April 19, 2023
CSE’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) joined the following cyber security partners in issuing a joint publication reminding communities and IT practitioners of best practices to keep smart cities’ infrastructure as secure as possible:
- Australian Cyber Security Centre
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- National Security Agency
- New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre
- United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre
All partners acknowledge that smart cities offer many benefits for communities. However, smart cities are an attractive target for criminals and cyber threat actors to exploit vulnerable systems to steal critical infrastructure data and proprietary information, conduct ransomware operations, or launch destructive cyberattacks.
Successful cyberattacks against smart cities could lead to:
- disruption of infrastructure services
- significant financial losses
- exposure of citizens’ private data
- erosion of citizens’ trust in the smart systems themselves
- physical impacts to infrastructure that could cause physical harm or loss of life
Communities implementing smart city technologies should account for these associated risks as part of their overall risk management approach. The joint publication includes best practices that organizations should implement to ensure the safe and secure operation of their smart cities infrastructure and to protect their data.
Read the joint publication on cyber security best practices for smart cities.