Page 43 - Cyber Defense eMagazine for August 2021

Four Ways Smart Cities Can Stay Safe in An

Interconnected World
Mitigating the risks of cyber threats through cyber intelligence and frontier technologies

By Ritesh Kumar, Chairman & CEO, CYFIRMA

Smart cities bring about an abundance of benefits for a nation – a more liveable space for citizens, a
thriving business environment, and greater economic growth. It is therefore no surprise that world leaders
and nations are focused on developing critical infrastructure and rolling out technologies to build up their
own smart cities.

However, with the increased connectivity and interconnectivity of smart systems comes greater risks and
opportunities for threat actors to attack and take down critical systems and services swiftly.
One example of such cyber threats is ransomware, which smart cities are particularly vulnerable to. The
interconnectivity of smart systems creates more openings for cybercriminals to launch attacks, and self-
propagating malware can easily take down these key systems rapidly and lead to breakdowns of critical
services, affecting the lives of citizens.

Just a few months back, the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline in the United States affected
nearly half of the east coast’s fuel supply. We have also detected multiple ransomware attacks on
government and utility organizations recently, such as a hit on renewable energies and multi-source
electricity producer Voltalia which resulted in a large amount of business-critical and sensitive data being
exfiltrated, as well as a potential data leak of personal identifiable information (PII) from an Indian
database that is suspected to be government-related.

These incidents serve as a cautionary tale and hammers home the importance of having a clear, effective
cyber defense strategy. As government leaders continue in their missions to build up smart cities, they
need to proactively mitigate the risks of cyber threats through the following four considerations.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – August 2021 Edition 43
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