# Local Government Cybersecurity Landscape: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework
## 4 Analysis and Results
### Types and Techniques of Cyber-Attacks in Local Governments
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Year** & **Location** & **Attack Type** & **Description** & **Reference** \\ \hline
2022 & Vilnius, Lithuania & DDoS & DDoS cyber-attacks in Lithuania disrupted state websites, causing the tax authority to temporarily shut down servers. The attacks targeted state and transport institutions, media, and private businesses, causing further threats. & [12,71] \\ \hline
2022 & Palermo, Italy & Ransomware & The Palermo municipality experienced a major cyber-attack, disrupting services like surveillance, police operations, and online bookings. This was an issue for residents relying on fax machines and tourists struggling with online bookings, and it caused traffic zone card issuance to halt. & [12,72] \\ \hline
2022 & Quincy, MA, USA & Ransomware & Quincy experienced a cyber-attack, compromising its systems and incurring ongoing costs, including USD18,000 for legal compliance fees. Many city departments, including Planning and Development, remain hampered, with certain functionalities like credit card payments for building permits still unavailable. & [12,73] \\ \hline
2019 & Baltimore, MD, USA & Ransomware & A ransomware attack on Baltimore’s local government operations, using Robbin/Hood ransomware, disrupted real estate transactions and billing systems, causing significant operational and financial challenges for the local government. Baltimore refused to pay the ransom demanded, which was around USD76,000 in Bitcoin. The city’s recovery and remediation efforts cost millions and took months. & [74,75] \\ \hline
2018 & Baltimore, MD, USA & Ransomware & A ransomware attack in Baltimore disrupted the city’s 911 dispatch system, causing the city to revert to manual emergency dispatching for 17 h. The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in the city’s technological systems and highlighted the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures. & [6,11,15,58,74] \\ \hline
2015 & Jefferson County, TX, USA & Jefferson County, Texas, experienced a significant data breach when the Social Security Numbers of thousands of residents were disclosed online, highlighting vulnerabilities in the county’s data management systems. & [11] \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: _Cont._This review identified a total of 30 types and techniques of cyber-attacks that pose significant threats to local governments' cybersecurity. Malware attacks, including ransomware, spyware, and adware, pose a significant threat to local governments, disrupting operations and compromising sensitive information confidentiality and integrity [14; 36; 50]. Code Injection Attacks, such as SQL Injection, Malvertizing, and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), are a significant threat to web-based services and applications, exploiting software vulnerabilities to execute malicious code, leading to data breaches and unauthorized system access [35; 62; 76]. Spoofing methods like IP, ARP, and DNS trick and redirect communication networks, which lowers trust and could lead to data theft and unauthorized access to network resources [56; 65; 67; 77]. DoS and DDoS attacks disrupt local government operations by overwhelming systems with traffic, incapacitating essential digital services, and causing significant operational disruptions [9; 36; 78]. Social engineering is a common technique of identity-driven attack that tricks people to bypass the regular security procedures of the local government or any other organization. Identity-driven attacks also include phishing, spear phishing, and whaling, which exploit human factors and authentication processes, often leading to unauthorized access and information theft [8; 79; 80]. Insider threats, both malicious and negligent, are a significant challenge due to attackers' access to systems and knowledge of internal processes, causing significant damage and data loss [7; 15; 80].