If you're running IT for a city or county with up to 75,000 residents, here's a reality check: cyber criminals aren't just targeting Fortune 500 companies anymore. They're coming for you.
Local governments have become prime targets for ransomware attacks. Why? Because attackers know you're often stretched thin on resources, running legacy systems, and managing critical services that residents depend on daily. When your systems go down, pressure mounts fast, and that's exactly what ransomware operators count on.
In August 2024, Flint, Michigan learned this lesson the hard way when a ransomware attack disabled credit card payment processing and other municipal services. And Flint isn't alone. From water utilities to police departments, local governments across the country are getting hit.
The good news? Most of these attacks are preventable. The bad news? Cities and counties keep making the same mistakes over and over again.
Let's break down the seven most common ransomware prevention mistakes, and more importantly, how to fix them before you become the next headline.
Here's a dangerous assumption we see constantly: if the system works, why update it?
Software vendors release patches specifically to close security holes that hackers actively exploit. When you skip updates, you're essentially leaving your front door unlocked and hoping nobody notices. Spoiler alert: they notice.
Ransomware operators scan for unpatched systems like predators hunting wounded prey. One missed patch can be the entry point that takes down your entire network.
The Fix: Establish a scheduled patching program and treat it as mandatory maintenance, not optional upkeep. Apply security updates as soon as they become available. Yes, it's tedious. Yes, it sometimes causes temporary disruptions. But it's infinitely better than explaining to your city council why 911 dispatch is offline.
We get it: budgets are tight. But running Windows 7 or other unsupported operating systems in 2026 is like defending your city with a musket while attackers bring drones.
The older an operating system, the more security vulnerabilities it accumulates. Once a vendor stops supporting an OS, security patches stop coming. Every day you run unsupported software, your attack surface grows.
The Fix: Upgrade to currently supported operating systems and establish lifecycle management policies. Build technology refreshes into your budget planning so you're not scrambling when support ends. A proper cybersecurity risk assessment can help you identify which systems pose the greatest threat and prioritize your upgrades accordingly.
Atlanta's devastating 2018 ransomware attack? Partly enabled by outdated computers running on non-supported platforms. The city spent over $17 million recovering.
Many local governments cling to obsolete hardware and software because "it still works" or because replacing it seems overwhelming. But legacy systems lack the security features needed to defend against modern threats. They're liability timebombs waiting to explode.
The Fix: Modernize your technology infrastructure as a cybersecurity imperative, not just an IT wish list. Work with cybersecurity solutions providers who understand local government constraints and can help you build a realistic modernizatiMistake #2: Running Outdated Operating Systems
We get it: budgets are tight. But running Windows 7 or other unsupported operating systems in 2026 is like defending your city with a musket while attackers bring drones.
The older an operating system, the more security vulnerabilities it accumulates. Once a vendor stops supporting an OS, security patches stop coming. Every day you run unsupported software, your attack surface grows.
The Fix: Upgrade to currently supported operating systems and establish lifecycle management policies. Build technology refreshes into your budget planning so you're not scrambling when support ends. A proper cybersecurity risk assessment can help you identify which systems pose the greatest threat and prioritize your upgrades accordingly. Sometimes the cost of staying outdated far exceeds the cost of upgrading.
When ransomware hits, your backups are your lifeline. But too many cities either lack robust backups entirely or store them in locations that get encrypted along with everything else.
If your backups live on the same network as your production systems, congratulations: ransomware will encrypt those too. If you haven't tested your backups recently, you might discover they don't work when you need them most.
The Fix: Implement redundant backups stored in offsite remote locations: whether cloud-based or physical: that remain isolated from your primary network. Think of it like a backup generator: it needs to be ready to deploy instantly when disaster strikes. Test your backup restoration process regularly. The worst time to discover your backups are corrupted is during an actual attack.
Here's a sobering statistic: the average ransomware attack goes undetected for days or even weeks before detonation. During that time, attackers move laterally through your network, escalate privileges, and position themselves for maximum damage.
Without active monitoring, ransomware spreads unchecked across your network before anyone notices. By the time you see the ransom note, it's too late.
The Fix: Deploy continuous monitoring and alerting systems to detect suspicious activity in real time. Early detection is critical: the sooner you catch ransomware, the more likely you can contain damage to a single computer or server rather than your entire infrastructure.
This is where proactive, offensive threat hunting becomes essential. Rather than waiting for alerts, you need experts actively searching for indicators of compromise before attackers achieve their objectives. At SecureCyber, our US-based team provides continuous offensive threat hunting specifically designed to catch threats that traditional monitoring misses.
When your police department, water utility, finance office, and public works all share the same flat network, a ransomware infection in one area can bring down everything. We've seen it happen countless times.
Network segmentation isn't glamorous, but it's one of the most effective ransomware prevention strategies available. It limits the blast radius when something goes wrong.
The Fix: Separate and segment critical systems from less critical ones. If ransomware compromises a workstation in the parks department, it shouldn't be able to reach your 911 dispatch systems. Work with cybersecurity professionals to design network architecture that contains threats rather than letting them spread freely.
Here's a stat that should keep you up at night: only 38% of state and local government employees receive training about ransomware prevention. Even worse, 94% of ransomware victims investigated didn't use multi-factor authentication.
Ransomware typically gains its initial foothold when an employee clicks a malicious link or opens a suspicious email attachment. Your people are your first line of defense: or your biggest vulnerability.
The Fix: Provide continuous security awareness training at all organizational levels, including leadership. Train your team to recognize phishing attempts, social engineering tactics, and suspicious behavior. Implement multi-factor authentication on all city-owned devices as a simple yet powerful barrier against unauthorized access. Require strong passwords: minimum 12 characters with letters, numbers, and symbols.
Training isn't a one-and-done activity. Threats evolve constantly, and your training program needs to evolve with them.
If you're a smaller city or county without deep internal cybersecurity expertise, you're not alone: and you're not defenseless. The key is partnering with specialists who understand your unique challenges.
A comprehensive cybersecurity risk assessment is the first step toward understanding where you're vulnerable and what to prioritize. From there, you can build a realistic ransomware prevention strategy that fits your budget and resources.
At SecureCyber, we work exclusively with organizations like yours: local governments, small businesses, and others who need enterprise-grade protection without enterprise-grade complexity. Our dedicated US-based team provides the proactive, continuous defense you need to stay ahead of threats.
Don't wait for a ransomware attack to expose the gaps in your defenses. The time to act is now: before cyber criminals decide your city is their next target.
Ready to assess your ransomware prevention posture? Let's talk.