Federal Agencies Reported More Than 30,000 Cyber Incidents In FY22

Federal Agencies Reported More Than 30,000 Cyber Incidents In FY22

Here, Atlas VPN covers the recently published FISMA report by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the fiscal year 2022.

The FISMA report published by the OMB provides information about the overall state of government information security, including challenges, progress, and incidents.

In the fiscal year 2022, Federal agencies saw fewer cyber incidents overall, which decreased by around 6%.

There were 30,659 cyber incidents in FY 2022, according to the OMB's annual FISMA report to Congress, down from 32,509 in 2021.

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) requires Federal agencies to develop, document, and implement agency-wide information security programs to protect sensitive government information and operations.

Agency officials, like chief information officers and inspector generals, conduct annual reviews of an agency's information security program and submit those to the OMB.

The OMB gathers all those annual reviews and summarizes them in the FISMA report, which is then submitted to Congress.

These reports are publicly available on the Whitehouse.gov website.

Improper usage incidents were the most commonly reported by Federal agencies in FY 2022, with 10,467 total cases, a slight uptick from 10,123 in 2021.

Improper usage incidents result from violating the organization's acceptable usage policies, like using work computers for personal matters.

In addition, agencies said email or phishing attacks increased slightly to more than 3,010 last year from 2,962 in 2021.

The most significant growth in incidents was seen in the loss or theft of equipment category.

Around one thousand computing or media devices were lost or stolen in 2021, while in 2022, the number climbed to 1,786 incidents.

The most common attack vector remains in the "unknown" category.

According to OMB, 93% of the incidents in 2022 were classified as "baseline" or "unsubstantiated or inconsequential event[s]."

Four of almost 31 thousand incidents reported by agencies in FY 2022 were classified as major.

Government bodies affected by the incidents included the Department of Education, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Agriculture.

One incident remains classified.

In contrast, agencies encountered seven major incidents in FY 2021.

Overall, the incidents' number and severity remain relatively similar in FY 2022 and 2021.

Administration focused on improving Nation's cybersecurity

The current US administration is acutely aware of the ever-increasing danger of cyber threats and is taking steps to protect themselves and US citizens.

“The United States faces persistent and increasingly sophisticated malicious cyber campaigns that threaten the public sector, the private sector, and ultimately the security and privacy of the American people," states President Biden's Executive Order (EO 14028) on improving the Nation's cybersecurity.

In FY 2022, the Administration took steps to continue implementing EO 14028, such as moving to a zero-trust architecture and aligning Federal agency investments in cybersecurity defenses with policy requirements.

By taking these steps, the Federal Government hopes to drastically lower the danger of successful cyberattacks on their digital infrastructure and quickly transition to a new cybersecurity paradigm.

Featured

  • AI Is Now the Leading Cybersecurity Concern for Security, IT Leaders

    Arctic Wolf recently published findings from its State of Cybersecurity: 2025 Trends Report, offering insights from a global survey of more than 1,200 senior IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 15 countries. Conducted by Sapio Research, the report captures the realities, risks, and readiness strategies shaping the modern security landscape. Read Now

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

  • Motorola Solutions Named Official Safety Technology Supplier of the Ryder Cup through 2027

    Motorola Solutions has today been named the Official Safety Technology Supplier of the 2025 and 2027 Ryder Cup, professional golf’s renowned biennial team competition between the United States and Europe. Read Now

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.