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The (in)security of smart cities: vulnerabilities, risks, mitigation and prevention

Author

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  • Kitchin, Rob

    (National University of Ireland Maynooth)

  • Dodge, Martin

Abstract

In this paper we examine the current state of play with regards to the security of smart city initiatives. Smart city technologies are promoted as an effective way to counter and manage uncertainty and urban risks through the effective and efficient delivery of services, yet paradoxically they create new vulnerabilities and threats, including making city infrastructure and services insecure, brittle, and open to extended forms of criminal activity. This paradox has largely been ignored or underestimated by commercial and governmental interests or tackled through a technically-mediated mitigation approach. We identify five forms of vulnerabilities with respect to smart city technologies, detail the present extent of cyberattacks on networked infrastructure and services, and present a number of illustrative examples. We then adopt a normative approach to explore existing mitigation strategies, suggesting a wider set of systemic interventions (including security-by-design, remedial security patching and replacement, formation of core security and computer emergency response teams, a change in procurement procedures, and continuing professional development). We discuss how this approach might be enacted and enforced through market-led and regulation/management measures, and examine a more radical preventative approach to security.

Suggested Citation

  • Kitchin, Rob & Dodge, Martin, 2017. "The (in)security of smart cities: vulnerabilities, risks, mitigation and prevention," SocArXiv f6z63, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:f6z63
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/f6z63
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ola Söderström & Till Paasche & Francisco Klauser, 2014. "Smart cities as corporate storytelling," City, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(3), pages 307-320, June.
    2. Bodenheim, Roland & Butts, Jonathan & Dunlap, Stephen & Mullins, Barry, 2014. "Evaluation of the ability of the Shodan search engine to identify Internet-facing industrial control devices," International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 114-123.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Maria Vogiatzaki & Stelios Zerefos & Marzia Hoque Tania, 2020. "Enhancing City Sustainability through Smart Technologies: A Framework for Automatic Pre-Emptive Action to Promote Safety and Security Using Lighting and ICT-Based Surveillance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-20, July.
    3. Ulpia Elena BOTEZATU & Olga BUCOVETCHI, 2021. "Space as integrator from horizontal to vertical urban planning," Smart Cities International Conference (SCIC) Proceedings, Smart-EDU Hub, Faculty of Public Administration, National University of Political Studies & Public Administration, vol. 9, pages 393-407, November.

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