Threats Navigating the Aftermath: Understanding and Strengthening Cybersecurity in the Wake of a recent Attack on a Southern Ontario City
A closer look into the recent cyber attack addresses the vulnerabilities within municipal systems, infrastructure, and services offered. Like any cyber attack, it brings to light the specific challenges that impact all industries and municipalities alike.
It is crucial to analyze the specific challenges faced by the city to draw lessons that can benefit municipalities nationwide. Municipalities, cities, and public services have always been a hot target for cyber criminals. Cities have become attractive targets due to the wealth of sensitive data they manage, the essential services they offer, and the interconnected nature of urban infrastructure that magnifies the impact of cyber threats. Understanding this landscape helps us comprehend the urgency of fortifying our cities. As we have seen with the recent cyber attacks in the GTA and surrounding areas, the implications are endless, from general organizational disruption, loss of private data, decreased customer satisfaction, the halt of service offerings, and reputation to name a few.
We've read about the implications, we've seen, and physically experienced the fallout of municipalities being hit with a cyber attack. However, what's missing is the why. Why are municipalities and cities such a hot target to hackers? Do municipalities and cities face different challenges than other businesses? How do we address these challenges? How can we safeguard our towns and cities?
Challenges Facing Municipalities
The recent cyber attack on the Southern Ontario City revealed common vulnerabilities shared by many municipalities across Ontario and Canada at large. Outdated systems, limited budgets, limited IT resources, and the very real skills shortage has made updating IT security and infrastructure challenging and cumbersome for most.
The first step is acknowledging these issues so that we can collectively work towards finding solutions that will propel cities across Canada into strong fortified organizations, ensuring their resilience and safeguarding the well-being of their citizens in the digital age.
Municipalities, as essential entities, are grappling with genuine shortage of IT skills, compounded by constrained budgets. The implementation of efficient cyber solutions, protocols, and training often takes a backseat. According to the MISA Cybersecurity Outlook 2023 Survey only 68% of municipalities have less than 1 dedicated security SME. This is a huge factor in success of a municipalities ability to implement effective and secure cyber protocols, procedures, and solutions.
According to the Survey, although 85% of municipalities have their security budget within IT, only 61% allocated 5% or less of their IT budget to security.
At first glance, surmounting these challenges may appear nearly impossible, and perhaps a decade ago they were. However, in today's contemporary landscape, there are abundant options at your fingertips; you just need to know where to look, and who to talk to.
The Human Element
Beyond technological aspects, the human element plays a pivotal role in securing cities. Proper cybersecurity training for municipal employees is essential to identify, recognize, and mitigate potential risks. This emphasizes the importance of fostering a vigilant and educated workforce across all city departments. Cybersecurity best practices should be a crucial aspect of organizational culture. As the workforce evolves and numerous organizations transition to hybrid work models, the potential risks escalate. With shifting work environments, it becomes crucial for employees and team members to remain vigilant and well-versed in cybersecurity best practices. Ongoing education and training is essential for effectively navigating the expanding threat landscape.
The Path Forward
Rather than focusing solely on the incident, let’s channel our efforts into building a cyber-resilient future now and beyond. Municipalities must invest in updated technologies, establish robust cybersecurity policies, and collaborate with experts to stay ahead of evolving threats. Promoting a collective responsibility for digital safety will contribute to a more secure urban landscape.
Collaborating to establish a robust and cyber-secure standard is paramount in safeguarding Canadian towns and cities against future cyber attacks. And don't be afraid to look outside the box, our world is developing rapidly and so should your solutions.
