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INE Security Alert: Local Government Websites Under Fire, DDoS Attacks Surge as Cities Go Digital

By: INE via GlobeNewswire

June 30, 2025 at 09:26 AM EDT

Cary, NC, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INE Security is issuing an advisory warning that local governments are facing a surge in cyberattacks. As state and local municipalities move to digitize public services, websites and emergency systems have become prime targets for criminals seeking to disrupt essential community infrastructure.

INE Security’s analysis reveals a dangerous trend: as cities and towns move critical services online, from tax payments and permit applications to emergency response systems, they're creating an expanded attack surface that cybercriminals are aggressively exploiting. What started as a digital transformation for citizen convenience has evolved into a significant security crisis affecting communities worldwide.

"We're seeing a fundamental shift in how attackers think about government targets," said Dara Warn, CEO of INE Security. "It's not just about data theft anymore. When you can shut down a city's 911 system or crash their traffic management network, you've got leverage. The technical complexity of these attacks has jumped significantly, and now we're seeing multi-terabit campaigns overwhelming traditional defenses in minutes."

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is one of the most disruptive threats a cybersecurity professional can face in the public sector. These attacks put public systems and networks under intense strain, causing services to go offline and halting essential operations for cities, towns, law enforcement, and public utility infrastructure. When a DDoS attack strikes, it isn't always about stealing data; it's about testing the strength of public sector defenses.

According to a 2024 Granicus survey, 85% of government leaders now consider online services essential to their operations. But this digital-first approach has fundamentally changed the threat landscape and now requires specialized IT training for government entities. Towns that once worried about broken water mains now face the prospect of their entire digital infrastructure going dark, leaving citizens unable to access everything from emergency services to basic government functions.

Last year, a major US city watched its emergency response system go offline for hours when attackers flooded it with bogus traffic. Citizens couldn't get through to 911. Traffic lights stopped working. The city essentially went analog overnight.

Similar incidents have hit government websites across Canada, France, Germany, and Southeast Asia. In one case, attackers took down an entire metropolitan transport system, leaving commuters stranded and city officials scrambling to restore digital ticketing and traffic coordination.

Modern DDoS campaigns don't just blast servers with traffic – they are surgical strikes. Attackers combine massive data floods with targeted hits to specific applications, overwhelming multiple defense layers simultaneously. Think of it as attacking a fortress by flooding the moat while simultaneously picking the locks on every door.

"Most municipal IT setups weren't built for this level of assault," Warn explained. "You've got legacy systems running critical services, limited budgets for security upgrades, and IT staff who may lack specialized cybersecurity training to handle these advanced threats. When someone launches a 10-terabit attack against your traffic management system, having IT staff trained in high-level network security expertise is critical.”

The financial hit can be massive. Cities facing DDoS-for-ransom demands often pay up rather than risk extended outages. These payments drain already tight budgets, drive up cyber insurance costs, and fuel a criminal economy that generated over $16 billion in US losses alone.

For government IT teams, the answer starts with assessments and training. Cities need to map out their critical systems – not just the obvious ones like emergency services, but everything citizens depend on daily. Which systems would cause the most disruption if they went down? Those get priority protection.

The technical defense comes down to layers. No single security tool will stop a determined attacker, but combining network monitoring, traffic filtering, and cloud-based mitigation can buy precious time. The key is spotting attacks early and having a plan that doesn't rely on heroics from overworked IT staff. Cities need systems that can detect abnormal traffic patterns and automatically trigger defenses before humans even know there's a problem.

"Every local government is a potential target,” said Warn. “The barrier to launching these attacks keeps dropping while the impact keeps growing. Cities that wait for the first attack to start planning their defense are already behind. A critical first step is ensuring IT teams have the cybersecurity certifications and hands-on training they need to recognize, respond to, and recover from these sophisticated attacks."

For government cybersecurity professionals, the threat is real, it's growing, and it's not going away. The digital transformation that promised to make government more efficient has also made it more vulnerable. The challenge now is building defenses that can keep pace with both citizen expectations and criminal innovation, which requires ongoing cybersecurity education and IT training programs that keep municipal teams current with evolving threats.

About INE Security:

INE Security is the premier provider of online networking and cybersecurity training and certification. Harnessing a powerful hands-on lab platform, cutting-edge technology, a global video distribution network, and world-class instructors, INE is the top training choice for Fortune 500 companies worldwide for cybersecurity training in business and for IT professionals looking to advance their careers. INE’s suite of learning paths offers an incomparable depth of expertise across cybersecurity and is committed to delivering advanced technical training while also lowering the barriers worldwide for those looking to enter and excel in an IT career.

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