Cybersecurity Risks in the Federal Government

In December 2020, the Sunburst attack infiltrated parts of the United States federal government, putting America’s national security in jeopardy, as well as citizens’ personal information at great risk.

When the U.S. is the number one target for significant cyberattacks, and these attacks are increasing in both frequency and sophistication, as evidenced by the recent Sunburst attack, the stakes for governments to get cybersecurity right have never been higher. Forcepoint, in conjunction with Ponemon Institute, surveyed 615 IT and IT security practitioners in the United States federal government to understand a the security gaps and steps federal government is taking to close the gaps and achieve a resilient security posture. All respondents are involved in securing or overseeing the security and/or networking of their agencies’ information systems or IT infrastructure.

The following topics are covered in this report:

• Cybersecurity risks in the federal government
• The federal government’s ability to prevent attacks and data loss
• The use of technologies to achieve a strong security posture
• The impact of digital transformation on the security posture of the federal government
• and more