DistantNews
Support us
Local Governments Face Increasing Cyberattacks Due to Vulnerabilities
🇬🇭 Ghana /Technology

Local Governments Face Increasing Cyberattacks Due to Vulnerabilities

From Ghanaian Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Local governments are increasingly targeted by cyberattacks due to their valuable data and often limited security resources.
  • Cybercriminals exploit these vulnerabilities, viewing local governments as "target-rich and cyber-poor" entities.
  • Ransomware attacks on governments are a growing global problem, with attackers adapting their demands to what smaller municipalities can afford.

Local governments are facing a surge in cyberattacks, primarily because they possess vast amounts of sensitive data while often lacking robust security infrastructure. Michael Klein, senior director for preparedness and response at the Institute for Security and Technology, described this situation as local governments being "target-rich and cyber-poor."

They’re target-rich and cyber-poor.

— Michael KleinSenior director for preparedness and response at the Institute for Security and Technology, explaining why local governments are frequent targets of cyberattacks.

These entities hold critical information such as social security numbers, health data, children's information, and payment systems. However, budget and staffing constraints frequently mean that these systems are defended by minimal security measures. Ashley Knowles, a senior cybersecurity consultant at Black Hills Information Security, explained that limited staff often means individuals wear multiple hats, making it challenging to maintain system security, stay updated on cybersecurity trends, and ensure business continuity in the event of an attack.

So it can be harder to patch systems against security issues, stay ahead of current cybersecurity trends, and ensure business continuity should systems be affected by an attack.

— Ashley KnowlesSenior cybersecurity consultant at Black Hills Information Security, discussing the challenges faced by local government IT departments.

Local government agencies remain attractive targets because successful attacks can impact a large number of people, potentially leading to larger payouts, especially in ransomware cases. A recent report by Comparitech highlighted that ransomware attacks on government entities occur almost daily globally. The report also noted a 13% increase in global attacks during the first half of the year compared to the latter half of 2025, with the United States experiencing a significant portion of these incidents.

Local government agencies are always going to be a target to attack because of their ability to affect large numbers of people.

— Ashley KnowlesSenior cybersecurity consultant at Black Hills Information Security, explaining the motivation behind targeting local governments.

Bob Maley, chief security officer at Black Kite, observed that ransomware demands on government entities have decreased, with the median demand falling to $100,000 in the first half of the year. He interprets this as attackers strategically adjusting their demands to align with the financial capabilities of smaller municipalities, effectively treating these attacks as a "volume business."

Comparitech’s numbers show the median demand on government entities fell to $100,000 in the first half of this year, a fifth of what it had been six months earlier.

— Bob MaleyChief security officer at Black Kite, commenting on the trend of ransomware demands on government entities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ghanaian Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog