The reasons spotlight cities’ funding and workforce struggles that cybersecurity experts have warned about for years
By Natalie Delgadillo | Governing
The Washington Post revealed this week that several local governments across the U.S. are using a Russian brand of security software that the federal government fears could be leveraged by the foreign country for cyberespionage.
Earlier this month, the federal government removed Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based company that sells anti-virus security software, from its list of approved vendors. Meanwhile, nearly all the local governments interviewed by the Post appeared unaware of the controversy. Upon learning about it, most said that they had no immediate plans to stop using the product.
The news is merely the latest development in an ongoing debate about whether local governments are doing enough to protect themselves from cyber threats.
