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SmartCitiesWorld contributes to global cybersecurity report
Securing the Future of Urban Living presents key research findings on the cybersecurity challenge in smart cities and provides actionable recommendations to enhance urban resilience.
SmartCitiesWorld has contributed to a new white paper on cybersecurity, published by the Global Cybersecurity Forum and Neom, the company behind the Saudi Arabian development of the same name, which includes The Line smart city.
Securing the Future of Urban Living presents key findings from a research project that reveals the extent of the cybersecurity challenge in cognitive cities and provides actionable recommendations to enhance urban resilience and protect digital infrastructure.
Cybersecurity: a collective responsibility
The report highlights the importance of establishing regulatory frameworks that align with international standards, as well as clarifying stakeholder roles and ensuring polices evolve as technology advances.
In the foreword, Mesfer Almesfer, chief information security officer, (CISO) Neom, and chairman of the Knowledge Community, Securing the Future of Urban Living, says cybersecurity requires “a collective effort”.
“A key part of SmartCitiesWorld’s role is to help share knowledge and best practice globally and we believe this white paper marks a major step forward in lighting the way to more secure smart cities”
The Knowledge Community brought together smart city agencies, global cybersecurity organisations, tech companies, think-tanks and academia to address the challenges. Contributors include SmartCitiesWorld CEO and founder, Chris Cooke, and the global platform’s US ambassador, Clay Garner.
The report surveyed cybersecurity experts across the public, private and academic sectors. It identifies a key vulnerability in the communication layer with 40 per cent of respondents citing it as the most vulnerable layer, followed by the edge layer at 21.7 per cent.
Findings reveal that public-private partnerships (PPPs) play a crucial role in addressing these challenges and almost a third (30 per cent) highlighted the importance of knowledge-sharing between sectors as a vital component of cybersecurity governance.
Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds (63.3 per cent) want to see stricter access controls and real-time monitoring systems to ensure data integrity.
“We know that advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things create smarter and more sustainable cities but we also know this presents cybersecurity challenges, particularly in the communication, edge and data layers,” said Cooke. “A key part of SmartCitiesWorld’s role is to help share knowledge and best practice globally and we believe this white paper marks a major step forward in lighting the way to more secure smart cities.”
Securing the Future of Urban Living can be downloaded from the GCF Knowledge Hub.
The Global Cybersecurity Forum is a global, nonprofit organisation that seeks to strengthen global cyber resilience by advancing international collaboration, purposeful dialogue, and impactful initiatives.
Why not try these links to see what our SmartCitiesWorld AI can tell you.
(Please note this is an experimental service)
How can regulatory frameworks align with international cybersecurity standards effectively?What role do public-private partnerships play in enhancing smart city cybersecurity?How can real-time monitoring improve data integrity in urban digital infrastructure?Which communication layer vulnerabilities are most critical in smart city networks?How does knowledge-sharing between sectors strengthen cybersecurity governance?
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