More than 70% of government agencies have already been the target of cyberattacks
Cyber Resilience for Public Administration
Backups as a shield against
digital attacks
Public administrations are a prime target for cyberattacks - in Germany, over 70% of public administrations have already been targeted. Without secure backups, there is a risk of data loss, disruption of critical services, and a loss of public trust.
Keep administrative data secure—even in an emergency!
Public administrations are now a prime target for cybercriminals. Attacks are not only frequent but also particularly devastating: When central systems fail, entire administrative processes come to a standstill—from issuing notices and processing applications to providing public services. Particularly critical: Ransomware attacks are increasingly targeting backups as well.
Did you know?
- According to Bitkom, cyberattacks cost the public sector billions of euros in damages each year.
- On average, it takes 21 days after a ransomware attack for systems to be fully operational again.
- Backups are the number one target for attackers looking to permanently disrupt government operations.
What needs to be considered?
Without intact backup copies, there is no way to reliably restore systems in the event of an emergency. This not only risks days or weeks of downtime, but also the loss of sensitive citizen data and a massive loss of public trust. At the same time, many government agencies lack the resources to implement complex new infrastructures.
Legal
Government agencies are required to retain electronic documents, such as official notices or civil registry records, in their original form for many years. Laws such as the German HGB, the German GoBD, and the GDPR require long-term retention.
Technical
Standard file systems offer no protection. Files can be deleted or overwritten, often without anyone noticing right away. As a result, the integrity of important administrative data is not protected.
Specific to Public Administration
Government agencies work with massive amounts of data from a wide variety of specialized systems. On top of that, there is a multitude of IT systems. As a result, complex archiving solutions are virtually impossible to implement.
Solution Path
A modern archiving system must integrate seamlessly into existing structures. WORM (Write Once, Read Many) technology ensures that data cannot be altered once it has been stored.
Immutable Backups: Digital Resilience for Public Administrations
How WORM technology effectively protects organizations from ransomware and data loss.
Why Government Agencies Need to Rethink Their Approach
Ransomware attacks are increasingly targeting public agencies—and it is no longer just production systems that are in the crosshairs, but also the underlying data sets themselves.
If backup copies are encrypted or deleted, recovery becomes virtually impossible. This puts not only IT infrastructures at risk, but also legal obligations and the agencies’ ability to function. In government agencies in particular, citizen data, registries, documents, and specialized procedures are business-critical and must often be stored in an audit-proof manner. The most effective protection therefore lies in immutable backups. They ensure that data remains available even if all other systems have already been compromised—and thus form the foundation of digital resilience.
The Key to Cyber Resilience
- Ransomware is increasingly targeting production systems and backup copies.
- Without protected backups, there is a risk of data loss, business interruptions, and legal consequences.
- Administrative data is particularly sensitive and is often subject to legal audit requirements.
- Backups must be stored in an immutable format to ensure they are available in an emergency.
- “Immutable” means using WORM (Write Once, Read Many) technology.
- Once stored, data can no longer be deleted or altered.
- This makes it immune to ransomware and accidental changes.
