From crisis to prevention: The urgent need for technology in municipal security and child protection

These stories from municipalities like Ljusdal, Gällivare, and Laholm have shaken communities to their core, raising serious concerns about the safety measures in place within our educational systems. While each case exposes specific failures, they also highlight a broader and often overlooked issue: the escalating risk of insider threats targeting municipalities. In today’s geopolitical climate, where nation-state threat actors actively exploit vulnerabilities, municipalities face a dual challenge—protecting their children and safeguarding their sensitive data and services.

A heightened risk: The geopolitical landscape and municipal security

In our interconnected world, municipalities are increasingly exposed to risks and tactics traditionally reserved for high-stakes sectors like international business and critical infrastructure. Nation-state actors with vast resources are no longer limiting their sights to traditional targets; they are also turning toward public institutions as “soft targets.” The objective is clear: gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information, undermining public trust, and disrupting essential services serve these actors’ strategic goals. For local governments, this means the need for sophisticated risk management and robust security infrastructure has become more critical than ever.

A municipality that fails to recognize this risk leaves itself, its employees, and—most importantly—its children vulnerable to exploitation. Sophisticated attackers now search for weak points, whether in digital systems or individuals, and exploit these vulnerabilities for their advantage. Individuals who possess or consume child sexual abuse material, for example, have a particularly exploitable vulnerability. For these individuals, the risk isn’t just a private matter; it’s a targetable weakness that can be leveraged by threat actors through extortion.

Insider threats: The critical vulnerability within

Managing insider risks poses one of the greatest challenges to security today. Insider risks don’t always come from external hackers; sometimes, the most damaging breaches originate from trusted individuals within the organization itself. Recent incidents across Swedish municipalities illustrate that sometimes harm doesn’t come from strangers but from familiar people in trusted positions. Insiders with access to sensitive information, who also carry exploitable vulnerabilities, pose risks that are uniquely complex to manage.

In cases like those in Gällivare and Laholm, trusted individuals with authorized access to school settings were involved in serious breaches of trust. These incidents underscore the critical need for security measures that go beyond trust alone. When someone within a municipality has vulnerabilities—like sexual interests in children and consuming child sexual abuse material—they are at a heightened risk of coercion. Malicious actors will leverage these vulnerabilities, using extortion to coerce insiders into sharing sensitive data, bypassing security protocols, or even aiding external infiltration efforts.

Technologies like NetClean, which are used to detect classified illegal content, can identify individuals who consume child sexual abuse material and who may be abusing children, misusing their access rights or leaking sensitive information.

Accepting the risk? Why inaction isn’t an option

Municipalities have a duty to protect the people in the community it serve and proactively manage the risk associated with both insider and external threats. Relying solely on policy or reactive measures exposes communities to substantial risk. Failing to implement protective technology is, in effect, accepting the risks posed by malicious actors and insiders alike.

In a time when overlooking security risks can lead to serious consequences, municipal leaders must fully grasp the scope of the threats they face. Protecting the community and its children, preserving public trust, and upholding municipal integrity aren’t just responsibilities—they’re non-negotiable imperatives. Embracing technology to reduce risk and prevent harm is a a crucial step toward creating safer communities where children can learn, grow, and thrive.