Elsevier

Future Generation Computer Systems

Volume 112, November 2020, Pages 724-737
Future Generation Computer Systems

Enhancing cyber–physical systems with hybrid smart city cyber security architecture for secure public data-smart network

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2020.06.028Get rights and content

Highlights

  • A region-based framework to manage key issues of cyber–physical systems in smart city data network.

  • To explore the range of factors affecting cybersecurity in smart cities.

  • Interconnection of devices introduce technologies that connect cyber–physical systems.

  • Integration of disparate city services and enabling infrastructure to cyber–physical​ systems.

  • Demonstrate the specific distinctiveness of smart city for cybersecurity challenges.

Abstract

Smart City (SC) is an upcoming concept incorporating ‘Digitalized Associated City’ and city organization with the help of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This novel concept offers in-depth knowledge by enhancing the nuances of the networking business and acts as a bridge between the Government, corporate, and the general public. When it comes to Cybersecurity deals with the confidentiality of the information and the vulnerabilities they come with SC systems. In our research paper, we investigate the security concerns of the SC infrastructure development and also taking into account the views of both technological and business operations. We also put forth a Hybrid Smart City Cyber Security Architecture (HSCCA) method. This method analyzes the threats besides developing safe data. We make sure to consider the important factors like valuable data collection, memory storage, recovery, and well-organized network source supply high-level HSCCA for setting up a smart city. The HSCCA setup recommended by us follows a layered presentation of storing data and explains about various participants that covey and also ensures service delivery to the end-users. Our suggested method also investigates Cyber Security (CS) instituted for smart cities. Besides, we also highlight the specific features of SC generated challenges regarding cybersecurity, along with the reviewing of various aspects of risks associated with it. Eventually, our research concludes with the evaluation of certain significant cybersecurity solutions for smart cities proposed for HSCCA. This paper recommends a context-specific safety setup for conventional cyber–physical systems and put forth a few prospective areas for exploring and their impact.

Introduction

A smart city notion is massive that covers both the administration as well as the integrity of the entire setup using embedded technology. Here the surveillance is performed by cybersecurity bringing together the entire components of the setup that include the administration, governance, citizens, society, health care, educational system, and surroundings using ICT [1]. By incorporating the extremely advanced integrated technologies along with sensor systems, electronic components, and programmed systems that are interconnected with networks. These networks contain records, monitoring devices, and choice selection algorithms. Thus SC is configured, structured, and maintained using the technologies mentioned earlier. [2].

The Wikipedia definition for the smart city is described as “a smart city (also a smarter city) utilizes emerging technologies like ICT for improving the efficiency and well-being; to minimize costs and make use of services, and interact with its people more efficiently and actively”.

The last element-“making more efficient and constructive interaction with its people”, is only possible with the aid of opinion mining. Apart from the Government, certain NGOs also perform opinion mining. This process is done on the available input data for various services like transportation, library, etc. Here, the most critical aspect is recognizing the possible sources where input data is available. At times, we cannot use the actual results as inputs. Hence, it is necessary to find the right outlets for mining opinions. Moreover, analyzing the methods to explore the options is inevitable. When it comes to smart cities, identifying the relevant core issues becomes vital so that engaging with their people becomes more efficient and active [3].

The ever-growing advancements in ICT has to lead to the enhancement of the operations, management, and the environment in many ways. Hence issues related to advanced smart cities are getting difficult as the change rate turns out to be enormous. This leads to the need for updated technologies and intense web research for making organizational changes. Numerous applications and networks help in gathering a ton of personal details on individuals. For instance, the smart meter learns the whereabouts of your home and the details of the gadgets used. Thus, data is exchanged with other tools and also gets stored in the database.

Cybersecurity is described as the digital technologies or ICT utilized by a smart city to improve the features and services of the city’s efficiency by reducing expenses and source usage. It also efficiently and enthusiastically engages with the general public. A smart city mechanism comprises government administration, business, traffic and transport control, fitness services, waste treatment, and water supply and management”. [4]. Modules for SC [5] described in Table 1.

Tripp Barba et al. [6] identified nine fundamentals frameworks developed for SC (Smart: Transport, Energy, Technology, Living, Environment, Citizens and Education, Economy, Government, and Safe City). Table 2, as discussed in the study done on open data portals in American cities by Thorsby et al. [7], consists of high tech methodology, providing specific information to the corresponding zones.

Several actions taken by smart city expanded responses to cybercrime. These aim the urban public services, infrastructural, and ICT frameworks of the smart city. Smart cities without sustainable pro-environmental ideas such as communities with car-centered habits, energy-intensive broad enclosed zones, mega-structures, and multinational brands seem to be the favored patterns. What role/scope does a person (unit) play a sustainable role in this context? Since the entire framework is interrelated, the limitations bring a broad-range impact. As an illustration of encrypted issues resulted in a compromised wireless system, it is followed by the explosion by intruders to attack a city’s electrical power or waterworks [8]. Cyber hazards to SC have to be considered critical and the probable factors involved to contain them are:

1. Security checklist creation for encryption, verification, authorization, and software up-gradation when developing modern systems

2. The accomplishment of fail-proof and hand-operated urban frameworks

3. Action programmers’ and procedures developed to respond to cyber assaults

Companies and institutions such as Twitter, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, MIT, University of Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, etc. are now working on developing artificial intelligence, and have come up with their own stories. Uber is joining the AI sector in hopes of changing the way transportation is happening in the cities. In spite of being responsible for disappearing 40 Carnegie Mellon University researchers and physicists, Uber continues to operate a self-driving car laboratory in Pittsburgh, and recently even bought the self-driving car business, Otto, San Francisco. Self-driving vehicles are changing the way our current perception about travel over the next ten years [9].

We are aware of the fact that simple devices have now changed our lives. Whether it is a tiny Fit-bit watch or a mobile phone that we carry with us, have been shaping and developing us exponentially that we never talked-off or imagined. We also experience that the world has shrunk with the invention of the computer and connectivity, as we travel around while ordering dinner or purchasing a book from Amazon? We are, consciously or unknowingly, replaced by the very technologies that we have created [10].

Moreover, firms such as Nvidia, Microsoft City Next, and several other businesses like Uber, Google, and IBM have also started experimenting on the concept of Artificial Intelligence and Smart Cities. They believe there are a variety of things that can draw on and alter the way we live or function.

The research objective is to investigate fundamental problems and information security in a smart city following the key determining factors [11]. For facilitating various transactions of SC, our suggested notion of the HSCCA model focuses on well-organized storage and data distribution.

The focal assistance of SC as follows:

  • (a)

    A region-based framework intended for storing information and managing critical issues for SC data framework administration.

  • (b)

    For smart cities, a public data model is emphasized as it provides a way for intermediates for developing applications.

  • (c)

    For the SC system, an investigation is performed, which offers thorough clarification for its sub-systems in terms of topology, networking, and functionality.

  • (d)

    This paper proposed SC Risk Management (RM) methods that efficiently responded to a variety of SC threat features of flexibility and sustainability.

This research paper aims to review critical challenges addressing cybersecurity data in the smart city. It also considers the risk determining factors associated with it. The flow of the article is as follows: In division 1 of this paper, the idea of SC and the research objective is described. This is followed by a literature review of SC with corresponding security risk factors in Division II. Hence we listed the challenges faced by the smart city when it comes to cyber-security and risk control in Division III. Division IV describes the SC innovations regarding cyber-security for the new hybrid hazard control model. The benchmarking of controlling risk assessment from the queries raised by researchers in SC is demonstrated in division V and VI. In the concluding division VII, we put forward conclusions and future extended work of cyber-safety in SC.

Section snippets

Related works

A smart city is a dream of urban planning to combine several ICT and IoT technologies. This is undertaken safely to handle the assets of a community. The assets include and not limited to the computer systems of Government, colleges, libraries, transit systems, hospitals, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, and other community services. Digital society’s demands pose a difference in time and efficacy. The latest technologies, like automated communication apps

Smart city cyber challenges

Earlier work [20] gives valuable guidelines for strategy makers and city administrators looking for a better definition for SC approach and development measures for implementing in a suitable area for accomplishment. Further research works Carugi [21], Valverde et al. [22] illustrated the exploitation and testing of IoT structural design.

Consequently, the appropriate method utilized for large-scale experimentation and IoT evaluation idea under realistic circumstances. A few researchers [23]

Proposed hybrid SC design

The SC modules are described in Fig. 1. ICT foundation builds the SC organization, where the modules rely on the underlying layer. ICT includes high rate wired and Wi-Fi networks, high-quality information centers, physical facilities enhancement with smart devices, sensory system, control devices, andsignificantly more. E-governance layer enables planned associations’ development between public sector organizationaldepartments. Hence this layer establishes the guidelines, regulations, and

SC public data system (PDS) security

The PDSs are internet-based applications acting like an interface for visitors to send requests to the database engine. These portals are getting increasingly well known, and their objects are developing quickly, so more kinds of visitors are getting to them utilizing different types of organizations, for example, HTTP and API. The PDSs [30] has a broad range of information sets, an illustration of criminal incidents, service outages, traffic information, and so on. As the PDS broadcasts the

Assessment of threat and risk improvements

A novel method to evaluate hazard for SC procedure in collecting features from structural design, networking, a system for operating, information scheduling, encoding method, securing measures, industry process, and commercial information. An algorithm for the Hazard test includes hardware, facts, software, privileges, and execution method. Based on those features, we developed to compute threat factors periodically. The threat issue supports a powerful SC system for confronting the problems of

SC risk administration process

Since the viewpoint of flexibility and continuity, the risk methods in SC differ widely. Besides, the risk effect on the SC differs, relying on the environment, conditions, and duration of the SC. To thwart the risk from prior occurrences to classify the risks that take place in the SC, and SC Risk Management (RM) model was suggested to reduce the impact of risk, which were categorized as external/internal risks. Controllable and unmanageable risks appeared following the place. Fig. 6 depicts

Result of comparative analysis

The SC consideration is still in progress, and the requirements are significant to perceive the core threats of data security in various innovative progressions. The SC interacts with different services in dissimilar parts, including flexibility, transmission, and necessary infrastructure. To identify threats, the guaranteed data flow method is adopted. Hence the purpose of research on Cybersecurity in SC can be extended and retained. The main focus of the researchers is IoT since it is the

Conclusion and future work

The research work addressed the smart city concept and its cybersecurity concerns with probable outcomes. The cybersecurity area not yet developed, and various strategies, conceptual design, and technical implementations expected in this paperwork. HSCCA was suggested for providing risk management services at the regional level by improving effectiveness, accessibility, and expandability. The models proposed for public service nature corresponds to the mixed atmosphere of SC. Public sector

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Sudhakar Sengan: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software. Subramaniyaswamy V.: Data curation, Resources, Writing - original draft preparation. Sreekumar Krishnan Nair: Visualization, Investigation. Indragandhi V.: Software, Resources, Validation. Manikandan J.: Investigation, Visualization. Logesh Ravi: Methodology, Resources, Project administration, Supervision, Writing - review & editing.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Sudhakar Sengan is Currently working as Professor at the Sree Sakthi Engineering College, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. He has 20 years of Experience in Teaching/Research/Industry. He has published papers in 75 International Journals, 20 International Conferences, and 10 National Conferences. He is a member of various professional bodies like MISTE, MIEEE, MIAENG, MIACSIT, MICST, MIE, and MIEDRC. He is the Recognized Research Supervisor at Anna

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    Sudhakar Sengan is Currently working as Professor at the Sree Sakthi Engineering College, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. He has 20 years of Experience in Teaching/Research/Industry. He has published papers in 75 International Journals, 20 International Conferences, and 10 National Conferences. He is a member of various professional bodies like MISTE, MIEEE, MIAENG, MIACSIT, MICST, MIE, and MIEDRC. He is the Recognized Research Supervisor at Anna University under the faculty of Information and Communication Engineering. He specializes in MANET, Network Security, IoT, Cloud Computing, and Machine Learning.

    V. Subramaniyaswamy is currently working as an Associate Professor in the School of Computing, SASTRA Deemed University, India. In total, he has 15 years of experience in academia. He has received the B.E. degree in Computer Science and Engineering and M.Tech. Degree in Information Technology from Bharathidasan University, India and Sathyabama University, India respectively. He received his Ph.D. degree from Anna University, India and continuing the extension work with the support of Department of Science and Technology as a Young Scientist award holder. He has been contributing papers and chapters for many high-quality technology Journals and books that are being edited by internationally acclaimed professors and professionals. He is on the reviewer board of several international journals and has been a member of the program committee for several international/national conferences and workshops. He also serves as a guest editor for various special issues of reputed international journals. He is serving as a research supervisor, and he is also a visiting expert to various universities in India. His technical competencies lie in recommender systems, cloud computing, Internet of Things, context-aware computing, Big Data Analytics, and Social Network Analysis.

    Sreekumar Krishnan Nair was born in Thiruvattar, Kanyakumari District, India, in 1973. He received the B.E. -CSE from the University of Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Tirunelveli, India, in 1994, and the M.E. and Ph.D. - CSE from the Anna University, Chennai, India, in 2011 and 2017, respectively. He has around 14 years of industrial experience (Oracle DBA) and around 9 years of teaching experience. Since June 2017, he has been with the Dept. of CSE, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, where he is working as an Assistant Professor. His current research interests include WSNs, ML, IoT, Data Science and Big Data Analytics. Dr. K. Sreekumar is a Life Member of the ISTE.

    V. Indra Gandhi completed B.E in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bharadhidasan University in the year 2004. She received M.E in Power Electronics and Drives from Anna University and awarded Gold Medal for the achievement of University first rank. Subsequently, she is awarded with doctorate of philosophy at Anna University, Chennai in the year 2015.At present she is serving as an Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering, VIT, Vellore, Tamilnadu. She has been engaged in research work for the past 9 years in the area of Smart Grid, Power Electronics, soft computing techniques and Renewable Energy Systems.

    J. Mani Kandan received his B.Tech.– IT from K.S.Rangasamy College of Technology, Tamil Nadu, and India 2007, and the M.E. – CSE from K.S.Rangasamy college of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India 2010. He did his Ph.D. Programme under the area of MANET in Anna University, Chennai.2018. He has a teaching experience of about 12 years. At recent he is working as Assistant professor in the Dept. of IT at Dr.NGP Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, and India. He has published many papers in the reputed International Journals and many papers in the National and International conferences. His current research interest includes MANET, wireless networks. He is life member of ISTE, ISOT and Member of Institute of Research Engineers and Doctors in Senior Member.

    Logesh Ravi received the B.Tech. degree in Computer Science & Engineering and M.Tech. degree in Networking from Pondicherry University, India. He was conferred Ph.D. in the area of Artificial Intelligence and Recommender Systems from the SASTRA (Deemed University), India. Currently, Dr. Logesh Ravi is associated with Sri Ramachandra Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (formerly known as Sri Ramachandra University), Chennai, India. His research was funded and sponsored by Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India. He serves as Academic Coordinator and Associate Director (Research), and he is active participant in academic administration and research in computing. He has published more than 85 papers in reputed international journals and conferences. His research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Recommender Systems, Big Data, Machine Learning, and Social Computing, Information Retrieval, and Human Computer Interaction. He also serves as a guest editor to many reputed international journals.

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