NEW DELHI: Every city should have a chief information security officer (CISO) to ensure protection of data and systems from cyber threats, Union home secretary Govind Mohan said on Thursday while addressing a meeting on cybersecurity preparedness of Indian cities.He urged states and city administrations to always be on alert about cyber threats and carry out regular audits of their systems and network security. Sources said Mohan also highlighted the need for cities to create their own capacity to deal with technology integration and protect the system, rather than depending on consultants and private players.The meeting was attended by top officials of electronics and IT, home and urban affairs ministries, besides representatives from Intelligence Bureau, UIDAI and state govts. “There is a huge focus on data security and cyber hygiene, particularly since the 100 smart cities have made huge progress in technology integration. IB officials pointed to how there is need to be ever ready since cyber threats have emerged as a huge challenge with more data on properties, water supply and transportation systems getting digitised,” said an official.Sources said housing and urban affairs secretary K Srinivas announced the ministry’s plan to come up with a scheme for the 100 smart cities to take forward the data and technology integration works they have done. “The Centre’s scheme will ensure continuity of the 100 common command and control centres that manage the IT backbone and data of the cities,” said a source.Cybersecurity in smart cities is crucial because of their reliance on interconnected digital technologies for essential services. These face cybersecurity challenges stemming from their complex infrastructure, including vulnerabilities in IoT devices, data breaches, and potential disruptions of critical services.