Research: State and Local Government Cyberattacks Rose 242 Percent in First Half of 2026
SonicWall recorded more than 300 million intrusion alerts as aging systems and delayed updates left public agencies exposed.
- By Chelsey Arries
- Oct 22, 2026
State and local government networks experienced a 242% increase in intrusion attempts during the first half of 2026 compared to the year before, according to SonicWall research.
The company recorded more than 300 million intrusion prevention alerts rated medium or high priority. Attacks targeting web applications represented 85.1% of that activity.
The findings draw from a worldwide network exceeding 1 million security sensors. SonicWall attributed government exposure to outdated technology, limited staffing resources and inconsistent software updates among departments.
Attempts involving the Log4Shell vulnerability accounted for 19.5 million alerts across 585 government firewalls. The company said vulnerable software persisted in systems handling permits, case management and public records.
Malware detections increased 8.6% to 57.7 million. Trojan-class malware represented nearly 90% of detections, while ransomware activity declined 74%.
The report also identified risks from shared departmental networks and broadly accessible remote connections. Its recommendations include restricting access to individual applications, repeatedly checking user identities and device security and retaining immutable offline backups.
About the Author
Chelsey Arries is assistant editor of Security Today, Campus Security Today, Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.