CSIA 459 Week 4_Smart Cities & Infrastructures
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Nov 24, 2024
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Smart Cities & Infrastructures
Terrence Herbert
University of Maryland Global Campus
CSIA 459: Evaluating Emerging Technologies
Professor Cal Lassetter
February 7, 2023
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Smart Cities & Infrastructures
Over the past few decades, the world has made incredible technical advances in a subject.
The value of services supplied and the quality of life in urban areas have benefited from the improved ability of many cities globally better to use specialist expertise in a wide range of fields. However, hacking and other sorts of technology spasms are also causing a great degree of technological warfare in numerous cities across the world.
There has been an increase in the complexity of cyber threats and attacks targeting large cities. More than 70% of all known ransomware attacks in the United States, as reported by Business Insider, especially targeted local governments and cities (Cranley, 2020). Baltimore's resource allocation was severely impacted in 2019 after a ransomware assault disabled most of the city's networks and led to the closure of its backup contact center. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office was attacked in December of 2019. The Sheriff's office was unable to maintain its fingerprinting and background check procedures without access to the internet. The hacking issue affected the county's email server in addition to the Sheriff's office (Cranley, 2020). Cybercriminals are more likely to target urban areas because of their reliance on the interconnectedness of digital infrastructure. There has been a rise in the number of cyberattacks targeting infrastructure used by public services, such as parking meters, 911 systems, streetlights,
and other devices. In most cases, the attackers' end goal is to cripple the service provider or extract a hefty ransom.
Some of Pensacola, Florida's networks went down in December 2019 due to a cyberattack. The outburst, which attacked multiple instruments, including the city's telephone and online payment systems, caused major damage to the city because it impeded the supply of
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essential services, as reported by an article in Security Magazine (Henriquez, 2021). Those who admitted responsibility for the incident demanded a hefty ransom be paid by the city. However, the city never verified that it did so in response to the threat.
Information security professionals generally believe that multi-factor authentication (MFA) is one of the best ways to protect sensitive data from hackers. The importance of data security was recently highlighted in an article published in IT World Canada (Solomon, 2022). Box discovered its multi-factor authentication approach could have been more secure by the end of the year. The company wasted little time making necessary changes to its operations.
Even while the most efficient means of combating cybercrime will always demand work, the emergence of cyberattacks must be tackled. Local and state governments need to adopt a cyber security-first mentality if they are to safeguard themselves from online threats. Local government officials may, for instance, hire engineers, computer programmers, and cybersecurity
experts to staff various departments. These individuals frequently strengthen the city's security measures to forestall attacks.
Alternatively, city planners can use incubators and offensive crowdsourcing platforms to address exposures to real and potential threats. For instance, the dissemination of information about the availability of data and adaptive security systems in urban centers may encourage academics, city inhabitants, and scientists to support the implementation of such measures. There
may be renewed interest in discussing the kinds of state, municipal, and federal procedures needed to satisfy even the barest minimal cyber security standards as more secure modern technology and tools become commonplace in urban areas. Before security problems occur, urban centers should adapt their preferences to the realities of the modern numerical metropolis.
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Due to their pervasiveness, digital cities require protection from established dangers. Policymakers and CEOs need to secure their companies from the growing threat of cybercrime.
Increasing data availability to the public could motivate researchers and citizens to improve urban privacy and security in a number of ways. There may be discussions on the national, state, and municipal levels about the cyber security regulations that will be required of newly introduced, more secure gadgets and systems. To start a cyberattack on the digital urban environment, it is necessary to alter the preferences of city people. While the potential of digital cities is intriguing, the advantages and disadvantages of this movement should not be ignored. The importance of safeguards increases as the frequency of cyberattacks grows.
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References
Cranley, E. (2020, January 27). 8 cities that have been crippled by cyberattacks — And what they
did to fight them
. Business Insider. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.businessinsider.com/cyberattacks-on-american-cities-responses-2020-1
Henriquez, M. (2021, February 9). Hacker breaks into Florida water treatment facility, changes chemical levels
. Security Magazine. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/94552-hacker-breaks-into-florida-water-
treatment-facility-changes-chemical-levels
Solomon, H. (2022, January 19). Cyber security today, Jan. 19, 2022 – box closes MFA vulnerabilities, VPN service used by crooks shut, ransomware stats, and more
. IT World Canada. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.itworldcanada.com/article/cyber-
security-today-jan-19-2022-box-closes-mfa-vulnerabilities-vpn-service-used-by-crooks-
shut-ransomware-stats-and-more/470896
Thompson, L. N. (2019). Cybersecurity best practices for municipalities
. New Hampshire Municipal Association. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.nhmunicipal.org/town-city-article/cybersecurity-best-practices-
municipalities