Cyberattacks on Law Enforcement

Cybercrime against businesses and organizations is at an all-time high. Attacks on law enforcement agencies are no exception and the stakes are even higher. In addition to the financial benefit, malicious actors use cyberattacks on law enforcement in attempts to gain and exploit sensitive information or attack critical infrastructure.

The unauthorized access or loss of law enforcement data due to a cyberattack has serious operational and privacy implications. Agencies are storing a considerable amount of personal and potentially damaging information through digital incident reports, pictures, videos, and other evidence. The integrity of the agency and chain of evidence control must be secured to maintain the authenticity of the information.

Law enforcement agencies have multiple responsibilities including employees, community members, crime victims, witnesses, informants, and prosecutors. A cyberattack could compromise an agency’s ability to protect life and maintain order and erode trust and credibility internally and within their community and other government agencies.

Ransomware and hacktivism are two common types of attacks on law enforcement agencies. Ransomware is a form of malware used to deprive users of accessing critical data and systems, demanding a ransom payment in exchange for regaining access to the stolen data. Acts of hacktivism are motivated by grievances reacting to controversial policies or high-profile events receiving public scrutiny. In those attacks, personally identifiable information like personnel names, addresses, social security numbers, etc is typically the target for the purpose of publishing online or “doxing”, presenting a significant safety concern.

A strong cybersecurity security stack is needed to protect your agency, data, and the community and judicial system stakeholders from increasingly sophisticated attacks. Solutions need to be layered to include functions that identify, protect, detect & respond, and recover from cyber-attacks. Technology applications that secure your network include device monitoring and patch management, firewall, anti-virus, managed detection & response, and backup & disaster recovery. However, cyber attackers will likely first try to gain access through an unwitting employee as it is easier to compromise their login information than it is to defeat the security systems designed to keep the attacker out. Every agency member must receive security awareness training in addition to your cybersecurity application stack.

Protecting is what you do, but your expertise is not in cybersecurity. Working with an experienced IT company connects you with the resources to help you secure your network and data, even while the cybercriminals get increasingly sophisticated.