With the evolution of technologies, smart cities have also become vulnerable to cyber attacks, but the IT managers do not leave any stone unturned to successfully fight back.
FREMONT, CA: It goes without saying that smart cities are committed to enhancing the lives of the citizens by employing data and the latest technology to provide faster and efficient service. But what creates a state of worry is the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, which increasingly grow vulnerable to cyber attacks and a threat to public information. Cybercrimes are one of the significant reasons for the security of the smart city initiative. Therefore, IT managers need to adopt a few changes that can help in overcoming the challenges.
Smart cities tend to have a large attack surface, due to the combination of multiple devices, all connected to build smart city infrastructure. It might get difficult for the IT managers to identify the equipment that might be vulnerable, but it is essential to immune every connection from a cyber attack. The smart cities are indeed left exposed to threats because of inherited software that is not updated and provides facilities that lack physical security.
The city departments manage the decentralized nature of smart city plans that are wide-spread and can represent IT security threats. The absence of a centralized security set-up can form a gap in the security strategy concerning the smart city, and can also trigger the potential risks.
Similarly, in cases where the IoT device accumulates large heaps of information related to the residents, including personal credentials, it can be tampered with under a delicate security pattern. The invasion of any threat can alter how the services are performed and ruin the benefits of a smart city plan.
These days, security teams have been maturing in the IT department, surrounded with appropriate requirements to thoroughly evaluate the risk and privacy impacts, and implement suitable protection. One of the fundamental methods to enhance the defense mechanism in the smart city is by carrying out log monitoring to identify malicious traffic. Furthermore, IT managers can perform a robust inventory of IoT assets and create centralized control and security system, which can protect the connected networks and devices. Additionally, the alerts that give relevant information about threats can be of great help for the IT managers to counter the risks more effectively.
