Smart cities rely heavily on the internet of things to provide enhanced services and improve the quality of life for residents, so as you might imagine, IoT security is a critical concern for today’s heavily IoT-reliant urban centers.
IoT devices are more susceptible to cyberattacks than other device types, making smart cities prime targets for intrusion, disruption and cybercrime. Today, smart cities are challenged by several IoT security weaknesses that put their critical infrastructure and sensitive data at risk.
Plagued by weak security
The primary culprit here is inadequate device security. Many IoT devices used in smart cities (and throughout corporate life) are inherently weak on security when they come off the line from the manufacturer, making them vulnerable to hacking and tampering. This can result in unauthorized access to networks and sensitive data, leading to disruption of (or even a critical breakdown of) critical city services.
Cities also struggle with a lack of data privacy thanks to the IoT. IoT devices often collect large amounts of sensitive data, which can include personal information, financial data, and health records. If this data is not properly secured, it can be at risk of theft or misuse. This poor data privacy is a symptom of bad network security. The networks used to connect IoT devices in smart cities are often poorly secured, making them vulnerable to hacking and unauthorized access.
Metro areas are also often plagued by interoperability issues, which is to say that the IoT devices and systems in use are often not designed to work seamlessly with each other. Downtime needed to rectify these issues is another leading cause of city service disruption.
What’s more is that the general lack of any incident response and disaster-recovery plans leaves many cities floundering. The development of such plans is costly and requires highly skilled personnel, which is typically hard for cities to attract given their limited budgets.
At the same time, not all threats to the IoT are digital. Physical security risks exist as well. IoT devices and systems in smart cities can be physically vulnerable, as they can be easily stolen or tampered with.
Immune to no type of attack
Smart cities are vulnerable to a variety of cyberattacks that can result in the disruption of critical services and the theft of sensitive data. Often topping the list in terms of attack type is malware. Malware is used to infect IoT devices and spread throughout a smart city’s network as a means of creating chaos to divert attention from data theft occurring across other parts of the network.
Ransomware, as you might imagine, has also become increasingly common as a means of cyberattack against urban areas. These attacks usually involve encrypting sensitive data and demanding payment in exchange for the decryption key. For years, we’ve seen headlines about prominent cities falling victim to ransomware attacks. In some cases, as with the Los Angeles Unified School District ransomware attack, attackers are returning data after victims refuse to make payments over long swaths of time.
More and more, we’re seeing distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against cities that can overwhelm smart-city networks and massively disrupt city services, causing widespread downtime and general panic. DDoS attacks have gotten more sophisticated as of late, particularly against the IoT. Today, we’re witnessing the rise of IoT botnets, which are essentially networks of compromised IoT devices that can be used to launch DDoS attacks or spread malware across an entire city relatively quickly.
The list of threats goes on, from man-in-the-middle attacks to social-engineering attacks. Smart cities today must be prepared for any type of cybercrime, no matter how large or small.
Smart cities are threatened by a range of cyberattack sources, including malware, ransomware, DDoS attacks and IoT botnets. (Source: Portnox)
Mastering IoT security basics first
There are several key areas of IoT security that metro areas are turning their attention to when it comes to securing their IoT infrastructure, including:
• Device security: The security of IoT devices is crucial in ensuring the security of the entire smart-city infrastructure. Today, devices are being secured using secure boot processes, firmware updates and secure communication protocols.
• Data security: The privacy of city residents’ personal and sensitive information is a major concern for smart cities. Right now, encryption and secure data-storage practices offer the best hope for keeping private data private across IoT devices.
• Network security: Smart cities are getting smarter about protecting their networks. With firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, secure communication protocols and network access control solutions, they’re increasingly able to help prevent unauthorized access to the network and subsequent data loss.
• Physical security: As previously mentioned, physical security is a critical consideration for smart cities. IoT devices and systems are vast in their numbers and are especially vulnerable to theft and tampering, as they often reside in public, high-trafficked areas. Devices should be physically secured and access to critical infrastructure should be limited to authorized personnel only.
While this paints a bigger picture of how cities are prioritizing different parts of their security posture in broad strokes, technically speaking, smart cities are getting more and more nimble and proactive about how and where they’re investing in IoT-related security technologies and training.
IoT security for smart cities encompasses a wide range of strategies. (Source: Portnox)
Today, smart cities are regularly relying on:
• Encryption: Using encryption to secure data transmission between IoT devices and servers to prevent eavesdropping and tampering
• Access control: Implementing strict access control measures to ensure only authorized personnel can access sensitive information and systems
• Monitoring: Continuously monitoring networks and devices for any suspicious activity, such as unusual traffic patterns or unauthorized access attempts
• Firewalls: Implementing firewalls to restrict unauthorized access to the network and prevent external attacks
• Software updates: Regularly updating software on IoT devices to fix vulnerabilities and prevent exploitation
• Incident-response planning: Having a plan in place to quickly respond to any cyber incidents, contain the damage and restore normal operations as soon as possible
• Awareness training: Providing training to city employees and residents on how to identify and respond to cyber threats
These measures help to reduce the risk of IoT-related cyberattacks and improve the overall security of smart-city systems.
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