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                          Cybersecurity
                          An overview of cyber challenges facing the nation, and actions needed to address them. Jump To:
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                    OverviewFederal agencies and our nation’s critical infrastructure—such as energy, transportation systems, communications, and financial services—depend on IT systems to carry out operations and process essential data. The security of these systems and data is vital to protecting individual privacy and national security.However, risks to IT systems are increasing—in particular, malicious actors are becoming more willing and capable of carrying out cyberattacks. Additionally, there has been an increase in most types of cyberattacks across the United States, and the cost of these attacks is also increasing.**Most Common Types of Cybersecurity Incidents in the U.S.**Dollars in millionsImage
              Table with cyber data.Additionally, since many government IT systems contain vast amounts of personally identifiable information (PII), federal agencies must protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of this information—and effectively respond to data breaches and security incidents. Likewise, the trend in the private sector of collecting extensive and detailed information about individuals needs appropriate limits.Image
              Federal agencies reported 30,659 information security incidents in fiscal year 2022To highlight the importance of these issues, GAO has designated information security as a government-wide high-risk area since 1997. This high-risk area was expanded in 2003 to include the protection of critical cyber infrastructure and, in 2015, to include protecting the privacy of PII.**Ten critical actions needed to address four major cybersecurity challenges**Image
              Ten critical actionsGAO has made over 4,000 recommendations to federal agencies to address cybersecurity shortcomings. However, over 880 of these had not been fully implemented as of December 2022. Of these, we designated 134 as priority recommendations, meaning that we believe they warrant priority attention from heads of key departments and agencies. Until these shortcomings are addressed, federal and critical infrastructure IT systems will be increasingly susceptible to cyber threats.For more on GAO's reports and recommendations, see the key reports tab below.Key ReportsCybersecurity High-Risk Series: Challenges in Protecting Privacy and Sensitive DataGAO-23-106443
      
	Published:  Feb 14, 2023


	Publicly Released: Feb 14, 2023
              Cybersecurity High-Risk Series: Challenges in Protecting Cyber Critical InfrastructureGAO-23-106441
      
	Published:  Feb 07, 2023


	Publicly Released: Feb 07, 2023
              Cybersecurity High-Risk Series: Challenges in Securing Federal Systems and InformationGAO-23-106428
      
	Published:  Jan 31, 2023


	Publicly Released: Jan 31, 2023
              Cybersecurity High-Risk Series: Challenges in Establishing a Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy and Performing Effective OversightGAO-23-106415
      
	Published:  Jan 19, 2023


	Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2023
              Offshore Oil and Gas: Strategy Urgently Needed to Address Cybersecurity Risks to InfrastructureGAO-23-105789
      
	Published:  Oct 26, 2022


	Publicly Released: Nov 17, 2022
              Cybersecurity: Kick-Starting the Office of the National Cyber DirectorGAO-22-105502
      
	Published:  Sep 06, 2022


	Publicly Released: Sep 06, 2022
              Ransomware: Federal Agencies Provide Useful Assistance but Can Improve CollaborationGAO-22-104767
      
	Published:  Sep 14, 2022


	Publicly Released: Oct 04, 2022
              Cybersecurity Workforce: Actions Needed to Improve Cybercorps Scholarship for Service ProgramGAO-22-105187
      
	Published:  Sep 29, 2022


	Publicly Released: Sep 29, 2022
              Privacy: Dedicated Leadership Can Improve Programs and Address ChallengesGAO-22-105065
      
	Published:  Sep 22, 2022


	Publicly Released: Sep 22, 2022
              Critical Infrastructure Protection: Agencies Need to Assess Adoption of Cybersecurity GuidanceGAO-22-105103
      
	Published:  Feb 09, 2022


	Publicly Released: Feb 09, 2022
              Cybersecurity: Federal Response to SolarWinds and Microsoft Exchange IncidentsGAO-22-104746
      
	Published:  Jan 13, 2022


	Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2022
              Privacy: Federal Financial Regulators Should Take Additional Actions to Enhance Their Protection of Personal InformationGAO-22-104551
      
	Published:  Jan 13, 2022


	Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2022
              Cybersecurity: NIH Needs to Take Further Actions to Resolve Control Deficiencies and Improve Its ProgramGAO-22-104467
      
	Published:  Dec 07, 2021


	Publicly Released: Dec 07, 2021
  

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GAO Contacts
    
      Jennifer Franks
      
              Jennifer Franks
            
            Director
      
            franksj@gao.gov
      
            (404) 679-1831
    Marisol Cruz Cain
      
              Marisol Cruz Cain
            
            Director
      
            cruzcainm@gao.gov
      
            (202) 512-5017
    David Hinchman
      
              David (Dave) Hinchman
            
            Director
      
            HinchmanD@gao.gov
      
            (214) 777-5719
                                                      MultimediaVideo
    
      Cybersecurity of Critical Infrastructure--12/2/21 Hearing Highlights
      
        
        Cybersecurity of Critical Infrastructure--12/2/21 Hearing Highlights
          Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Podcasts
    
      Protecting Taxpayer Data from Unauthorized Access by IRS Employees
    Thursday, May 19, 2022
      
            Transcript
          The Federal Government Collects Large Amounts of Personal Data. But How Is It Protected?
    Thursday, September 22, 2022
      
            Transcript
          Ransomware and Other Cyberattacks on K-12 Schools
    Monday, October 24, 2022
      
            Transcript
Photo of the White House with cyber locks illustrated on top of it.
          Blog Post
              The U.S. Now Has a National Cybersecurity Strategy, but Is It as Strong as It Could Be?
            Thursday, March 21, 2024
      
            In February, Change Healthcare, the largest health care payment processer in the United States, was...
          Photo of an electricity grid (the towers) with superimposed lines connecting them in a cyber way.
          Blog Post
              Improving Communication Could Strengthen Federal Efforts to Prevent the Next Major Cyberattack
            Wednesday, September 27, 2023
      
            We’ve already seen what can happen when one of the nation’s critical services is disrupted by a...
          photo of the IRS building sign
          Blog Post
              Taxpayer Information Keeps Ending Up In the Wrong Hands. What Can IRS Do To Better Protect It?
            Tuesday, September 26, 2023
      
            When you file your taxes each year, you expect IRS to keep your personal and financial information...
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