Government

Abacode partners with government leaders to help them achieve greater confidence in their cybersecurity programs

With Government agencies being an attractive target for cyber criminals it is essential to have a sound cybersecurity plan in place.

Abacode sees the top three issues impacting states’ cybersecurity as – budget, talent and increasing cyber threats. Add to that the fact that nearly half of states do not have a separate cybersecurity budget and more than a third have seen no growth or worse a reduction in those budgets.

In 2019 alone, the U.S. was hit with a flood of ransomware attacks that impacted at least 966 government agencies, educational establishments and healthcare providers at a potential cost in excess of $7.5 billion. The impacted organizations included 113 state and municipal governments and agencies and had impacts that included:

• 911 services being interrupted.
• Dispatch centers had to rely on printed maps and paper logs to keep track of emergency responders in the field.
• Police were locked out of background check systems and unable to access details about criminal histories or active warrants.
• Surveillance systems went offline.
• Badge scanners and building access systems ceased to work.
• Jail doors could not be remotely opened.
• Schools could not access data about students’ medications or allergies.
• Emergency patients had to be redirected to other hospitals.
• Medical records were inaccessible and, in some cases, permanently lost.
• Surgical procedures were canceled, tests were postponed and admissions halted.

As a result, US government have agencies applied stringent regulations to federal, state, and local government vendors and suppliers that store and process government data.

Compliance Standards:

FEDRAMP  |  FISMA  |  NIST 800-53  |  NIST 800-171

Steps