Cyber crimes on the rise

Computer screen displaying hacked warning
Computer screen displaying hacked warning (Photo credit: Yuri Arcurs)

These days we’re online for everything, whether it’s your laptop, desktop computer or cell-phones, putting a lot of our personal information online and we mostly assume that this information will be safe but often that’s just not true. Real time information and the technology that it provides is crucial both for our network’s society and our protective services, that is why cyber attacks are so serious. They have the potential to disrupt critical infrastructure like power stations, transport networks or hospitals and, also, to expose our personal data. Cyber attacks can lead to loss of money, theft of personal information, as well as a damaged reputation and safety, and disrupt business and infrastructure. 

Make no mistake, the world is in the early stages of a techno-war against city governments and urban infrastructure. And while some cities have bolstered their capabilities to patch their vulnerabilities, they are entirely unprepared for the scale of cyber threats that are coming.

The scope of the cyber threat to cities is becoming clearer. According to industry experts, more than 70 percent reported ransomware attacks in the US target state and local governments. At least 180 public safety call centres were also targeted in the last two years. Cyber criminals are denying service attacks, ransomware, and other off-the-shelf hacker tools to interrupt and burgle municipal networks. Their digital arsenals are sourced from the Deep Web and their weapons are fully automated, meaning attacks can run 24/7. The impacts of the cyber threat should not be taken lightly.

Experts estimate that New York City, alone, faced over US$2.3 billion in cyber-related losses in 2020. Given their snowballing deficits, cities can ill afford the burgeoning costs of these digital incursions.

Cyber attacks are not confined to the United States, of course. Virtually all countries with digital infrastructure, large and small have to deal with looming digital disruption. In the past few years ransomware was used to disrupt the municipal tram system in Dublin, to jam air traffic control and railway ticketing systems in Stockholm, and to shake down power plants from Johannesburg to Hyderbad. While one might expect these attacks would have set off alarm bells for mayors, city councils and governors, not much has changed.

One major reason cities have become targets for cyber criminals is because they are lagging far behind the digital revolution. Many of the underlying technologies running their critical infrastructure are outdated. City authorities often lack the skills to upgrade their systems. The brightest minds in tech rarely choose to work for cities, utilities, or airports. Instead, they flock to Amazon, Facebook, and Google where they earn many times the salary offered in the public sector. As bad as things are now, technological acceleration could make things dramatically worse. While smart cities, connected homes and intelligent infrastructure will bring certain advantages, their complexity and ubiquity are a hazard for cities.

When it comes to digital security, there is very little direction (or funding) being provided by national authorities to nudge states, counties and cities in the right direction. Instead, cities are flooded with technology vendors dressing-up their smart city offerings and touting their economic potential to neighbourhoods and residents. There are powerful incentives for them to sell their wares. In the rush to cash in, private firms are pressing municipalities to build out their infrastructure, as quickly as possible, but without safeguards to ensure they coexist with existing systems or are regularly updated, patched, and protected to the standard required to maintain public safety.

While traditional crime fighting will continue to demand the attention of leaders and law enforcement agencies, the growth in cyberthreats can no longer be ignored. City and state leaders must adopt a digital security mindset. This means having contingency and disaster plans in place before the next smart-city emergency arises. Just like the importance of preparing for earthquakes for decades and Tokyo for tsunamis, so, too, must cyber resilience and safety become a core component of disaster response plans for all cities.

Countries and cities need to recruit the right personnel in order to keep cities safe including coders, engineers and cybersecurity experts.

Subrina Hall-Azih is a Trinidadian Educator residing in New York.

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