Dr Leandros Maglaras, Associate Professor in Cyber Security, f. Chief Cybersecurity Officer
Cybersecurity and Sustainability
Today, countries have to support the increased resources that societies need to remain functional and protect their economy from crises. For this reason, countries rely on infrastructures (assets, industries, and systems) to handle and provide the required resources such as energy, communications, transportations, etc. We characterize as critical infrastructures the group of infrastructures that handle important resources such as power grids, water treatment plants, health services, and any other service which has to do with the maintenance of the national economy, health, and security. The humongous necessity of countries to satisfy the aforementioned requirements has as a result, the rapid inflow of technology in the critical infrastructures to control their operations and maximize their performance. However, these computer systems carry vulnerabilities and threats in their security. Moreover, all critical infrastructures are interconnected and interdependent between them and with the sectors of the economy. This strong association between the critical infrastructure sectors means that damage in one service of a sector or even worse the loss of one sector will undoubtedly affect in the same or greatest degree other critical sectors.
On the same time, cybercriminals are constantly finding new ways to infiltrate networks and information systems, and they’re discovering the path of least resistance which is typically through smaller companies. It should come as little surprise, given the fact that many small- and mid-size businesses lack the resources to invest in adequate cybersecurity protection. Considering the stakes and the impact that even a single cyberattack can have, the need for innovative solutions that mitigate risks has never been greater.
In this talk we will discuss how cybersecurity supports business sustainability while at the same time, we will try to understand how by incorporating elements of sustainability management into cybersecurity can improve the cybersecurity posture of an organization.
