Cybersecurity for Smart Cities

The advancement in the department of information technology has led to the invention of a

division of the Internet of Things which entails the development of smart technologies consisting of

sensors for data collection, able of data processing and communication over the internet, and other

communication systems to present a self-sustainable and autonomous system referred to as 'smart

technologies'. Smart technologies have been implemented not only on computer systems but also on

homes and cities, giving forth a new technological age of smart cities; a collection of elements at a

city scale, communicating over the internet leading to a self-adjusting system in a city.

However, the day-to-day advancement in smart technology and the increase in the number of

connected devices over networks also set it at high risk of being vulnerable to cyber breaches, this can

compromise the whole system at a very large scale ranging from the security of an individual,

organizations such as hospitals, communication systems, transport systems, and other departments.

This raises concerns in the development of smart cities, making cybersecurity a key feature in the

development of the same. To fully address the issue of cybersecurity for smart technologies, it is

important to apply the correct cybersecurity practices to ensure the availability, confidentiality, and

integrity of these systems are upheld. Being pointed out as a key ingredient to the presentation of self-

sustainable smart cities gives us the reason to explore points on cybersecurity of the Internet of Things

applications in the development of smart cities.

The gradual growth in urbanization in the world and the increase of interconnectivity

in the system renders it vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Smart technology entails both home and

industrial appliances being interconnected through intelligent systems, in this case, a cyber-

attack would compromise all sectors ranging from domestic, military, health, commutation,

industries, and all other components on the grid; due to interconnectivity. Most of these

attacks are carried out by use of malware which can lead to catastrophic effects to computer

systems that form the backbone of the smart systems. Attackers can launch Advanced

persistent threats where they gain authorized access to a network, deploy malware, render a
service unavailable and carry out other attacks. This calls for advanced deceptive measures,

both technical and social (habitual) to keep these systems safe [1].

In ‘Cybersecurity for Smart Cities’ by Armin Alibasic, Zayar Aung, Reem Al Junaibi,

Muhamad Atif Omar, and Wei Lee Woon published in 2017. The article identifies major

cyber threats posed to smart cities and how they can be solved. Their research is entirely from

secondary sources in which they stipulate the cybersecurity concerns raised by the

implementation of smart cities, this research focuses on major topics including Hackers,

Malware, Zero days, Botnets, Denial of Service, and Distributed denial of service (DDOS)

[4]. To solve the above-listed threats, the research concludes that the possible solution to

cyber terrorism in smart cities is the implementation of security checklists for encryption,

authentication, authorization, and software updates for proposed systems. The use of failsafe

and manual overrides on the smart city entities and formulation of cyber security measures

and practices ready to respond to attacks [4].

The article 'Cyber security challenges in Smart Cities: Safety, security, and privacy

based on the project conducted by Adel Said and Michael Losavio point out major security

concerns on the implementation and deployment of smart technologies. The research

incorporates the IBM paradigm; which, entails that, “The smart city, its components and its

citizens are instrumented, interconnected and intelligent, usually denoted as the ‘IN3’” [1].

The researchers implemented the 'representation and modeling’ technique to represent the

smart city domain. The research focuses on assessing the costs and benefits of the

implementation of smart city technologies, showing that the role played by smart

technologies in bringing forth conveniences and quality lifestyles cannot be overemphasized

[1]. However, the researchers have a strong concern for the privacy and security of users

especially the GPS tracking technology that comes with smart city applications. The research

concludes that the benefits that come with smart cities outweigh the risks [8].
 On a research project carried out by Huda Ibrahim and RG Guntur Alam;

‘Cybersecurity Strategy for Smart City Implementation’, which focuses on the cybersecurity

strategies performed in supporting the development of smart cities [1]. The research uses

qualitative research methods based on the conceptual framework of Actor-Network Theory

(ANT) which is broken down into three phases namely; theoretical, practical and evaluation

[1]. The paper points out the growth of cybercrime opportunities due to the increase in the

development of technology in the smart city domain. A policy strategy is therefore needed to

regulate issues of cybersecurity for smart city implementation. The researchers focus on

highlighting the need to consult technical implementers, planners, and policymakers in the

bid to uphold cybersecurity for the smart city environment [3]. To solve this problem, the

researchers suggest a solution to cybercrime based on three pillars; problem-solving

innovation on cellular, virtual and wireless technology, the collaboration of the users in

learning and problem solving, and involvement of various stakeholders, both public and

private citizens in discussing issues cybersecurity of smart cities.

Ransomware is a type of malware that uses encryption to hold data for ransom. This is

usually perpetrated by hackers who are aware of the weight of the need for the services they

hold to their users. In a smart city setting, the attack can be overwhelming and can lead to the

loss of lots of funds to individuals, institutions, or even the government. Some of the malware

used to cause the attack are Crypto malware, Lockers, Scareware, Doxware, and RaaS. The

attacker performs both the launching of malware and the collection of funds from his/her

victims. Ransomware can sometimes lead to the loss of life of innocent citizens, especially if

the systems being held captive are health-related, such as hospitals and pacemakers. In the

need to address this issue, some of the solutions to ransomware attacks are an enactment of

proactive plans to face the ransomware attacks, carry out thorough investigations on the

proposed technological models, threat information and solutions with other state and local
governments, and secure cybersecurity insurance to promote fault tolerance in case of attacks

[2].

Insecurity to smart cities is an inevitable verdict to completely avoid as with the

increase in new advanced technology applications, the more they are prone to new

vulnerabilities, which when exploited, can lead to catastrophic outcomes. This is also due to

the implementation of wide interconnectivity of the smart systems leading to a tightly

coupled system in which, when a single entity is compromised, the whole system is brought

down. Focusing on our first article on ‘Cybersecurity for Smart Cities'; the research's solution

to cyber breach entails the use of security checklists for encryption, authentication,

authorization, and software updates, fail-safes, and manual overrides on the smart city and

pre-developing security measures. This is different from ‘Cyber security challenges in Smart

Cities: Safety, security, and privacy which suggests that the understanding of the personal

privacy act is enough to promote security. The last article, ‘Cybersecurity Strategy for Smart

City Implementation', just like the first offers technical solutions basing on technology,

people, and institutional pillars of security.

References

Alibasic A., Aung Z., Junaibi R. A., Omar M. A., Woon W. L. 2014. Cybersecurity for

Smart Cities,1-11.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312528431_Cybersecurity_for_Smart_Citie

s_A_Brief_Review

Said A., Losavio M. 2017. Cyber security challenges in Smart Cities: Safety, security, and

privacy, 1-8.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260559293_Cyber_Security_Challenges_in

_Smart_Cities_Safety_security_and_privacy
Ibrahim H., Alam G. RG., 2019, Cybersecurity Strategy for Smart City Implementation, 1-4.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336163865_CYBERSECURITY_STRATE

GY_FOR_SMART_CITY_IMPLEMENTATION

O'Brien L., 2019, Ransomware - Smart Cities at Risk

https://www.arcweb.com/blog/ransomware-smart-cities-risk