1 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHITE PAPER Introduction Today’s cybercriminals don’t have to work very hard to launch new attacks. Advanced hacking tools and services are increasingly for sale on the dark web, and there’s also unprecedented collaboration among nation states. The result is that cyberattacks are growing in volume and effectiveness. Studies found that in 2019, there was a surge of ransomware attacks on government entities, often driven by state-sponsored groups. 1 The bad news is that the public sector is highly vulnerable, and bad actors are taking note. Federal agencies reported 35,277 cyber incidents in 2017 alone. In the past few years, robust agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, United States Postal Service, and even the White House have all reported breaches. 2

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