Police departments today use technology for everything from record keeping to communicating with other agencies. Their dependence on tech, though, does make them easy targets for hackers. These threats put police departments at risk and goes as far to even further endanger the safety of officers. As Managed Service Providers (MSPs), eMazzanti Technologies, and others need to be at the forefront of minimizing cyber-attacks on police departments to protect their most confidential information.
Types of Cyber-Attacks
- Ransomware: It poses one of the most significant threats to police departments. Hackers lock access to essential systems or data until a ransom is paid This, for police departments, may include being locked out of case files and investigation reports, among other critical data. This will ensure that ransomware attacks are prevented and proactive cybersecurity systems such as a firewall, antivirus software + frequent backup exist. MSPs supply those tools and keep watching for suspicious activities to make sure any attack is picked up so that it can be dealt with as soon as possible.
- Phishing: It is another familiar potential threat where hackers pretend to be someone else to obtain sensitive information like passwords and credentials. This type of phishing attack is especially damaging to police departments as it allows hackers illicit access to the confidential law enforcement databases. Currently, MSPs help police departments train their staff to recognize legitimate emails from suspicious ones, whilst also ensuring they are aware of how malicious threats are spread via links in emails. Cyber-security training should be given to police officials on a regular basis to keep them aware of any potential threats and avoid any human errors.
This is obviously huge concern for police departments which hold lots of sensitive information like personal details on police officers, victims and suspects righting perceived political wrongs. A breach could compromise an investigation or risk someone’s life. Police have teamed up with MSPs to deploy data encryption tools so that even if hackers break into the system, the information would not be able to be read or used. Also, MSPs can perform security audits regularly to find and mitigate weaknesses that could be exploited if an attack happened.
Network Security
Apart from all these, security is a very uphill task in terms of police department. Police networks must be kept secure to prevent unauthorized access of sensitive information. MSPs can advise on and implement secure networks, adopting tools such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to help ensure you remain in control of who is able to connect to sensitive systems. Through constant network monitoring, MSPs can identify and respond to potentially malicious activity fast enough that the intrusion can be combated, helping keep police systems safe.
Police departments require backup and disaster recovery to enable quick recovery from cyber-attack or system failure. This is where MSPs come in, delivering an automated backup solution that backups copies of the police department’s essential files so that they can restore their systems back-up when struck by ransomware. This minimises any risk of police operation required to stop-runtime. Police departments also need to have a strong and effective disaster recovery plan, which allows them to more efficiently get them back on their feet in the event of being hit by the inevitable.
MSPs not only offer technical solutions, but they assist police departments in forging cybersecurity policies and procedures to ensure that staff understands how to interact with sensitive data responsibly. These should include password management, access control, and incident response policies for so that police departments are capable responding to cyber threats in an efficient manner. The good news is that MSPs with cyber expertise help implement & routinely update these policies to keep pace with changing cyber risks.
Conclusion
Policing involves a variety of services, and police departments may have multiple precincts or locations making it difficult to handle cybersecurity at every site. Money saved hiring an MSP to provide centralized management services allowing police departments to control their entire IT infrastructure from a single point of control. This keeps security practices standard throughout all locations and makes it easier to keep a close relationship of threats and the ways to respond. Furthermore, centralized management streamlines IT operations to lower costs and increase efficiency.
At the end of the day, this is part of what makes it so important for MSPs to safeguard police departments from malicious cyberthreats. Through MSPs delivering comprehensive cybersecurity solutions regularly monitoring, and expertly guiding police departments to focus on what really matters which is protecting the public. Today’s cyber threats are more advanced than ever before, so having an innovative MSP partner like eMazzanti Technologies at their side ensures that police departments will be well prepared to protect their systems against these growing dangers. With cybercrime a real and growing threat, police agencies must be ahead of the bad guys so they can effectively serve their communities without disruption.
