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Challenges of Cybersecurity in Smart Cities: IoT Vulnerabilities
Challenges of Cybersecurity in Smart Cities: IoT Vulnerabilities
By Abuh Ibrahim Sani
The rapid development of urbanization has brought the innovation of smart cities where digital technology and data-driven systems are been used to improve the services of urban systems to the people. Virtual in our modern home today, IoT devices and appliances are taking centre stage in making lives convenient and easy for citizens. The innovation of IoT systems in urban development has connected millions of devices, sensors and gadgets. However, there is serious concern as regards the security of IoT devices and also the cybersecurity of smart cities.
The Role of the Internet of Things in Smart Cities
The foundation of any smart city lies in its IoT infrastructure. These devices are linked in every angle of the city management, from public transportation and traffic control systems to waste management, medical devices, energy and water supply. They constantly collect, transmit and analyse data, allowing cities to run more efficiently. The connectivity of this device brings a potential entry point for cyber-attacks, the more connected the devices, the greater the increase in attack surface and breaches. In the area of smart cities, the security of these devices becomes even more worrisome because of the many critical infrastructures they control. A single breach could affect the spread and cause chaos.
Inadequate Security of IoT Devices
Securing smart cities is difficult because a large number of IoT devices do not have strong security features. Many IoT devices, especially those mass-produced and sold cheaply, lack built-in security protocols in their hardware. Hackers can take advantage of fundamental weaknesses such as simple passwords, outdated firmware, and absence of encryption. For example, a lot of IoT devices use default or hardcoded passwords that are easily obtainable, making the devices vulnerable to hackers who take advantage of these vulnerabilities to take control. Compromised IoT devices in smart cities can serve as gateways for launching major attacks that could affect power grids, traffic control systems, and emergency services.
The Complexity of IoT Ecosystems
Smart cities operate via a network of interconnected devices that communicate with different systems. Handling such a large and varied ecosystem presents a cybersecurity challenge in its own right. Various devices can use various protocols, which are often from different manufacturers, resulting in fragmented security measures. Coordinating and standardizing security across different platforms and devices is a challenge in the growing IoT landscape. The high quantity of devices in a smart city presents an additional challenge. Keeping track of and protecting numerous, potentially millions, of interconnected devices simultaneously poses a substantial challenge for any urban area. The difficulty further increases with numerous devices placed in public or distant areas, which makes ensuring physical security and timely updates a challenge.
The Risk of Large-Scale Attacks
Smart cities are at risk of facing major cyberattacks due to vulnerabilities in IoT technology, which can have serious impacts on both residents and city functions. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have the potential to incapacitate critical services such as traffic control, healthcare, and energy distribution by flooding IoT systems with harmful traffic. Moreover, in smart cities, IoT devices gather extensive data, which includes confidential information such as traffic flow, energy consumption, and even personal data of the residents. If hackers manage to access these systems, they could potentially steal or alter the data, leading to breaches of privacy, fraud, or even blackmail. During the Mirai botnet attack in 2016, compromised IoT devices were used to carry out a large-scale DDoS attack that disrupted key internet services in the United States and Europe. Comparable attack on intelligent city infrastructure may result in disorder, affecting millions of individuals simultaneously.
Lack of Industry-Wide Security Standards
An important challenge in dealing with IoT vulnerabilities in smart cities is the lack of uniform security standards across the industry for IoT devices. Despite the actions taken by different organizations and governments to create rules and structures, the rate of adoption is not keeping up with the fast spread of IoT devices. Without established guidelines, manufacturers might place more importance on ease of use and affordability than on ensuring security. This leads to a broad range of security levels being used on different devices, causing challenges for cities looking to establish common security standards. The absence of uniform security protocols in smart cities can impede collective initiatives to reduce risks as they progress.
Challenges in Patching and Updating Devices
Updating or patching IoT devices is often challenging due to their reputation for being hard to manage. Many IoT devices run on old software that isn’t frequently updated or maintained by manufacturers, unlike computers and smartphones that receive regular updates and security patches. In certain instances, the manufacturers might have ceased operations, resulting in no possibility for further updates. The absence of continuous assistance leaves devices vulnerable to cyber threats in the long run.
Deploying updates to a city’s extensive network of IoT devices can be complex and expensive, even when the updates are readily available. Several devices are situated in areas that are difficult to access, and updating them could lead to interruptions in critical services. The vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit are a result of the delay in securing devices.
Conclusion
The emergence of IoT-powered smart cities provides amazing chances to enhance city living. Nevertheless, the security challenges posed by vulnerabilities in IoT devices must be dealt with. The cybersecurity of smart cities remains a continuous concern due to insufficient security measures, the complicated nature of IoT ecosystems, the absence of standardized security practices, and challenges in device maintenance. Cities, manufacturers, and regulators to collaborate to develop stronger security frameworks that tackle the specific obstacles of IoT. Only by doing so we can guarantee that smart cities stay secure and keep providing benefits to residents without risking safety or privacy.
An elderstatesman and legal icon, Chief Afe Babalola, has bagged the 2024 Best Nigerian Patriot Award for his outstanding performance in humanitarian activities, provision of quality education as well as promotion of peace.
The award was given at an induction ceremony and technical workshop for the inauguration and certification of UN Ambassadors for Peace on Thursday in Abuja.
The event with the theme, “Effective Approach to Anger Management and Tolerance as Panacea for Global Peace and Sustainable Development,” was organised by the Association of UN Ambassadors for Peace (ASUNAP).
The award was organised in collaboration with The Mighty One Empowerment Foundation (TEMOEFA) to support the United Nations efforts in promoting global peace and ethnic tolerance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 10 persons were also inducted and certified as UN Ambassadors for Peace.
A former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, who received the award on behalf of Babalola, said the association had done considerable research to come up with the nomination.
“It is one thing for individuals to be playing some roles, but it’s another thing for these roles to be recognised and to be appreciated by the society.
“As a scholar and a researcher, I know that when you do a thorough research into what individuals have contributed in this particular area, one would see that it would be difficult to find someone who has contributed more than Are Afe Babalola.
“This is quite evident from his forays into different areas of national life and continental life of Africa,” he said.
Adeniran called on Nigerians to key into the humanitarian gestures carried out by Babalola.
According to him, if more Nigerians embrace peace and conflict resolution, a lot would be achieved for the country and for humanity.
“This is because there is nothing as precious as peace; without peace, you will not have a stable polity.
“Without peace, there will be no development and love among the people.
“You will not be able to advance to the level where you can say you have reached the optimum.
“The ultimate goal of society is to actualise the potential of citizens, and to be able to get the very best for people.
“I will certainly encourage and plead with Nigerians to key into this, to do their very best, starting from the local, family, community and societal level,” he said.
Also speaking, the Global Director of Interfaith for ASUNAP, Emmanuel Emeka, said the event was aimed at recognising Nigerians in order to promote peace in the society.
Emeka said the association had holistically and comprehensively taken the data of Babalola’s performance, his impact in Nigeria and beyond and found him worthy of the award.
He said that voting was conducted across the nooks and crannies of the country, adding that his name came up with the highest number of votes among nominations.
He said the newly inducted ambassadors would be involved in conflict resolution and peacemaking.
In a keynote address, the Guest Speaker, Prof. Casmiar Obialom, charged the ambassadors not to give war a chance.
He noted that the cumulative effect of not implementing a Mrshall Plan of Action to abate the incidence of impunity had been the root cause of conflicts in society.
Among Nigerians inducted into the association were retired Brig.-Gen. Nuhu Milah, retired Commandant Anthony Nwegbo, Prof. Abiodun Ajibade, Maxwell Abubu, Mrs Comfort Arinze and Dr Raphael Gajere.
Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno State has inaugurated three boards in the health sector and ordered a comprehensive overhaul of the state’s healthcare system to address pressing challenges.
The boards inaugurated on Thursday at the Council Chamber of the Government House, Maiduguri, include the Borno State Hospital Management Board, the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Board and the Kashim Ibrahim University Teaching Hospital Management Board.
Speaking during the ceremony, Zulum said that reforms are necessary to strengthen the delivery of healthcare services, particularly at the primary level.
He added that “we are currently witnessing pressure on our secondary health facilities because primary healthcare is weak.
I want you to assess all hospitals individually and identify challenges related to staffing, equipment and medical supplies so that we can address the issues holistically.”
The governor also directed the boards to work toward resolving the problem of inadequate facilities, staffing and essential medical supplies.
Zulum also inaugurated the Borno State Local Government Service Commission Board, which comprises a chairman and four permanent commissioners.
He emphasised that the reforms and inaugurated boards are part of his administration’s commitment to providing accessible and efficient healthcare to the people.
Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, the Chairman of the Kashim Ibrahim Teaching Hospital Management Board and Alhaji Modu Alhaji Musa, the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, expressed gratitude for the honour given to them to serve and pledged to justify the confidence reposed in them.
The Kaduna State Water Services Regulatory Commission (KADWREC) says it is partnering media practitioners towards revamping water services in the state.
Mr Dogara Bashir, the Executive Chairman of KADWREC, disclosed this on Monday at a one-day workshop organised for media practitioners on regulation of ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene’ (WASH) activities held in Kaduna.
Bashir said the commission was aware of the importance of the role media practitioners played in the society.
He stated that the workshop was to provide an avenue to liaise with them as important stakeholders on water supply and sanitation services in the state.
Bashir said: “As media practitioners, we believe you are a gateway to the citizens so, the workshop would acquaint you with some of the regulations already in place so that you can in turn transmit it to the public
“The state of water services in Kaduna State is in dire need of attention and the State Water Corporation and KADWREC were established towards addressing the seeming challenges.
“The commission is mandated to ensure better service delivery and regulation of water and sanitation services in the State.
“The idea is that once the regulations are developed, we send them to the State Ministry of Justice to gazette and then we get the state government to endorse and give the go ahead to commence the implementation of the regulations
“We intend to implement them fully come January, 2025 God willing, as we have embarked on advocacy activities having gone to zones 1 and 2 where we talked to traditional rulers, security agencies and the Judiciary.”
He disclosed that a special Court has already been attached to the commission by the Chief Judge of the State for service providers who may likely violate regulations.
The chairman further said that amongst the commission’s objectives include ensuring security, reliability and quality of service in the production and delivery of water to the consumers as well making regulations to control the sinking of boreholes.
Others included; maximising access to water services by promoting and facilitating consumer connections to distribution systems in urban and rural areas.
According to Bashir, they also include ensuring that regulatory decision-making has regards to all the relevant health, safety, environmental and social legislation applying to the water sector.
Bashir further said that the commission collaborate with the relevant state and federal agencies on water policies.
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