As the United States gears up for another Presidential election, government agencies face a daunting challenge that extends far beyond the ballot box. While elections signify the democratic process at work, they also represent one of the largest predictable instances of high employee turnover in the public sector. This mass transition of power and personnel creates a perfect storm for potential data breaches, threatening the integrity of sensitive government information and national security.
For Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and IT leaders in government agencies, the approaching elections should trigger enhanced IP protections. The shift in administration is not just a change in leadership, it’s a massive data security risk that demands immediate attention and action. The scale of this turnover can be hard to fathom. When a new administration takes office, thousands of positions change hands, from cabinet members to staff across dozens of agencies.
As Michael Lewis writes in The Fifth Risk:
“The United States government might be the most complicated organization on the face of the earth. Its two million federal employees take orders from four thousand political appointees. Dysfunction is baked into the structure of the thing: the subordinates know that their bosses will be replaced every four or eight years and that the direction of their enterprises might change overnight—with an election or a war or some other political event.”
Each departing employee represents a potential escape vector for data, whether intentional or accidental. The motivations for mishandling data during these transitions can vary widely, from personal gain and political leverage to simple negligence.
As government agencies have prioritized digitization to streamline processes and improve service delivery, they’ve also created an environment where sensitive information is more readily accessible and, consequently, more vulnerable to exploitation. This digital shift means vast amounts of sensitive data—from policy documents to national security briefings—can now be transferred, copied, or exposed with unprecedented ease.
The Interregnum: A period of heightened risk
While The Interregnum sounds like the working title of a dystopian Christopher Nolan film, it simply refers to the roughly 10-week transition time between administrations following an election.
During this time, the combination of departing staff with access to sensitive information, incoming personnel unfamiliar with security protocols, and the general chaos of transition creates a perfect storm for potential data leaks and data breaches. As data moves ever faster to the cloud, the ease with which it can be moved or compromised stands in stark contrast to the physical limitations of yesterday’s paper-based systems.
Imagine you are an adversarial nation-state intent on wreaking havoc on the US government via a coordinated cyber attack—what better time is there to execute an attack than during this highly volatile period, in which thousands of federal employees are on their way out the door?
Of course, it’s not just external threats that government agencies need to worry about. The high-profile cases of Edward Snowden and Reality Winner serve as grave reminders of the internal risks to government secrets. During transition periods, the likelihood of such incidents increases dramatically. Departing employees, potentially disillusioned or seeking to make a political statement, may be more inclined to leak sensitive information. Meanwhile, the chaos of transition can provide cover for such activities, making detection even more challenging.
The intricate nature of data classification in government systems further compounds these security challenges. The vast scale and scope of federal bureaucracy require a comprehensive classification system to safeguard information based on sensitivity. While necessary, this system creates a labyrinth of hierarchies and protocols that employees must learn to navigate.
Such risks are particularly amplified during transitions when the pressure of looming deadlines and office clearances can lead to hasty decisions and oversights. As departing staff rush to complete handovers and incoming personnel grapple with unfamiliar systems, the potential for mishandling sensitive information increases dramatically, leaving agencies vulnerable to data breaches or unauthorized access.
In light of the many well-publicized government data breaches over the past decade, the federal government and executive branch have taken some important initial steps toward improving their data protection posture. Programs like FedRAMP and Executive Order 14028 highlight the increasing emphasis on standardizing security practices across federal agencies.
However, neither of these initiatives directly tackles the transient nature of political appointments or the cyclical turnover of high-level government positions. The gap between these broad cybersecurity measures and the specific needs during transitions leaves a glaring blind spot in the government’s data protection strategy, one that potential adversaries—both internal and external—could exploit.
3 strategies for mitigating transition risks
Given these high stakes, what steps can government IT and security leaders take to fortify data security during transitions? Consider the following as a baseline starting point:
Fortify the changing of the guard: Develop comprehensive, transition-specific protocols to ensure continuity of data protection during these critical periods. Detailed procedures for offboarding departing staff should be created and codified, including immediate revocation of access to networked resources and comprehensive exit interviews to account for all sensitive information. Simultaneously, implement secure knowledge transfer processes for incoming teams, balancing operational continuity with critical access controls.
Simplify data classification: While government operations often require multi-tier classification schemes for certain agencies, there’s a compelling case for simplifying data classification at key user access points, such as logging into networked systems. A streamlined trust/no trust approach can significantly enhance data security while reducing complexity and potential single points of failure.
Harness purpose-built technology: The sheer scale of information handled by federal bodies makes manual classification and monitoring virtually impossible. AI-powered systems can rapidly analyze and categorize vast amounts of data, ensuring accurate and consistent classification, reducing the burden on government workers, and minimizing errors in data handling. Private industry has already embraced many of these technologies, and it’s crucial for government agencies to follow suit. With an estimated 4 million new workers needed to close the IT hiring gap in government, these technologies will be especially vital.
As another pivotal election looms, the time for action is now. Government IT leaders must confront the unique security challenges of political transitions head-on. The question isn’t whether we can afford to implement these strategies —it’s whether we can afford not to.
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