Practical exercise offered participants opportunity to understand their cybersecurity baseline and guided participants though predetermined scenarios of cyber threats like external phishing attempts and ransomware to more advanced issues such as compromise of critical infrastructure and cascading crisis. This exercise helped participants to avoid, mitigate and come up with solutions in case of cyber incidents.  

The first day introduced participants the key components of cyber resilient cities and discussed challenges Southern Code cities face. Instructors explored models for cybersecurity governance and crisis management practices across the region and European Union. The day demonstrated how structured governance and cross-sector cooperation strengthens municipal resilience, and stressed that it addition to its technical nature, cybersecurity is about preparedness, coordination and trust.  

On the second day, participants focused on identifying gaps in urban cybersecurity and explored how these gaps can be transformed into opportunities for improving cities’ cyber resilience. Instructors stressed that cyber resilience in urban settings is not achieved by individual efforts alone, but instead through a coordinated efforts across the entire urban ecosystem. 

Training was attended by officials, policymakers and cybersecurity professionals from Southern Cone capitals Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Santiago and Montevideo as well as Uruguay’s cities like Canelones, Paysandú, Florida, Maldonado, Levalleja and Rivera, and national authorities of Uruguay.  

Training was led by EU CyberNet experts Alexander Maaß, Paulo Calçada and Armani Pogosjan who shared perspectives from Germany, Portugal and Estonia. LAC4 extends its gratitude for co-organisers: the Intendancy of the Department of Montevideo  (Intendencia  Departamental  de Montevideo),  the Agency for Electronic Government and Information and Knowledge Society of Uruguay  (AGESIC, Agencia de Gobierno Electrónico y Sociedad de la Información y del Conocimiento),  National Administration of Telecommunications of Uruguay  (ANTEL,  Administración Nacional de Telecomunicaciones)  and the Delegation of the European Union to Uruguay. 

Further reading: 

• Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eucybernet/albums/72177720332209542   
• Opening of the training: https://www.lac4.eu/focus-on-cities-cybersecurity-strengthening-cyber-resilience-of-latin-american-cities/ 
• First day conclusions: https://www.lac4.eu/day-1-of-the-is-your-city-cyber-safe-training-approach-to-urban-cyber-resilience/ 
• Second day conclusions: https://www.lac4.eu/day-2-of-the-is-your-city-cyber-safe-training-turning-gaps-into-opportunities-for-resilience/