IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The State Service of Special Communication and Information Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics (ICI Bucharest) of Romania have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation, News.az reports.

The memorandum, inked by Head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant-General Ilgar Musayev and General Director of ICI Bucharest Adrian Victor Vevera, envisages conduct of joint research in the field of cybersecurity policy and development strategy, cyber diplomacy, cloud security, the Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity in smart city concepts, "Big Data", blockchain application in top-level domain systems, artificial and augmented intelligence.

The Digital Expo, held during the Tallinn Digital Summit, has highlighted the importance of cybersecurity in Europe's efforts to realize its digital future.

Along with e-governance and 5G, cybersecurity has become a key word of the expo.

"E-governance will not work unless people have trust in e-services and digital devices. So we need to strengthen cyber security. The safety can only be achieved if we safeguard European cyber security as a whole," said Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas.

Around the world, many societies are embracing innovative technologies more than ever before to provide enhanced ecosystems for cities and better efficiency for residents. This includes a mixture of residential, industrial, commercial, retail and public-sector bodies alongside greenways, parks and the public realm. Ultimately, the aim is to transform the delivery of public services through a citizen-centric approach, which will result in greater efficiencies and more responsive services that drive inclusive growth.

How wisely have you integrated security practices into your digital transformation plan? Consider these four strategies

With benefits from automating processes, streamlining work, and gaining better visibility into your organizational data, there’s no disputing the value of digital transformation.

But just because it’s essential doesn’t mean it’s easy. Change is hard, and successful digital transformation takes a village – from the IT partners and internal staff who help implement the tools to executives communicating the efforts to the team members interfacing with the new technology each day.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said his government intends to establish a National Cyber Security Centre, to liaise with relevant state agencies and the private sector to oversee cyber security operations at the national level.

According to the President, the national identification system, the digital addressing system, e-payments, digital financial services as well as the various e-government initiatives being initiated by the government, could be adversely affected by cyber crime, hence the need for such a centre.

Should governments be taking an active role in developing and enforcing infosec standards? In my opinion the answer is an unequivocal ‘no’. It should most certainly should be left to the experienced and qualified professionals who actually know the requirements. Security professionals can more effectively implement any standards without being tied up in a legislative debate, which takes an inordinate amount of time. Because they are elected, legislators are typically far from security savvy.

E-government startup Neocapita is preparing to launch Stoneblock, its decentralized, blockchain-based registration service for government-managed information and citizen records. The team is currently in talks with several organizations and jurisdictions for pilot programs.

Tony Willenberg, founder of Neocapita, told Bitcoin Magazine that proposals for piloting the Stoneblock platform are being discussed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Vision, and directly with two governments, namely Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea. The proposed pilots include solutions to provide greater efficiency and transparency in aid contributions and cross-border transactions.

India's apex electronics and software council has offered its expertise to help Gulf countries and companies to face the growing threat to security over the worldwide web.

"India has faced security threats from a long time and we have developed systems and software to successfully face attacks over the internet whether they are targeted at federal or state institutions or the private sector," DK Sareen Executive Director of India's Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC), told Emirates 24|7.

The Lao and Vietnamese governments have agreed to continue cooperation in the development of cyber security, e-government solution, and postal service.

The commitment to ongoing cyber security, e-government solutions and postal cooperation was made in Lao capital Vientiane on Tuesday between Lao's Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications, local daily Vientiane Times reported Wednesday.

In recent years, Nepal has been hit by an alarming rise in devastating cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and data systems across the country. Just in the last few months, major hospitals like Bir Hospital and Grande International Hospital suffered data breaches, compromising sensitive patient information.

Banks like Nabil Bank and Nepal Mega Investment Bank were targeted by cybercriminals looking to steal funds. Telecom providers like Ncell and Nepal Telecom had their networks disrupted by DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks.

The New Zealand government is planning significant investment in cybersecurity to improve the resilience of health and disability systems in the country. Over 3 years, up to NZ$75.7 million from the national budget allocations will be committed to increasing the resilience of data and digital systems in the face of increasing cybersecurity risks.

The funds will go toward increasing security leadership and capability both regionally and nationally as well as contributing to upgrading software and systems. It will also help establish national security standards and guidelines, strengthen assurance and testing capability and increase the use of cloud security services as well as improve identity and access management systems.

Smart cities are the future, but ensuring the safety of their citizens, data and access to services should be considered up front — not after the fact.

By 2023, governments will likely spend up to $189 billion globally on smart city initiatives. The benefits of smart city initiatives include addressing population growth in urban areas, reducing resource depletion, cost savings, climate change, more accurate services to citizens and organizations, and more efficient transportation — all of which far outweigh the cons or risks of a connected city.

Explore financial cybersecurity in smart cities, addressing urban vulnerabilities and strategies for protection.

As cities become increasingly digitally connected, their financial infrastructures become prime targets for cyber attacks. Smart city technology oversees many critical operations, all of which are enticing to malicious actors. With everything interconnected, a successful attack in one area can have a rippling effect on other areas. Ensuring robust cybersecurity in smart cities has never been more paramount.

Due to urbanization, which involves a complex set of economic, demographic, social, cultural, technological, and environmental processes, governments are developing smart cities to address some of the challenges unique to urban areas. This development occurs through the transmission of data using wireless technology and the cloud.

Smart cities are powered by technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Each technology works together to collect and contextualize massive amounts of data that can be used to improve the components and systems running within a city. Smart cities may also utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology for certain systems. This article will focus primarily on IoT, the vast network of connected physical devices that’s making cities smart.

The world is becoming ever more connected with each passing day, and while smart devices within smart homes are now an accepted and ingrained part of society, the idea of smart cities remains a somewhat maverick concept full of potential perils which require extensive contingency plans – but they are inevitable. In fact, spend on smart cities currently stands around £81 billion. However, in the not so distant future we will live in cities and societies that are totally connected to the internet, with entire infrastructures dependent on remaining connected.

New information and communications technologies (ICTs) — including the internet of things (IoT) and advanced data analytics using artificial intelligence — have become essential tools for many city governments. Smart-city innovations are helping to boost efficiencies, improve infrastructure and confront urgent challenges — such as rapid population growth, social inequality and climate change.

Yet, along with their well-documented benefits, new technologies are ushering in new risks and unintended consequences. Increasingly, cybersecurity, privacy rights and the gap between those who have access to new technologies and those who don’t — aka the digital divide — are receiving greater scrutiny. Getting the risk-reward balance right is key for citizens’ wellbeing.

Ukraine and the European Union launched the cybersecurity and digital transformation dialogue.

The first round of the dialogue was held on June 3, Ukrinform reports with reference to the of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

''Ukraine and the EU reaffirmed their commitment to global, open, stable and secure cyberspace where the rule of law is fully respected, where the same rights that individuals have offline are also protected online, and where the security, economic growth, prosperity, and integrity of free and democratic societies is promoted and preserved. The EU expressed its solidarity with and support to Ukraine, which is facing cyber-attacks that seek to undermine its key infrastructure,” reads the statement.

Die US-Regierung hat unter dem Namen "Perfect Citizen" ein umfassendes Überwachungsprogramm gestartet, um kritische Infrastruktur-Systeme wie das Stromnetz oder die Flugsicherung vor Cyber-Attacken zu schützen. Der US-Rüstungskonzern Raytheon hat sich einen bis zu 100 Mio. Dollar schweren Vertrag für die Umsetzung gesichert, berichtet das Wall Street Journal unter Berufung auf Insider.

Das für die National Security Agency (NSA) entwickelte System soll mithilfe von Sensoren in Netzwerken vor ungewöhnlichen Cyber-Aktivitäten warnen. "Intrusion Prevention ist extrem wichtig bei kritischer Infrastruktur. Es ist wohl am besten, wenn eine Regierung in dieser Hinsicht Standards einführt und eine aktive Rolle spielt", meint Sean Sullivan, Security Advisor bei F-Secure, im Gespräch mit pressetext. Er bezweifelt, dass die Schutzmaßnahme gegen Cyber-Angriffe ein großes Risiko für die Privatsphäre darstellt.

Purdy, now the chief cybersecurity strategist at Computer Sciences Corp., said that federal, state, local and private groups need more preventive planning to safeguard their data.

Purdy is a former member of both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the White House team that drafted the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.