy target.

Disaster recovery is another issue. On-prem systems are vulnerable to natural disasters and hardware failures. If the servers go down, operations can grind to a halt. In contrast, cloud solutions offer built-in redundancies and automatic backups so your agency can keep running, even in worst-case scenarios.

Cloud-based solutions offer other advantages as well. Cloud providers roll out updates automatically to provide customers with the latest security patches and features. This proactive approach reduces the risk of cyberattacks and keeps systems secure  – without requiring additional effort from your IT personnel.

By staying up to date, cloud solutions minimize vulnerabilities and enhance cybersecurity. In a world where cyber threats are constantly evolving, staying current is essential for public safety and operational continuity.

Security in AWS GovCloud

AWS GovCloud provides advanced security measures tailored specifically for public agencies. It’s built to handle sensitive data and meet strict regulatory requirements, including compliance with CJIS. This makes it a trusted choice for government entities managing confidential information.

With AWS GovCloud, your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, meaning sensitive information remains secure even if it’s intercepted. It’s also continuously monitored by AWS Security Operations Centers for real-time threat detection and response.

Not only that, AWS GovCloud provides multi-factor authentication and identity and access management (IAM) to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. This layered security approach protects against internal threats and cyberattacks.

With built-in disaster recovery and automated backups, AWS GovCloud ensures data integrity and availability even during outages or cyber incidents. These advanced security measures allow public agencies to operate confidently, knowing their systems are protected against ever-evolving threats.

Start Protecting Your Agency Today

In a sector where cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated and frequent, CentralSquare’s cloud solutions offer the protection your agency needs. Our comprehensive security measures are designed to defend against the rising tide of cybercrime, so your agency’s sensitive data remains secure and your operations uninterrupted.

At CentralSquare, we prioritize data security through our partnership with AWS GovCloud. Thanks to 24/7 multi-layered data security monitoring, your agency’s sensitive information is protected against unauthorized access, hacking and ransomware. Schedule a discovery call today to learn how our cloud-based solutions can protect your agency from cyber threats more affordably and effectively.