Internet of Things for Developing Smart Sustainable Cities (SSC): A Security Perspective

Abstract

We live in a fast-growing world and the Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technological paradigm of this world. Real growth in population, economy, and technology is focused on better well-being of human beings and the preservation of our environment. Cities across nations gear towards such smart and sustainable growth. In this context, the IoT is one such technology which has great potential to develop such smart sustainable cities. Information gathered through physical objects, transferred via advanced communication media, can be processed through high computation systems to generate information processes. These processes can help the city administrators towards providing information that is essential for maintenance services in a coordinated way. The IoT ensures quick and automated decisions, smart services, and better utilization of resources. In this way, the IoT paradigm opens the gate for information-based automated smart city governance which can bring all around development and well-being for its citizens. However, the success of any technology, to a large extent, depends on its security with questions such as how safe and secure the proposed technology is in managing its devices and networks and how best it can withstand such attacks. All this needs to be studied. Developing smart sustainable cities (SSC) presents many security challenges. Since the IoT is mostly composed of RFID (radio-frequency identification) and wireless sensor nodes, device security and network security which connect these devices need serious consideration. Additionally, inbuilt IoT constraints of heterogeneity, limited resource capability, scalability, and interoperability also raise urgent challenges in developing SSC. Therefore, while developing SSC, one has to consider seriously the security requirements in great detail. This chapter aims to discuss security aspects of SSC in the context of IoT.