Connected cities need to be secure

While many have focused on data analysis and its security at an organisational level, it is even more imperative for the realisation of smarter and more sustainable cities capable of providing citizens with a better, safer lifestyle.

“Take consumption data of water and electricity at buildings as an example. While identifying low-hanging fruit like leaks, running taps, lights that do not get switched off or are not energy-efficient might sound self-evident, it is concerning how these basics are still not followed,” says Alison Groves, regional director, WSP in Africa.

Developments like Energy Performance Certification (EPC) are starting to force building managers to interrogate their consumption data better and use technology to optimise usage.

“Ultimately, data becomes the cornerstone of sustainability and people must have the skills to effectively analyse it,” says Groves.

Groves suggests that another consideration is the need to have all buildings operating to net-zero carbon standards by 2050.

To achieve this goal, buildings will require some form of self-sustaining renewable energy and localised smart grids. Integrated weather sensors will also help to predict the availability of power and prioritise energy requirements.

“Think of a green city as using fewer resources and as a place where everybody wants to be. Both these are converging and creating an environment that is more resilient, and thereby sustainable. This new smart city is essentially just a larger version of a smart building. Of course, the data generated operates on a significantly larger footprint,” continues Groves.

Cybersecurity considerations

That data also needs to be protected against potential cybersecurity threats.

“The functioning of buildings and cities in the future will depend on how secure IoT and other connected systems are. Just think about the safety considerations if a hacker should gain access to IoT-enabled traffic lights. Being able to change the lights can spell disaster when it comes to commuters’ lives,” says Bethwel Opil, enterprise sales manager: East and West Africa, Kaspersky Labs.

The infrastructure of smart cities now includes more IoT devices that link transportation networks and digital government services and businesses.

This means that cyberthreats increasingly endanger the physical world and have become a serious obstacle for the digital transformation of cities. Those planning on creating smart urban systems must consider the potential information security risks at the design stage.

“Increasingly, 5G has been used to optimise the connectivity of IoT devices, as it is faster and more reliable than other cellular solutions,” Opil explains.

“But it also exposes the population to more risks as the entire system is connected. If one node is attacked, many more may be affected.”

A new, unified hybrid framework is needed to coordinate different security methods for each security layer. If devices cannot be authenticated, are misbehaving, or not adequately set, processes need to be in place to isolate them.

“If we are to embrace more sustainable, smarter, and efficient cities better suited to the connected world, data management and security must become core pillars. But understanding data to optimise utility management, improve service delivery and identify proactive areas to ensure growth can only be done optimally when it is protected against an evolving cyberthreat landscape,” Opil concludes.