Ransomware Resilience: Why Public Sector Organizations Need Immutable Backup and Disaster Recovery

For public sector organizations across the United States, there’s good and bad news regarding ransomware attacks. The good news, according to a recent article in SC Magazine, is that overall attacks seem to be declining, with a 51% reduction recorded in 2024 compared to the previous year. The bad news is that for those that are hit, the attacks are proving far more serious and expensive to resolve. Alarmingly, 98% of ransomware attacks in the sector in 2024 resulted in data encryption being compromised, indicating that attackers proactively target backup systems to disable recovery options. Equally concerning was a sharp rise in the average cost of recovery, which increased from $1.21 million to $2.83 million over the same period.

Ransomware attacks on public sector organizations threaten public safety, disrupt essential services, and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. As the sophistication of attacks grows, many public agencies are struggling to defend against them. Without adequate preparation, including robust disaster recovery (DR) capabilities, the consequences can be devastating.

The Growing Threat of Leaked Citizen Data

One of the most concerning aspects of recent ransomware attacks targeting public sector organizations is a trend toward threatening to publish stolen data if victims don’t pay the ransom. Cyber criminals now maintain dedicated leak sites for this purpose. Stolen data often includes social security numbers, employee files, and law enforcement records. This has legal and reputational consequences for public agencies, increasing the pressure to negotiate.

In a recent example of this tactic, as reported by Axios, Cobb County, Georgia was targeted by the Qilin ransomware group, which claimed to have stolen 400,000 files, including employee records and autopsy photos. The attackers threatened to leak the data within 48 hours.

Incidents like these underscore the critical vulnerabilities facing public sector organizations, including large scale data exfiltration, service disruptions, and double extortion tactics (combining encryption with threats to leak data). They also place additional strain on IT resources.

Effective Defense for Public Sector Organizations

One of the most effective ways to mitigate the impact of these attacks is through data backup and DR with full immutability, meaning that once a backup is created, it can’t be altered, deleted, or overwritten by anyone, including administrators. This provides a vital safeguard against a ransomware attack, as attackers often target backups to prevent recovery and increase ransom leverage. With immutable backups, a clean, uncompromised copy of all vital data is available, allowing public sector organizations to restore operations without paying a ransom.

When provided as a managed service, immutable backup and DR solutions offer additional benefits. Many public sector organizations operate with limited cybersecurity budgets and small IT teams. A managed service removes the burden of day-to-day monitoring, patching, and testing, ensuring systems are continuously protected and recovery procedures are regularly validated. It also gives organizations access to expert support during an incident, reducing downtime and ensuring a structured, timely response.

Additionally, a managed backup and DR service can be scaled to fit the specific needs of government agencies, municipalities, counties, or school districts. It also enhances compliance with federal and state regulations around data retention, breach response, and public trust.

Boosting Cyber Resiliency Through a Purpose Built, MSP Delivered Solution

For public sector organizations, relying on traditional or self-managed backups is no longer enough. Immutable, professionally managed backup and DR is not just a technical solution, it’s a public service resilience strategy that facilitates rapid recovery with minimal disruption. When evaluating MSPs, it’s essential to choose a partner that understands the unique requirements of public sector agencies. Equally important is selecting a provider that offers a backup platform designed from the ground up with immutability as a core feature. Assured Data Protection specializes in delivering tailored services to this sector, partnering with data security leader Rubrik to ensure fast recovery of data and systems, minimizing the risk of disruption caused by ransomware attacks.

Reach out to a member of our team here for more information or visit the Public Sector resource page.