Technology Category
Application Domains: SecurityMultiagent Systems: Multiagent Systems under UncertaintyPlanning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
Cyber security of Mega Events: A Case Study of Securing the Digital Infrastructure for MahaKumbh 2025 -- A 45 days Mega Event of 600 Million Footfalls
🤖 AI Summary
Large-scale temporary gatherings—such as the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela—pose acute cybersecurity challenges for digital infrastructure due to high network dynamism, short operational lifecycles, and adversarial threat environments.
Method: This paper proposes a Dynamic Cybersecurity Assessment and Risk Management Framework tailored for short-duration mega-events. It integrates rapid deployment, elastic scalability, and multi-layered defense mechanisms—including mobile/web application hardening, hybrid network protection, CCTV network segmentation, real-time traffic monitoring, and threat intelligence–driven coordinated response.
Contribution/Results: Deployed across a 45-day, 600-million-participant operational scenario, the framework achieved 100% interception of all cyberattacks, zero critical service disruptions, and uninterrupted stability of digital infrastructure throughout the event—realizing a “zero successful attack” security objective. This work bridges a critical theoretical and practical gap in organizational security models for transient, large-scale events.
Technology Category
Application Category
📝 Abstract
Mega events such as the Olympics, World Cup tournaments, G-20 Summit, religious events such as MahaKumbh are increasingly digitalized. From event ticketing, vendor booth or lodging reservations, sanitation, event scheduling, customer service, crime reporting, media streaming and messaging on digital display boards, surveillance, crowd control, traffic control and many other services are based on mobile and web applications, wired and wireless networking, network of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, specialized control room with network and video-feed monitoring. Consequently, cyber threats directed at such digital infrastructure are common. Starting from hobby hackers, hacktivists, cyber crime gangs, to the nation state actors, all target such infrastructure to unleash chaos on an otherwise smooth operation, and often the cyber threat actors attempt to embarrass the organizing country or the organizers. Unlike long-standing organizations such as a corporate or a government department, the infrastructure of mega-events is temporary, constructed over a short time span in expediency, and often shortcuts are taken to make the deadline for the event. As a result, securing such an elaborate yet temporary infrastructure requires a different approach than securing a standard organizational digital infrastructure. In this paper, we describe our approach to securing MahaKumbh 2025, a 600 million footfall event for 45 days in Prayagraj, India, as a cyber security assessment and risk management oversight team. We chronicle the scope, process, methodology, and outcome of our team's effort to secure this mega event. It should be noted that none of the cyber attacks during the 45-day event was successful. Our goal is to put on record the methodology and discuss what we would do differently in case we work on similar future mega event.
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Securing temporary digital infrastructure for mega events
Addressing cyber threats from diverse actors during events
Developing unique cybersecurity approaches for short-term large-scale events
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Temporary digital infrastructure security approach
Comprehensive cyber risk management oversight
Real-time network and video monitoring
🔎 Similar Papers
No similar papers found.
