local-government – Page 2 – Local Government Cybersecurity Alliance

Oversight in Action: Strengthening Cybersecurity Governance for Local Governments

The oversight of a cybersecurity program in a state or local government is a complex, multifaceted responsibility. With limited budgets, minimal staffing, and increasing regulatory demands, ensuring that cybersecurity programs are effective, efficient, and compliant can feel overwhelming. Yet, strong oversight is essential to protecting public assets, maintaining trust, and ensuring operational continuity.

Oversight doesn’t mean elected officials must manage every technical detail. Instead, staff should regularly report on key cybersecurity metrics and activities, enabling leadership to make informed decisions and allocate resources strategically.

Key Oversight Responsibilities

Effective oversight should focus on the following areas:

Program Assessment: Regularly evaluate the cybersecurity program’s effectiveness and alignment with organizational goals.
Risk Management: Identify and prioritize risks, and ensure mitigation strategies are in place.
Compliance Monitoring: Track adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and internal policies.
Incident Response Readiness: Review and test the incident response plan to ensure rapid containment and recovery.
Stakeholder Communication: Ensure a plan exists to communicate with internal and external stakeholders during and after an incident.
Training and Awareness: Confirm that employees receive ongoing cybersecurity education tailored to their roles.

Staffing and Expertise

A key success factor is hiring the right talent—cybersecurity professionals who can implement controls, monitor threats, and communicate risks clearly to leadership. Given the national cybersecurity talent shortage, many governments turn to third-party providers to fill technical gaps, offer independent oversight, and support interim needs.

Whether in-house or outsourced, cybersecurity oversight requires a blend of technical expertise and strategic insight.

Establishing a Cybersecurity Framework

A strong cybersecurity program begins with a well-defined framework. This sets the foundation for governance, risk management, and operational practices. Common frameworks include:

NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF): Focuses on five core functions—Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover.
CIS Controls: Offers 20 prioritized controls proven to reduce cyber risk.
ISO 27001: Provides a global standard for managing sensitive information.
COBIT: Focuses on IT governance and service delivery.
Cyber Resilience Review (CRR): A DHS-developed tool for assessing organizational resilience.

The choice of framework should reflect the agency’s size, complexity, and regulatory environment.

Conducting a Risk Assessment

Risk assessments help identify vulnerabilities and threats across systems, applications, and networks. Key steps include:

Define scope and assets.
Identify internal and external threats.
Assess vulnerabilities.
Analyze and prioritize risks.
Develop and test mitigation plans.
Review and update assessments regularly.

Cyber insurance should also be reviewed to ensure coverage for significant breaches.

Implementing Security Controls

Security controls are the technical backbone of any cybersecurity program. Implementation should follow a structured process:

Define and select controls.
Assess current environment.
Develop and execute an implementation plan.
Train staff on control usage.
Monitor, test, and update controls regularly.

Controls may include firewalls, intrusion detection systems, encryption, and access management tools.

Monitoring and Testing

Continuous monitoring and testing are essential to maintaining a strong security posture. Activities include:

Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.
Phishing simulations and awareness training.
Incident response exercises.
Compliance audits and log reviews.

These efforts help detect threats early and validate the effectiveness of existing defenses.

Responding to Incidents

Even with strong defenses, incidents can occur. A well-defined incident response plan should include:

Preparation and role assignment.
Identification and containment.
Mitigation and recovery.
Reporting and stakeholder communication.
Post-incident analysis and improvement.

Regular testing ensures readiness and minimizes disruption during real events.

Training and Awareness

Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. Training should be role-specific and ongoing. Examples include:

Phishing awareness and password hygiene.
Internet and remote access policies.
Incident reporting procedures.
Security awareness campaigns.

Regular updates and refreshers help maintain vigilance across the organization.

Oversight of a cybersecurity program requires more than technical know-how—it demands strategic planning, cross-functional coordination, and continuous improvement. By establishing a framework, conducting risk assessments, implementing controls, and fostering a culture of awareness, state and local governments can build resilient cybersecurity programs that protect public assets and serve their communities.

Barriers & Gaps in Local Government Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is no longer a niche concern—it’s a foundational element of public service delivery. Yet many local governments remain vulnerable to evolving threats due to persistent and interconnected barriers. These challenges—funding, staffing, leadership, and awareness—are often treated as separate issues, but in reality, they reinforce one another. Addressing them holistically is key to building resilient, secure communities.

Insufficient Funding

Limited budgets continue to be one of the most cited reasons municipalities lag in cybersecurity. In many cases, cybersecurity is still viewed as an optional add-on rather than a core infrastructure investment—like roads, water systems, or emergency services.

This mindset must change. Cybersecurity protects the digital infrastructure that underpins nearly every public function, from permitting and payroll to emergency alerts and public records. Without adequate funding, municipalities are forced to rely on outdated systems, under-resourced teams, and reactive strategies. Treating cybersecurity as infrastructure—and funding it accordingly—is essential to long-term resilience.

Workforce Shortages and Skills Gaps

The global shortage of cybersecurity professionals affects every sector, but local governments are especially hard-hit. They often struggle to compete with private-sector salaries and benefits, making it difficult to attract and retain qualified talent.

Beyond staffing numbers, there’s also a skills mismatch. Many existing employees lack the specialized training needed to respond to modern threats like ransomware, phishing, and cloud vulnerabilities. Upskilling staff is critical—but training budgets are often limited or nonexistent.

To address this, municipalities must invest in local talent development, create career pathways in cybersecurity, and explore regional partnerships to share expertise and resources.

Leadership Engagement and Misunderstandings

Cybersecurity is not just an IT problem—it’s a strategic leadership issue. Yet many local leaders still view it as something technical staff handle in isolation. This disconnect can lead to blind spots in governance, leaving agencies exposed to preventable risks.

When cybersecurity is underestimated, the consequences are severe: halted services, lost public trust, and costly recovery efforts. Embedding cybersecurity into executive decision-making—through regular briefings, cross-departmental coordination, and clear accountability—is essential.

Leaders must understand that cyber risk affects every aspect of public service, and their engagement is critical to building a culture of security.

Expanding Attack Surfaces

The shift to remote work, cloud-based tools, and mobile access has dramatically expanded the threat landscape. Traditional network boundaries no longer apply. Every laptop, smartphone, and remote login is now a potential entry point for attackers.

This decentralization makes it harder to monitor activity, enforce policies, and respond to incidents. Municipalities must rethink their security architecture to account for this new reality—implementing endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, and continuous monitoring across all devices and platforms.

These barriers are not insurmountable—but they require coordinated, strategic action. When funding improves, staffing can follow. When leadership engages, awareness grows. When cybersecurity is treated as infrastructure, resilience becomes possible.

Local governments must move beyond reactive fixes and embrace a governance model that integrates cybersecurity into every decision. The risks are real—but so are the opportunities to build safer, smarter communities.