(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 9.​ Some structures in Azerbaijan fail to meet even the minimal requirements for critical information infrastructure, raising concerns over potential cascading effects, Davud Rustamov, head of the National Cybersecurity Center at the State Security Service, said at the“A New Playground for Cybercriminals: Smart Cities” panel at the CIDC 2025 festival, Trend reports.

“The impact of attacks is not limited to a single infrastructure; it can trigger a broader cascade effect. Smart cities can influence each other, and even the infrastructure of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can affect that of large corporations,” Rustamov explained.

He noted that under Europe's NIS2 directive, SMEs are already considered part of critical infrastructure.

“In Azerbaijan, currently only large businesses are classified in this category, but this does not mean that attacks on smaller entities will not impact larger organizations,” he said.

Rustamov emphasized that Azerbaijan has strong state policies and significant investments related to smart cities, and integration is progressing rapidly.

“However, measures to counter threats must be established promptly. This year, when evaluating compliance with general requirements for critical information infrastructures, we found that these requirements are minimal, and unfortunately, some structures do not even meet these minimal standards. We also encounter entities without proper specialization or the ability to provide accurate cybersecurity recommendations,” he said.

Davud Rustamov added that ensuring the security of smart cities requires trained specialists and qualified personnel.

“I believe the Ministry of Science and Education, as well as relevant academic institutions, should take the initiative in this area. It is encouraging that the private sector is also showing interest,” Rustamov said.

The official further highlighted that the security of SCADA systems receives insufficient attention.

“Reports from 2022 and 2023 barely addressed this issue. Analyses show that 35 percent of attacks can affect other infrastructure systems, proving that the cascade effect is real,” he concluded.

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