Explore Cybersecurity in Public Service
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Identify common cyberthreats that target public service organizations.
- Explain how cyberattacks affect public services and citizens.
This module was produced in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Fortinet, Global Cyber Alliance, Organization of American States, Smart Africa, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Learn more about partner content on Trailhead.
What is Cybersecurity?
Every day, you, as a public servant, handle sensitive information that affects people’s lives. When you log in to work systems to help someone access benefits, check medical records, or process housing assistance, you’re working with data that needs to be protected. That’s where cybersecurity comes in. Cybersecurity is the set of tools and practices that keep this information safe from people who might try to steal or misuse it.
Most public services rely on computer systems, and every computer system comes with risks. A cybersecurity breach can stop public servants from accessing crucial files or, worse, expose sensitive information about the people who depend on public services. For this reason, cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. While technology professionals can set some guardrails, everyone needs to be on the lookout for threats, and practice basic security hygiene.
Cybersecurity Terms
When you’re working in public service, you might hear a lot of technical terms about cybersecurity. Let’s decode this language in a way that makes sense for your daily work.
Cybersecurity Term |
Technical Definition |
Example |
|---|---|---|
Threat |
Any environmental, unintentional, or intentional event, action, or condition that could disrupt or damage a computer system, network, or data. |
Like an approaching storm (environmental), human error (unintentional) or bad actors (intentional). |
Risk |
The possible damage if the threat succeeds. |
Using the previous example, a storm causes a system power outage, human error results in accidental data exposure, and bad actors steal data. |
Vulnerability |
A weakness in a system’s security that a threat can exploit. |
A crack in an office window can seem small at first, but it’s a weak spot that needs fixing before someone breaks in. |
Threat model |
A process to identify, assess, and prioritize potential threats. |
A pedestrian assesses traffic and checks for speeding cars before deciding to cross the street. |
Breach |
A security incident where unauthorized individuals access, alter, or steal sensitive information. |
Someone breaks into a room where confidential files are stored. |
Insider threat |
When someone with authorized access to an organization’s systems intentionally or accidentally harms its security. |
An employee who accidentally leaves a bank’s vault door unlocked at night, or deliberately shares the security code with outsiders. |
Malware |
Software specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems. |
A burglar’s toolkit, but instead of physical lock picks and crowbars, it’s made up of harmful computer programs that can break into your digital workspace. |
Social engineering |
Using deception to manipulate individuals into taking an action that typically results in sharing confidential or personal information (for example, phishing, pharming). |
A bad actor creates a fake banking website to trick you into entering your real bank’s login information. |
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) |
A security measure that requires users to provide more than one form of identity verification to access an account. |
Having a key card and a pin code to enter a secure building. Multiple validated entry methods are required to prove you’re really supposed to be there. |
These aren’t just technical concepts—they represent real security challenges you might face when handling digital information in public service. Just as you protect physical documents and spaces, you need similar safeguards when working with online systems, government databases, and electronic communications.
Cyber Risks and Threats Facing Public Services
Now that you understand these key terms, let’s see how cybersecurity matters in your daily public service job. Let’s follow Maria as she goes about her day.
Maria, a court clerk, starts her day by checking her email. She sees an urgent message that appears to be from a police officer requesting access to court records for an “ongoing investigation.” The email states that the case is time-sensitive and requests immediate action.
Maria spots several red flags that indicate this is a phishing email: The sender’s email address is slightly different from the official police domain. The message is unusually urgent. And police officers typically follow formal procedures when requesting court records. Following the best practices from her cybersecurity training, Maria doesn’t click any links in the email, doesn’t reply, and immediately forwards it to her IT security team. She also alerts her supervisor about the attempted scam. Maria did the right thing by spotting and reporting the phishing attempt. Her quick thinking and cautious response helped to prevent a possible security breach.
Phishing is the practice of sending fraudulent communications that appear to come from a legitimate and reputable source, usually through email and text messaging. Phishing is one of the most common cyberthreats targeting public servants. However, phishing emails are just one of many ways criminals can try to access sensitive public service information.
Some bad actors go beyond phishing to using pretexting, where they create a believable story to manipulate a specific target. For example, Maria might have received a phone call from someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer needing urgent access to sealed court documents. Because Maria often works with law enforcement, she might have immediately trusted the caller and unintentionally exposed sensitive information.
Public servants have access to valuable information for thousands of people, making them frequent targets of phishing and pretexting.
Let’s look at other types of cyberthreats public servants need to watch out for:
-
Ransomware: Criminals use malicious software to lock you out of your work files and demand payment to provide access again. Imagine not being able to access any of your case files or help citizens who need urgent assistance.
-
Insider threats: As defined in our table of cybersecurity terms above, this refers to a risk that comes from within your organization. A coworker might accidentally share sensitive information or someone might deliberately misuse their access to citizen data.
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State-sponsored cyberattacks: Some cyberattacks come from other countries trying to disrupt public services or gain access to sensitive information. These attacks can be very sophisticated and hard to spot. In some cases, these attacks are carried out with the knowledge, direction, and funding of entities within those countries. With this assistance, attackers can access advanced resources and techniques, making them even more challenging to defend against.
-
AI-powered attacks: Newer threats use artificial intelligence to create fake videos or voices that sound just like real people. Criminals might use these to trick public servants into sharing sensitive information.
Understanding these threats is the first step in recognizing them and protecting public services.
The Impact of Cyber Threats on Public Services
When cyberattacks target public services, the effects ripple through entire communities like falling dominoes. Numerous governments throughout the world have been victims of cyberattacks. In 2022, Costa Rica’s government faced this harsh reality when a cyberattack brought their systems down. Social service payments froze, leaving vulnerable citizens without support. Healthcare workers stood helpless, unable to access patient records. Tax offices ground to a halt. One attack affected countless lives.
Let’s look at four major incidents that, according to the Cyberpeace Institute, show just how deeply cyberattacks can hurt public services and the citizens who depend on them.
Year |
Country |
Impact Category |
Impact Description |
|---|---|---|---|
2023 |
European Union |
Cyberespionage/Malware |
Theft/unauthorized removal of confidential data from devices of EU staff. |
2022 |
Spain |
Data |
1.3 million citizen’s data breached, including personally identifiable information (PII). |
2022 |
United States |
Cyberespionage |
Exfiltration of sensitive information; long-term compromise of computers. |
These aren’t just statistics—they’re wake-up calls for every public servant. The next cyberattack could target any government service, anywhere in the world. These incidents show that cyberattacks don’t just disrupt government operations; they disrupt people’s lives. Most importantly, they remind us that protecting public services from cyberthreats isn’t just an IT problem: It’s everyone’s responsibility.
Sum It Up
In this unit, you’ve seen how cybersecurity directly affects your work as a public servant. You’ve learned about the different types of cyberthreats, from phishing emails like the one Maria received to large-scale attacks, such as the 2022 attack on Costa Rica, which disrupted healthcare, tax systems, and other essential public services. You’ve also seen how cyberattacks can harm citizens who rely on public services.
In the next unit, you learn practical steps you can take to protect yourself and your organization from these cyberthreats. You explore simple but effective ways to spot potential attacks, keep sensitive information safe, and help maintain the security of public services. After all, every public servant plays an important role in keeping government systems and citizen data secure.