# Prospects of Cybersecurity in Smart Cities
## 1 Introduction  
Smart cities are urban spaces characterized by the widespread use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). They intend to improve political-economic efficiency and support human and social development, thus improving the quality of life of its citizens. According to [PERSON] and [PERSON] [1], a city is considered \"smart\" when there are drivers of sustainable eco-economic growth, a high quality of life, and conscious management of natural resources through participatory and democratic governance. Several drivers of smart cities include investments in technological infrastructure, investments in human capital, and social investments. In addition, other aspects that should be considered when classifying cities as smart include urban mobility, commitment to environmental issues, and social issues [2; 3; 4; 5]. In summary, smart cities use technology and innovation to improve the quality of life of their inhabitants, increase the economic value generated in that community, and promote environmental sustainability. Smart cities focus on the provision of a set of initiatives, actions, and services, in various areas of applicability in cities that aim to optimize and improve the well-being of their populations, both in terms of health and the environment. In broad terms, the goal of smart cities is to dynamically optimize the city to provide a set of actions and services for a more inclusive and sustainable city [6; 7]. The main role that ICTs can assume is to integrate information systems services from each domain of activity of a city, such as health, education, transportation, energy, water, and waste management, to provide public services to citizens in a more efficient and ubiquitous way [8]. Furthermore, ICT plays a role in the incorporation and integration of various complex systems at the level of technological infrastructure, social structures, politics, and human behavior [9; 10]. At the same time, the role of ICT for businesses, citizens, and civil society to create, invent, and experiment new things to improve and optimize the quality of life in cities is also widely known and accepted. However, taking into account the exposure of digitalservices and support services of the various domains through communication networks and the use of ICT, it is important to consider the identification of risks and challenges associated with smart cities, to reduce or mitigate these risks, namely in different sectors of activity, such as industrial control systems, intelligent transportation systems, Internet of Things (IoT), and digital health (e-health), in addition to other areas of intervention of cities. The literature [11; 12] recognizes that cybersecurity and data privacy issues have become increasingly relevant, questionable, and challenging, both for citizens and for technology companies that provide digital services who are aware of the problem of cybercrime and cyberterrorism. Cybersecurity plays a key role in smart cities due to the increasing interconnectivity and widespread use of ICT [13]. In smart cities, systems and devices are networked to collect data, monitor infrastructures, optimize services, and improve citizens' quality of life. However, this connectivity exposes cities to a range of cyber threats, making data and infrastructure security critical. Systematic literature reviews performed by [PERSON] et al. [14] and [PERSON] et al. [15] in the field of smart cities have identified cybersecurity as a key factor for the implementation of a smart city. Furthermore, studies in the area have sought to characterize the various security risks considering theoretical models for identifying vulnerabilities [16; 17; 18; 19; 20] and empirical scenarios considering several smart cities such as Dubai, Barcelona, Shanghai, and Como [21; 22; 23; 24]. The main research gap is the difficulty of an integrative overview of the main security risks considering a multidisciplinary perspective that can complement the vision of scientific and industrial partners.