One in four municipalities faced with the loss of confidential data
About 25% of local governments in Serbia have been targeted by cyberattacks involving the potential loss of data, and the same percentage has faced data loss due to inadequate storage practices, said Dušan Vasiljević, Director for Competitiveness and Investments at NALED, during the Smart and Secure panel at the BIZIT conference organized by PC Press. He noted that a significant number of local governments have been attacked without even realizing it, and stressed that training is key to preventing such risks.
– It is crucial to understand that cybersecurity is not only for IT experts, but for every employee in local governments and every citizen. Our experience shows that simulating a cyberattack is one of the most powerful training tools. When decision-makers face a real-time cyberattack scenario, they leave the session completely transformed, becoming aware of the consequences it can cause - said Vasiljević.
He pointed out that local governments need support in the area of information security from both the state and the private sector, and that one of the underutilized opportunities is networking among municipalities to share resources.
– Given that Serbia has many small municipalities, mechanisms for inter-municipal cooperation can be created, where larger municipalities could share their capacities and improve the security of smaller ones. The security of one municipality is the security of all municipalities and the security of all of us. – emphasized Vasiljević.
Vasiljević also warned that regulations related to smart cities must be aligned with the resources of local governments and added that the legal definition of smart cities is not the most important issue.
– Instead of focusing on defining what constitutes a smart city, it might be more important to define which services belong to the smart city framework, and which should be prioritized and which should not. Are some services important for larger cities, while others are for smaller municipalities – explained Vasiljević.
Another important question is whether a unified platform is needed to facilitate the exchange of information among local government services and between local governments and the central national service.
– Kragujevac’s “Be Part of the Plan” initiative is a great example, and I believe the government will make it available to all local governments. This platform allows spatial and urban planning to be developed in a collaborative environment, ensuring that all of us as citizens are informed whenever a change to a plan for an area we are interested in is proposed, allowing us to participate in a timely manner - concluded Vasiljević.
