Securing Smart Cities Issues Guidelines for Information Security in a Smart City

Woburn, MA – March 21, 2016 - Securing Smart Cities (SSC), the not-for-profit global initiative that addresses the cyber security challenges of smart cities, is today releasing guidelines on the role of information security within a smart city department (SCD). The guidelines aim to provide public and private organizations with a baseline when developing the information security role within the SCD they are creating, supporting the promotion and propagation of smart city services.

In smart cities, information security plays a major role in protecting the higher levels of confidentiality, availability, and integrity as well as the stability that national services and organizations need in order to support sustainable and livable smart environments. This guide provides an illustration of the key elements that organizations need to examine, and be aware of, when defining the role of SCDs, in order to achieve the best safety and resilience. From the influence of technology adoption, services quality, and legislative compliance, to the efficiency and sustainability of operations.

“These guidelines are yet another step towards properly securing smart cities, as the name of the initiative suggests. We’re trying to enhance everyone’s understanding of the smart city requirements, by developing useful insights and sharing expertise with the people who will be responsible for the development and management of smart cities. The document is based on the experience of the SSC community members, who are involved in large scale cyber governance, as well as other security specialists: from penetration testers to industrial security experts,” said Mohamad Amin Hasbini, SSC board member and security expert at Kaspersky Lab.

“In-keeping with our efforts to provide practical resources for organizations, the Securing Smart Cities initiative is releasing these new guidelines to help provide valuable recommendations in making our current and future cities more secure,” said Cesar Cerrudo, SSC board member and chief technology officer at IOActive.

The outline of the Smart City Department Cyber Security Role and Implications guide includes:

• The SCD
• The SCD cyber security responsibilities
  • Governance and leadership support
  • Infrastructure support
  • Risk management optimization
  • Legal support
  • Collaborative threat intelligence

For a full copy of the Smart City Department Cyber Security Role and Implications guide, please visit: http://securingsmartcities.org/?p=483

For a full copy of the Cyber Security Guidelines for Smart City Technology Adoption, please visit: http://securingsmartcities.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Guidlines_for_Safe_Smart_Cities.pdf

For more information, and to see the most recent updates on Securing Smart Cities activities, please visit: http://securingsmartcities.org.

About Securing Smart Cities

Securing Smart Cities is a not-for-profit global initiative, which aims to solve the cyber security challenges smart cities face through collaboration and information sharing. Backed by leading IT security researchers, companies and organizations, including IOActive, Kaspersky Lab, Bastille, and the Cloud Security Alliance, the Securing Smart Cities initiative will serve as a communications node for companies, governments, media outlets, not-for-profit initiatives, and individuals across the world involved in the creation, improvement, and promotion of smart and safe technologies for modern cities. For more information, visit http://securingsmartcities.org.

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them.
Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

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Media Contact:
Jennifer Wood
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jennifer.wood@kaspersky.com