Successfully implement IT basic protection in municipalities
Municipalities are continually falling victim to cybercriminals who steal, destroy, encrypt, or manipulate data. Therefore, it has become important for municipalities in Germany to establish basic IT security. This sounds easier than it actually is for small municipalities. Therefore, careful action is required. In the following article, we explain step by step how to establish basic IT security in municipalities:
As already mentioned, municipalities of varying sizes and complexity are struggling with the consequences of the digital transformation of their municipal processes. Threats from DDoS attacks and ransomware exploit municipal weaknesses. It has become necessary to expand municipal information technology to a reliable and robust baseline of security. This is already a challenge for many small municipalities, as the volume of tasks often overwhelms their human resources. Nevertheless, there are strategies that even smaller municipal administrations can use to improve their security measures in a targeted and budget-friendly manner.
What are the benefits of establishing basic IT security in municipalities?
For municipalities, a sensible IT security concept enables them to reduce project costs and improve internal processes. It should not be forgotten that citizens also directly benefit from municipal efforts to ensure sustainable information security. The results of such strategic projects help municipalities and district towns optimize their digital resilience. It is the only long-term way to protect themselves against cybercriminals and cyberterrorists.
Municipalities handle significant amounts of sensitive data. This includes not only the data of residents but also that of local businesses. Data breaches can even lead to job losses and business tax revenues.
Protecting the district's schools
Many municipalities and districts jointly manage their regional school systems. This allows children in these municipalities to attend schools from kindergarten to secondary schools (middle school/high school). Schools here, too, are becoming increasingly equipped with modern technology. This includes the expansion of digital whiteboards in classrooms and the development of secure network infrastructure. In a conversation with Dragos Stelian, we learned how important a sustainable concept for municipal IT infrastructure has become.
Many local councils are investing in their children’s future by having their IT service provider install modern and reliable equipment. This reduces maintenance costs while increasing the availability of municipal IT.
Protect municipal infrastructure
In addition to running schools, municipalities also have to provide other vital services. Reliable water supplies to households have become a target for cyberterrorists. These perpetrators don’t care whether people are harmed or even poisoned by their sabotage. Even municipal swimming pools are at risk from digital vandalism. Perpetrators cause significant financial damage to municipalities by manipulating their parking meters and payment systems. Criminal energy drives considerable criminal creativity, which shows no consideration for people or the environment. Therefore, it is crucial to systematically implement basic IT security measures in municipalities.
How do municipalities establish basic IT security?
If a municipality decides to establish IT security or information security within its own organization, it must gradually increase the security level. Since municipal personnel resources are usually limited, it’s not possible to address all IT security issues immediately. The vulnerable systems and data types must be compiled into a list. Each of these must then be bundled into a logical unit. This allows for prioritized work on specific areas.
Checklists facilitate a council's IT basic protection
Pilots use checklists. Checklists therefore help municipal project staff consider all necessary information, documents, and systems in a structured manner. This package of checklists and tools has been proven to help answer all relevant IT security questions in a targeted manner. External systems must also be considered, as municipalities are increasingly using cloud services (e.g., Microsoft 356, Adobe Creative, Telekom Cloud). This also includes printers and mobile devices (tablets and smartphones, as well as IoT devices).
Problematic issues surrounding outsourcing, cloud computing, mobile staff, and decentralized municipal systems (e.g., speed cameras, parking meters, security cameras, traffic control systems, environmental measurement systems, learning platforms, libraries, payment machines, etc.) must be addressed in a municipal information security project. Since most project managers are facing this challenge for the first time when establishing basic IT security in their municipality, they lack the experience and necessary expertise. However, this can be compensated for in several ways.
However, since cyberattacks and data systems are constantly evolving, checklists must also be continuously updated. This information is needed by both municipal employees and their system-critical service providers (e.g., a local IT systems provider or an infrastructure provider like Vodafone or BT).
Workshops on IT Baseline Protection and ISO 27001
It helps municipalities prepare their employees for the project in a multi-day workshop. The workshop aims to discuss issues in depth so that, as expert employees, they can improve IT security in their municipality. Additional information expands the participants’ basic knowledge. The shared exchange of experiences increases the value of such workshops.
More complex strategic topics, such as roles and authorizations, security mechanisms, and information handling, are also discussed. In addition, there is the crucial preparation for emergencies in which a security incident could endanger municipal processes and data. It is important that every employee understands their role and responsibilities in such situations.
Awareness training for council staff
By participating in awareness training, every employee in a municipality contributes to information security. This is the only way to truly apply IT Grundschutz in municipal practice. It is important that the training is tailored to the context of municipal activities.
Templates for designing information security according to council needs
It can be difficult to reinvent the wheel. Templates for municipal IT security can help with this. Many documents can be compiled more quickly with the help of automated templates. It’s important to understand what needs to be entered in each location. It’s also important to understand which work packages need to be processed in a specific way in specific areas of municipal administration.
It’s important to recognize that templates alone will not lead to the establishment of IT security in municipalities. Occasionally, assistance from experts outside the municipality is also required. It’s important to note that not all organizational, professional, or technical assistance is justified by high consulting costs.
