Vulnerabilities of New Technologies in the Work of Public Authorities and the Need for Cybersecurity

ABSTRACT: Society as a whole is receptive to the new technologies because they make life easier. It is therefore the responsibility of decision-makers in public administration to identify people's social needs so that these can be met as safely as possible under the umbrella of a strong legal framework. The change in how public administration interacts with citizens, in light of the implementation of new technologies, also comes with challenges in terms of strong legislation and the ethics of administrative decisions. The scope of the paper is to present, in a personal manner, the legislative framework applicable to digitalization in public administration from the perspective of the vulnerabilities of new technologies that may call into question the need for cybersecurity. In terms of research methodology, the paper is structured as follows: Part I explores the legislation applicable to digitalization and cybersecurity from both European and national perspectives; Part II discusses two existing online platforms at the level of public authorities; and Part III, through a case study, highlights the vulnerabilities of new technologies in the work of public authorities and the need for cybersecurity. The conclusion emphasizes that, while digitalization contributes to a better quality of life, authorities still need to invest heavily in innovation to identify the best solutions for secure online platforms. KEYWORDS: digitalization, public authorities, cyber security, SEAP, Romania