Cyberattacks Targeting Governments

Government institutions are a common target for cyberattacks, as they store valuable and vital data and perform important functions. Attacks against government agencies can steal this data or disrupt these functions for various purposes. Cyberattackers targeting governments have various motivations, resulting in frequent hacks.

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Why Governments are a Prime Target for Hackers

Cyberattacks against governments are common for a few different reasons. Government organizations are targeted by various groups, each with their own motives. Some examples of cyberattacks that might target government organizations include the following:

Cyberwarfare: During the Ukraine-Russia conflict, groups affiliated with Russia have frequently performed cyberattacks against the Ukrainian government and other organizations. Attacks like this are designed to disrupt the target’s ability to wage war and cause disruption to the country and its citizens.
Cyberespionage: Government organizations have access to information of interest to other countries. State-sponsored groups may perform cyberespionage to steal confidential information from the target.
Hacktivism: Hacktivists are motivated by politics or ideology. They may target a government organization in an attempt to further their goals or ideology.

With so many potential motives for cyberattacks, it makes sense that government organizations are frequent targets of cyberattacks. In the past year, the cyberattacks against Ukraine are the most visible examples of attacks against government organizations, but other governments have been the targets of both covert and overt cyberattacks.

Examples of Cyberattacks Against Governments

Cyberattacks against government organizations are commonplace. Some recent examples explored in Check Point’s 2024 Cyber Security Report include the following:

Ukraine: Ukraine has been targeted by multiple cyberattacks during its conflict with Russia, including the use of HermeticWizard, HermeticRansom, and HermeticWiper on the eve of the February ground invasion. This includes various attacks against the government and other organizations designed to disrupt daily life and the war effort.
Iran: Television channels and a radio station operated by the government were targeted by an opposition group. The exiled group broadcasted an opposition message video via the platforms.
Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands: Ransomware attacks against oil port terminals have disrupted the loading and unloading of cargo at 17 ports.
Costa Rica: A ransomware attack by the Conti group against numerous government agencies resulted in a state of emergency and hundreds of millions in losses.

Common Cyber Threats For Government Institutions

Government agencies can be the targets of various types of cyberattack campaigns. Some of the most common cyber threats that government organizations face include the following:

Data Breaches: Government agencies can collect and hold a wide variety of sensitive data. Many cyberattacks against governments are intended to access and exfiltrate this sensitive information.
Hacktivism: Hacktivists have political motivations. They may deface websites or perform other attacks to disrupt government operations and spread their message.
Ransomware: Ransomware is a threat to government agencies just like it is to other organizations. The value of the data held by the government increases the incentive to pay a ransom to retrieve it or prevent it from being breached.
Malware: Government systems may be infected with a variety of different types of malware. Malware can be used to steal or encrypt sensitive information or gain access to government systems and applications.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): DDoS attacks are designed to disrupt a system’s operations by overwhelming it with spam requests. These attacks may be performed as part of hacktivism, cyberwarfare, or other attacks designed to harm a government’s operations.
Phishing: Phishing attacks can be used for a variety of purposes, including data breach and malware delivery. Phishing attacks against government organizations can be used to set up other types of attacks.

How Governments Can Be Protected from Cyberattacks

Government agencies face many of the same cybersecurity threats as other organizations. Protecting against these cyber threats requires a security architecture that covers multiple domains, including the network, endpoint, mobile, and cloud security domains.

When defending a government agency, it’s important to focus on the right things. Some key questions that government security teams should be asking themselves include:

What are the critical assets that need protection? It’s important to identify the data, systems, and applications that are crucial to the functioning of the local government.
What are the potential risks and threats? Identify the types of cyberattacks that are most likely to occur, such as phishing, malware, or ransomware attacks.
How will the cybersecurity solution be integrated into existing infrastructure? It’s important to ensure that the cybersecurity solution will work seamlessly with the local government’s current IT systems.
What is the budget for the cybersecurity solution? Determine how much money is available for the solution, and what the return on investment will be.
Who will be responsible for managing the cybersecurity solution? Identify the personnel who will be responsible for maintaining, monitoring, and updating the solution.
What are the compliance requirements? Determine what regulations and standards the local government must comply with, such as HIPAA or PCI-DSS.
How will end-users be trained and educated on cybersecurity best practices? Develop a plan to train and educate end-users on how to identify and respond to potential cybersecurity threats.
How will the cybersecurity solution be evaluated and updated over time? Develop a plan to assess the effectiveness of the solution and to make necessary updates and improvements.

The Need for Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions for Governments

Governments need to protect themselves against a wide variety of threats. Additionally, the complexity of government infrastructure mandates the deployment of a range of cybersecurity solutions.

However, implementing the required cybersecurity capabilities with an array of standalone solutions can result in a complex and unmanageable security infrastructure. To effectively protect against diverse, sophisticated threats, governments require comprehensive security solutions that provide the necessary coverage and capabilities in an integrated, easily manageable solution.

Cybersecurity for Governments with Check Point

Government organizations are a prime target of sophisticated cyberattacks. Nation-state actors, organized crime, and other skills hacking groups all have reasons to target government systems. Learn more about the leading threats to governments in Check Point’s 2023 Cyber Security Report.

Governments need security solutions that offer comprehensive protection against a wide range of potential cyber threats. Check Point offers security solutions tailored to the security needs of federal agencies and state and local governments. Find out how to design and build a secure government cloud in this eBook.

Check Point Infinity is an integrated cybersecurity platform that offers governments the tools that they need to protect against cyber threats. With Check Point’s Infinity Enterprise License Agreement (ELA), governments can access the full range of Check Point security products under a single license. To learn more about how Infinity ELA can help your organization, or reach out for more information.

Discover how to protect local government services and data in this webinar: APAC | EMEA | AMER