Dallas Guards Against AI Attacks on Infrastructure with New Cybersecurity Platform » Dallas Innovates

Dallas City Hall. [Photo: City of Dallas]

The city of Dallas has entered into an agreement with Santa Barbara, California-based MixMode—a leader in AI cybersecurity solutions for real-time detection and response—to bolster its cybersecurity defenses.

“Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are becoming more sophisticated and common, especially with the increase in AI-driven attacks,” Brian Gardner, chief technology & information security officer for the city, said in a statement.

“Adopting a next-generation threat detection platform is crucial to our ability to strengthen protections of the city’s network and systems,” he added. “The MixMode platform equips our Technology Services’ Security Operations Center with a comprehensive solution to rapidly identify and respond to cyber incidents, including ransomware and never-before-seen attacks.”

Follows a ransomware attack that struck city of Dallas in 2023

The move comes after the city of Dallas was struck last year by a ransomware attack first revealed last May, for which the city council agreed to pay $8.5 million for expenses related to the attack.

Officials said last year that 27,000 city employees, retirees, and their dependents received notices that their social security and medical information had been accessed by the hackers.

MixMode said it’s delivering a solution to protect the city’s networks together with technology service provider Netsync.

Advantages of MixMode

The company said the MixMode platform is the only cybersecurity solution built on Third Wave AI for real-time threat detection and response at scale and is critical to the city’s ability to defend against advanced cyber-attacks.

Per MixMode, the key benefits include:

• Real-time threat detection and response for never-before-seen as well as known attacks.
• Continuous security monitoring of the city’s environment, 24/7/365, increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of Dallas’ security operations.
• Real-time advanced threat detection across the City’s networks.
• Single pane of glass providing telemetry across the City’s north/south/east/west and lateral data.

MixMode said its innovative AI platform offers real-time threat monitoring, anomaly detection and behavioral analysis, empowering the city to respond quickly and efficiently to potential cyber incidents before they escalate into a major security breach. The Platform’s ability to adapt and learn from evolving threats ensures a dynamic defense system that can stay ahead of sophisticated attacks.

[Image: MixMode]

‘Cities are very aware that they are being targeted’

“We’re looking forward to partnering with the city of Dallas to aid in the security of their infrastructure,” said Ethan Caldwell, MixMode’s head of business development, in a statement on the cybersecurity company’s latest city-level contract. The advanced AI platform aims to “empower Dallas’ security teams” as threats continue escalating.

Caldwell touted MixMode’s ability to “evolve with emerging threats to stay ahead of attackers.” The technology will serve as a “centerpiece” for the city’s modernization efforts, he said, supporting Chief Information Security Officer Brandon Gardner’s team in detecting sophisticated strikes.

“Cities are very aware that they are being targeted with increasingly sophisticated attacks from well-resourced cyber criminals, and we’re pleased to partner with one of the nation’s leading security leaders, Dr. Gardner, to bring in MixMode as a centerpiece to the city of Dallas’ efforts to modernize its cyber security defenses,” he added. 

The company said that deployment of its AI Cybersecurity Platform has begun with ongoing support to ensure a seamless integration and an upgrade to the city’s existing infrastructure.

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