# Prospects of Cybersecurity in Smart Cities
## 6 Conclusions  
Cybersecurity is a key element in the context of smart cities. The high connectivity and high technological dependence of smart cities increase the emergence of cyber risks. The security of digital systems and infrastructures is essential to ensure data protection, citizens' privacy, and the efficient functioning of smart cities. The approach adopted in this study complemented the systematic review works in the identification of key factors in the implementation of smart cities and also the empirical studies carried out in the specific context of smart city implementation. The exploration of emerging security risks and the analysis of proposals to mitigate these risks based on research projects carried out in the European context allowed the risks identified to reflect not only the scientific perspective of the research work, but also the technical and practical solutions that have been proposed to make cities smarter supported by technology and optimization of available resources. This study identified that the main security challenges facing smart cities cover several areas, such as the protection of technological infrastructure, data privacy, network security, access control, IoT device security, the adoption of standards and regulations in the area, and human behavior. All these factors contribute to the implementation of robust cybersecurity measures in all aspects of the planning, development, and operation of smart cities, to ensure a safe and reliable digital environment for all involved. Furthermore, this study identified emerging research areas in projects addressing topics related to SCDT, clean aviation, smart agriculture, and data analytics that bring new security challenges to smart cities. This study offers both theoretical and practical contributions. In the conceptual dimension, this study contributed to identifying the main cybersecurity risk areas to which smart cities are exposed. It was possible to build a cognitive map consisting of seven dimensions and identify mitigation measures to address these risks. Furthermore, the identification of emerging cybersecurity research areas in smart cities includes the implementation of the concept of digital twins, smart aviation, smart agriculture, and the emergence of new cybersecurity starting and bring new challenges to the management of smart cities using emerging technologies and living test labs. In the practical dimension, the findings of this study are relevant for researchers in the field who want to launch new approaches and practical solutions to mitigate the risks of smart cities and deepen their knowledge on this area. Also, the practical results of this study are relevant for the establishment of public policies that can encourage the development of regulatory instruments that facilitate collaboration between the various stakeholders involved in the planning and implementation of a smart city. Some limitations should also be highlighted. The database of research projects provided by CORDIS is a rich and complementary instrument of the scientific production associated with each of the areas and allows us to have a more comprehensive view of the projects implemented on a global scale considering the perspective of the various stakeholders. However, the projects included in this database include only projects funded by the European Commission, although they may include partners outside the European Union. It is also relevant to note that the objectives proposed by these projects at the time of their acceptance by the EU often have to be reformulated throughout their implementation phase. This study does not cover this situation by capturing only the objectives of the projects in their design phase. In future work, it would be interesting to explore how the objectives of each project are modified with the emergence of new security risks throughout its implementation cycle.