How Cities Can Make Cybersecurity a Top Priority
Recent cyberattacks have underlined risks to local infrastructure. Some of these attacks might have been prevented with “basic digital hygiene,” experts say.
In December, foreign hackers were able to spread malware to government agencies through the IT firm SolarWinds. Cyberattacks that target firms and contractors are a vulnerability for local governments.
Photographer: Bronte Wittpenn/BloombergRecent cyberattacks in the U.S. have been a wake-up call for how dangerous vulnerabilities in America’s security networks can be for cities’ critical infrastructure and citizen services. These threats have only become more urgent after the pandemic moved daily operations online, and experts say that preventing new ones means cities need to make cybersecurity a top priority.
Hackers have been able to breach city systems through various entry points. In November, a ransomware attack on Baltimore County schools canceled remote learning classes for more than 115,000 students in Maryland. More recently, intruders trying to poison the water supply in Oldsmar, Florida, breached the control system of a treatment facility using an inactive remote access software.