# Local Government Cybersecurity Landscape: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework
## 5 Findings and Discussion
### The Need and Foundation: Cybersecurity Conceptual Framework from Local Government Perspective
However, a cohesive conceptual framework can help identify challenges and deploy countermeasures, compiling attack types and techniques, potential attackers, tools, frameworks, and standards [86; 87]. Therefore, we created a conceptual framework, illustrated in Figure 8, with the goal of providing officials, decision-makers, and researchers in this field with a holistic view of local governments' cybersecurity aspects. Figure 8: Conceptual framework of local governments’ cybersecurity landscape. To develop the framework, we employed a comprehensive methodology, grounded in the established definitions and principles of cybersecurity set forth by the ISO and in the findings from our systematic review. The heart of the framework lies in its delineation of seven key cybersecurity domains, as mentioned previously under the Cybersecurity Concept Sub-section above, each addressing a vital component of local governments' digital defense. These domains include Internet security, web security, network security, data security, endpoint security, application security, and cloud security. A pivotal aspect of our framework is its incorporation of the CIA Triad and its extension to the CIA-AAA concept. The CIA Triad, consisting of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, is a fundamental principle in cybersecurity. Confidentiality ensures that information is not shared with unauthorized individuals, while integrity ensures accuracy and completeness, and availability ensures accessibility and usability on demand. Multiple researchers indicated an expansion of the CIA Triad to include three additional principles: authentication, authorization, and accountability/auditing [88; 89; 90]. This model combines authentication to ensure legitimate access, authorization to grant appropriate access rights, and accounting to track system activities for breach detection and compliance. The CIA-AAA model plays a crucial role in local government cybersecurity. Local governments, which are responsible for managing sensitive data and providing critical services, must implement a comprehensive security strategy that encompasses the seven core domains of cybersecurity. Ensuring the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of government data, in addition to implementing rigorous authentication, authorization, and accounting protocols, is a critical aspect of data security. To safeguard online interactions and government websites, robust authentication and authorization mechanisms are integral to Internet and web security. In a similar vein, the model's emphasis on authorized access and continuous monitoring confers advantages for network and endpoint security. To protect against threats and vulnerabilities, application and cloud security employ a complete range of CIA-AAA principles. Our approach to local government cybersecurity involves a multi-layered structure that maps cyberthreats and defenses. We positioned the types and techniques of cyberattacks at the center of the framework, connecting them to the corresponding cybersecurity domains directly above them. This strategic placement is not merely structural but indicative of the direct link between the identified cyberthreats and the targeted cybersecurity domains. The principles of the CIA-AAA concept encapsulate these core domains, highlighting their universal application and importance across all facets of cybersecurity. The framework's upper segment focuses on practical and technical cybersecurity assessment frameworks and tools, providing local governments with the necessary resources to evaluate, monitor, and improve their cybersecurity posture. The lower section of the framework focuses on the non-technical and administrative aspects of cybersecurity, including the types of attackers, their motivations, challenges specific to local governments, and recommended solutions.