Improving the Nation's Security, Starting with Identity
Tags: sec, identity, publicsector
Published: 2022-07-12 10:17:23

### Auth0 Public Sector Identity Index shows government leaders in the United States are clear on their priorities but could use some help improving citizen security.

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Over the past two years, all levels of government in the United States (US) have made massive strides in their ability to deliver digital citizen services. Whether filing for unemployment benefits or renewing a driver's license, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital government initiatives by [years](https://home.kpmg/us/en/home/insights/2020/09/digital-acceleration.html), enabling citizens to access critical services online rather than in-line. 

As these services continue to be deployed digitally, a key area of focus amongst all US government officials is managing the constantly evolving cybersecurity landscape. [Executive orders](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/12/executive-order-on-improving-the-nations-cybersecurity/) from President Joe Biden and the [1.2 trillion dollars](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/06/fact-sheet-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/) bipartisan infrastructure bill are both examples of steps taken to improve the nation's cybersecurity posture. 

Data from our own [Public Sector Identity Index](https://auth0.com/resources/whitepapers/us-public-sector-identity-index-report-2022), a primary research report with insights into the identity maturity of public sector organizations around the world, further supports how Federal, State, and Local government leaders prioritize security when delivering government-to-citizen (G2C) applications. In our survey, the top three priorities cited by respondents when launching online services for citizens were: 

1. Abiding by data security regulations
2. Securing citizen services 
3. Ensuring citizen trust in digital services 

Despite the intense focus on protecting citizen data, the results show there's still room for improvement. Only 19% of government leaders were highly confident in the security of their current authentication solutions, and 86% of governments rely on custom username and password credentials as a citizen's primary means of authenticating into applications, despite their [well-documented security risks](https://auth0.com/blog/what-is-credential-stuffing/). 

Fortunately, Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solutions can help governments improve their applications' security without compromising the citizen experience.

## Billions of Dollars Lost to Fraud 

Over the past decade, data breaches in the US have [doubled](https://www.statista.com/statistics/273550/data-breaches-recorded-in-the-united-states-by-number-of-breaches-and-records-exposed/), and governments have been a primary target for bad actors amidst the pandemic. This shouldn't come as a surprise due to the highly sensitive data they store, legacy technology infrastructure, and the pace at which citizen services were launched; governments were and continue to be a perfect target for [hackers](https://www.govtech.com/sponsored/why-government-institutions-are-the-perfect-target-for-hackers).

Notably, levels of fraud have significantly increased amidst the pandemic as bad actors take advantage of the dire circumstances in which citizens required relief and governments scrambled to set up systems to deliver it. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported a [3,000%](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/identity-theft-unemployment-benefits-fraud/) increase in fraudulent applications for government benefits in 2020. Data from the department of labor estimates that 36 billion of the 360 billion from the Cares Act was [lost to fraud](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/05/scammers-have-taken-36-billion-in-fraudulent-unemployment-payments-.html). 

Some sources are even citing 2020 as the year the world experienced a health care crisis and a [cyber pandemic](https://www.govtech.com/blogs/lohrmann-on-cybersecurity/2020-the-year-the-covid-19-crisis-brought-a-cyber-pandemic.html) due to the radical shift in online life. 

[Read more...](https://auth0.com/blog/improving-the-nations-security-starting-with-identity/?utm_source=content_synd&utm_medium=sc&utm_campaign=identity)