“Ooops, your files have been encrypted!” : A qualitative study on how regime types shape government communication following a major cyberattack
Journal: Uppsala University Publications (Uppsala University)
Year: 2026

Major cyberattacks against important state infrastructure are becoming increasingly common as technological advancements develop at a rapid pace. Despite this, knowledge about cyberattacks’ impact on state-level communication remains limited to local trust-repair strategies. This paper investigates how regime type affects governments’ strategic communication to its citizens in the first 2 weeks following a major cyberattack. The theory is built on research that shows different regime types rely