Enhancing Government Efficiency Through Cybersecurity Hardening
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59490/dgo.2025.1047Keywords:
Cybersecurity Hardening, Government Efficiency, Risk Management, Automation, Cost-Benefit AnalysisAbstract
The rapid digitization of public sector services has fundamentally reshaped how governments operate, manage resources, and interact with citizens. From digital identity platforms to AI-enabled service portals, technology enables faster decision-making, seamless operations, and more responsive governance. Yet, this digital transformation introduces growing cyber risks, including ransomware, insider threats, and nation-state attacks. These risks not only threaten data privacy and national security but also undermine service reliability and institutional trust. To mitigate such threats and sustain innovation, cybersecurity hardening has emerged as a critical enabler of government efficiency. It includes proactive strategies such as continuous threat monitoring, network segmentation, encryption, and Zero Trust frameworks that reinforce operational continuity. While existing literature often frames cybersecurity as a compliance necessity, our research recasts it as a core strategic asset for enhancing public service performance. Specifically, we examine how cybersecurity contributes to resilience, reduces service disruptions, and improves resource allocation—three pillars of efficient governance. This approach aligns with emerging policy shifts, notably the formation of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in January 2025, which identifies cybersecurity as central to improving operational outcomes. Supported by similar initiatives in Texas, Kansas, and Louisiana, this paper situates cyber defense as a linchpin of modern administrative reform. By exploring real-world breach case studies and integrating economic modeling with cybersecurity strategy, we demonstrate how protecting systems is not just a cost-saving imperative but a means to power smarter, faster, and safer governance.
Downloads
References
Accenture. (2023, June). Aligning cybersecurity to business objectives helps drive revenue growth and lower costs of breaches [Access]. [link]
Albalas, T., Modjtahedi, A., & Abdi, R. (2022). Cybersecurity governance: A scoping review. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 7(4), e0629. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2022.v7i4.629.
Alkhadra, R., Abuzaid, J., AlShammari, M., & Mohammad, N. (2021). Solar winds hack: In-depth analysis and countermeasures. 2021 12th International Conference on Computing Communication and Networking Technologies (ICCCNT), 1–7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCCNT51525.2021.9579611.
Alreemy, Z., Chang, V., Walters, R., & Wills, G. (2016). Critical success factors (csfs) for information technology governance (itg). International Journal of Information Management, 36(6), 907–916. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.05.015.
Alrubaiq, A., & Alharbi, T. (2021). Retracted: Developing a cybersecurity framework for e-government project in the kingdom of saudi arabia [Retracted: 10 October 2024]. Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy, 1(2), 302–318. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp1020017.
Argyridou, E., Nifakos, S., Laoudias, C., Panda, S., Panaousis, E., Chandramouli, K., Navarro-Llobet, D., Mora Zamorano, J., Papachristou, P., & Bonacina, S. (2023). Cyber hygiene methodology for raising cyber-security and data privacy awareness in health care organizations: Concept study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e41294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2196/41294.
Bechara, F. R., & Schuch, S. B. (2021). Cybersecurity and global regulatory challenges. Journal of Financial Crime, 28(2), TBD. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-04-2020-0061.
Bitton, M. (2022). The estonian miracle: E-estonia and the future of digital infrastructure. Metaverse Blog, NYU School of Professional Studies. [link]
Böhme, R., & Schwartz, G. (2022). Economic incentives for cybersecurity investments. Journal of Cybersecurity Economics, 9(2), 121–138.
Böhme, R., Laube, S., & Riek, M. (2018). A fundamental approach to cyber risk analysis. [link]
Boyd, A. (2015). Could opm have prevented the breach? [Accessed: January 30, 2025]. [link]
Brown, I. (2019). Cybers’ cost: The potential price tag of a targeted trust attack [Accessed: 2025-01-29]. MCU Journal, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.21140/mcuj.2019100105
Conklin, W. A., & White, G. B. (2006). E-government and cyber security: The role of cyber security exercises. Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS’06), 79–79. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2006.133.
Council of Europe. (2025). The budapest convention [Accessed on January 30, 2025]. Council of Europe. [link]
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore. (2025, January). Cybersecurity act: Information on the cybersecurity act [Last updated 28 January 2025]. [link]
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2023). Cybersecurity best practices for government agencies.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency & Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2021). Joint statement from the federal bureau of investigation (fbi) and the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency (cisa) [Accessed: January 30, 2025]. [link]
European Union Agency for Cybersecurity. (2023). Cybersecurity culture guidelines: Behavioral aspects of cybersecurity awareness.
Falco, G., Noriega, A., & Susskind, L. (2019). Cyber negotiation: A cyber risk management approach to defend urban critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. Journal of Cyber Policy, 4(1), 90–116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23738871.2019.1586969.
Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (2002).
Finkle, J. (2015). Database of 191 million u.s. voters exposed on internet: Researcher. Reuters. [link]
Fortinet. (2021). Impact of the solarwinds cyber attack on organizations [Accessed: January 30, 2025]. [link]
Ganin, A. A., Quach, P., Panwar, M., Collier, Z. A., Keisler, J. M., Marchese, D., & Linkov, I. (2020). Multicriteria decision framework for cybersecurity risk assessment and management. Risk Analysis, 40(1), 183–199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12891.
Gianfortune, R. (2025, January). Proposed doge reforms target technology, efficiency [Accessed: 2025-01-23]. [link]
Giaritelli, A. (2022). Judge finalizes $63m opm hack settlement for feds, two months of damages [Accessed: 2025-01-29]. Government Executive. [link]
Gootman, S. (2016). Opm hack: The most dangerous threat to the federal government today. Journal of Applied Security Research, 11(4), 517–525. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19361610.2016.1211876.
Gordon, L. A., & Loeb, M. P. (2002). The economics of information security investment. 5(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/581271.581274.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (1996).
Hiller, J. S., Kisska-Schulze, K., & Shackelford, S. (2024). Cybersecurity carrots and sticks. American Business Law Journal, 61(1), 5–45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ablj.12238.
IANS Research & Artico Search. (2023). 2023 security budget benchmark summary report (tech. rep.). IANS Research. [link]
IBM. (2024). Cost of a data breach report 2024 [Accessed: 2025-01-23]. [link]
INTERPOL. (2025). Interpol innovation centre [Accessed on January 30, 2025]. International Criminal Police Organization. [link]
Jaikaran, C. (2023, July). The national cybersecurity strategy—going where no strategy has gone before [Accessed: 2025-01-23]. [link]
Johnson, K., Li, X., & Patel, M. (2022). Leveraging cybersecurity for strategic governance. International Journal of Digital Strategy, 14(3), 203–219.
Karabacak, B., Yildirim, S. O., & Baykal, N. (2016). Regulatory approaches for cyber security of critical infrastructures: The case of turkey. Computer Law Security Review, 32(3), 526–539. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2016.03.005.
Kissoon, T. (2020). Optimum spending on cybersecurity measures. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 14(3), 417–431. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-11-2019-0112.
Krishna, B., & Sebastian, M. P. (2021). Examining the relationship between e-government development, nation’s cyber-security commitment, business usage and economic prosperity: A cross-country analysis. Information and Computer Security, 29(5), 737–760. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-12-2020-0205.
Kumar, S., Menezes, A., Giri, S., & Kotikela, S. (2024). What the phish! effects of ai on phishing attacks and defence [05–06 December]. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on AI Research (ICAIR).
National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2022). Framework for improving critical infrastructure cybersecurity.
National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2024, February). Nist releases version 2.0 of landmark cybersecurity framework. [link]
Nato. (2022). Costa rica ransomware attack (2022) [Retrieved January 29, 2025]. [link]
Ogundare, E. (2024). The human factor in cyber security.
Pexton, P. (2021, January). Cleaning up solarwinds hack may cost as much as $100 billion [Accessed: 2025-01-29]. [link]
Ponemon Institute. (2023). Cost of a data breach report [Retrieved from Ponemon Institute website]. [link]
ProPublica. (2021, December). How the solarwinds cybersecurity system was breached [Accessed: 2025-01-29]. [link]
Report of Commission on the National Defense Strategy. (2024). Report of commission on the national defense strategy. Commission on the National Defense Strategy. [link]
Reuters. (2024). Borderless europe fights brain drain as talent heads north [Accessed: 2025-01-29]. Reuters. [link]
Rix, M. (2023). Why the five eyes? power and identity in the formation of a multilateral intelligence grouping. Journal of Cold War Studies, 25(1), 101–140. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/jcws_a_01109.
Smith, J., & Duggan, R. (2020). Public trust in digital governance: The role of cybersecurity. Digital Society Quarterly, 18(1), 45–67.
Texas House of Representatives. (2024). Committee on delivery of government efficiency [Accessed: 2025-03-23]. [link]
The White House. (2025). Establishing and implementing the president’s department of government efficiency [Accessed: 2025-03-23]. [link]
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2024, June). What are the biggest challenges to federal cybersecurity? (high risk update). [link]
Vermeer, M. J. D., & Peet, E. D. (2020). Securing communications in the quantum computing age: Managing the risks to encryption (tech. rep.). RAND Corporation. [link]
Zhani, M., Karim, R., & Taylor, P. (2021). Cyber resilience in public infrastructure. Journal of Information Security Studies, 11(4), 345–361.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Conference Proceedings Volume
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Shreyas Kumar, Anika Garg, Maitreya Niranjan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
