Critical Infrastructure Protection Research Articles

Training of specialists as one of the aspects of resilience of critical infrastructure

One of the directions of state policy in the field of ensuring national security is the development of a multi-level effective national security and resilience system for critical infrastructure. A key factor in any system, whether in the field of national security or in other spheres, is human capital, its ability to analyze risks and threats, identify vulnerabilities, master newtechnologies, and find innovative solutions to address modern challenges. Thus, an important aspect becomes the training of qualified professionals who possess systemic knowledge and skills. The need to provide systemic knowledge to specialists and managers directly addressing the tasks of ensuring the protection and resilience of critical infrastructure has been established. The current state of the training system for specialists in the field of critical infrastructure protection in Ukraine has been identified, and the main forms of organizing training and personnel preparation in this area have been analyzed. Tasks have been established based on an analysis of existing professions and labor market demand to determine a set of professions that are expedient to involve in ensuring the security and resilience of critical infrastructure. An analysis of the training and qualification enhancement of specialists in the field of critical infrastructure protection and resilience has shown the necessity and possibility of creating a national education and training system on critical infrastructure protection and resilience in Ukraine. Professions and labor market demand have been analyzed, and a set of professions expedient to involve in ensuring the security and resilience of critical infrastructure has been determined. After their final approval, these professions could include: the head of a structural unit responsible for the protection and resilience of critical infrastructure and a specialist in the protection and resilience of critical infrastructure. Developed or updated professional standards in the field of critical infrastructure protection and resilience will serve as a basis for adapting educational programs of higher education institutions according to the labor market demand.

Validation of Sensor Data Integrity in OT Environments Through Multisource Data Sensors

This research paper focuses on detecting cyber threats from the OT environment by combining data from multiple sources. Monitoring cyber security or hybrid threats in an industrial OT environment is difficult due to different equipment, protocols, environments, personnel management and training, etc. However, the OT environment can also be observed with a multisource sensor system, which can be used to collect data. By combining IT and OT data, additional cyber threats can be found. Especially concerning the integrity of OT command-and-control data. We deal with the key concepts and differences of the industrial operating environment, which create challenges compared to the traditional IT environment. This is important because the policies defined at the European level for the NIS2 regulation are coming to touch all member countries, regardless of what the national implementation schedule is. The increased standards for OT environment cyber security implementation and development will also have an impact on the personnel management and training to support the onboarding of the standards in practice. Critical infrastructure protection is important because, without the protection of critical infrastructure, vital functions cease to function. Hostile actors cause security challenges among Western actors. In this study, we delve into whether it is possible to find threats concerning OT command-and-control process. The increased data surface collected from the IT/OT environment improves the capabilities for the system to detect malicious attacks towards the OT system. With the help of test equipment, the goal is to demonstrate that it is possible to find threats by combining data from multiple sources. With the help of test equipment, we find out IT and OT capabilities, which we load with various attacks and anomalies. We produce added value compared to traditional monitoring method test cases by comparing data obtained from different sources. The research paper shows the importance of detecting OT threats. By monitoring IT and OT environments and combining their data, we can find hidden threats. Only one test equipment configuration has been used in the study, but the results can be generalized and classified. The study also provides guidelines for how the detection of cyber threat capabilities should be developed.

Trustworthy cyber-physical power systems using AI: dueling algorithms for PMU anomaly detection and cybersecurity

Energy systems require radical changes due to the conflicting needs of combating climate change and meeting rising energy demands. These revolutionary decentralization, decarbonization, and digitalization techniques have ushered in a new global energy paradigm. Waves of disruption have been felt across the electricity industry as the digitalization journey in this sector has converged with advances in artificial intelligence (AI). However, there are risks involved. As AI becomes more established, new security threats have emerged. Among the most important is the cyber-physical protection of critical infrastructure, such as the power grid. This article focuses on dueling AI algorithms designed to investigate the trustworthiness of power systems’ cyber-physical security under various scenarios using the phasor measurement units (PMU) use case. Particularly in PMU operations, the focus is on areas that manage sensitive data vital to power system operators’ activities. The initial stage deals with anomaly detection applied to energy systems and PMUs, while the subsequent stage examines adversarial attacks targeting AI models. At this stage, evaluations of the Madry attack, basic iterative method (BIM), momentum iterative method (MIM), and projected gradient descend (PGD) are carried out, which are all powerful adversarial techniques that may compromise anomaly detection methods. The final stage addresses mitigation methods for AI-based cyberattacks. All these three stages represent various uses of AI and constitute the dueling AI algorithm convention that is conceptualised and demonstrated in this work. According to the findings of this study, it is essential to investigate the trade-off between the accuracy of AI-based anomaly detection models and their digital immutability against potential cyberphysical attacks in terms of trustworthiness for the critical infrastructure under consideration.

Improving Detection Capabilities in OT Environments Through Multisource Data Sensors

This research focuses on implementing cyber threat detection in OT environments by combining data from IT and OT sensors and logs to enhance SOC's situational awareness. OT environment is challenging to monitor and includes various sensors. We deal with the key concepts and differences of the industrial operating environment, which create challenges compared to the traditional IT environment. This is important because the policies defined at the European level for the NIS2 regulation will affect all member countries. Hostile actors cause security challenges highlighting the importance of critical infrastructure protection. Cyber security solutions have often solely focused on IT threats, but similar investments have yet to be made in response to the challenges of the OT environment. The security solutions of OT operators rely heavily on solutions from the IT side. Here, we delve into whether it is possible to find threats in the IT/OT ecosystem by combining data from the IT and OT sides. All threats are not found by monitoring data separately from IT or OT sources but we identified hidden threats by monitoring and comparing IT and OT data. This paper shows the importance of detecting OT threats. The study proposes how the detection of cyber threat capabilities should be developed.

Unmasking the Subconscious Fallacies Within Critical Infrastructure Protection

Cybersecurity, a vital challenge in today’s ever-changing digital world, it has gained prominence with the global shift towards cyber-enabled critical infrastructures. Critical infrastructure protection efforts are fundamental for the continuation of essential services. Traditionally constituted as separate sectors, these infrastructures are increasingly interconnected, leading to potential domino effects during security breaches. For instance, failures within the power grid could have cascading effects on multiple sectors that depend on electricity for their operations, creating large-scale failures that affect functions on which society depends. The multidimensional nature of the infrastructures presents complex challenges for solutions, given their status as long-established legacy systems needing further development and enhancements to withstand the digital world. The lack of a concerted and focused infrastructure enhancement strategy has led to incremental approaches versus a comprehensive revamp to ensure a holistic cyber protection program. A lack of national focus has created inconsistencies that can lead to potentially catastrophic consequences. Understanding the decision-making processes within a complex environment is critical to the mission success. One significant risk is the cognitive roadblocks that have the potential to influence one’s judgements as this often outweighs balanced decisions. This study aims to investigate the subconscious biases that arise from a perceived resolution of the problem which can lead to de-prioritization within the decision-making processes. The study employs a convergent parallel mixed methods design to collect and analyse the data. The study then will compare the results allowing for the exploration of various aspects of the research. This approach is aligned to provide a thorough understanding of the challenges associated with protecting the infrastructures and the underlying subconscious fallacies in the digital age, thereby devising effective mitigation strategies, and fostering a more sustainable and resilient critical infrastructure that is useful for a variety of stakeholders, including policymakers, infrastructure owners and operators, cybersecurity professionals, and researchers

Cyber Game-Based Learning for DoD CEs

Cyber competition and conflict remain an enduring concern for the Department of Defense (DoD). Positive control of cyberspace is crucial across the vast diversity of military operations and supporting activities. People play an important role in cyber prevention, detection, and remediation, but they receive relatively little training outside of the annual Cyber Awareness Challenge. While this gamified training is a reasonable baseline, it primarily addresses cybersecurity from the office worker's perspective. Other career fields within the DoD may benefit from specialized training in cybersecurity, in particular the civil engineering (CE) community supporting critical infrastructure protection. This paper surveys a range of contemporary cyber serious games and assesses each for potential inclusion into CE training. Furthermore, it suggests game elements and characteristics that are likely to benefit the CE community.

РОЗВИТОК СУЧАСНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ: ВИКЛИКИ ДЛЯ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ ПОЛЬЩІ

The main purpose of the article is to analyze national security challenges related to the development of modern technologies. The impact of this phenomenon on many aspects of safety in cyberspace is presented. The relationship between modern technologies with the military security of the state is also presented. There is also a cross-discussion of the struggle of state entities with terrorist threats directly related to dynamic technological progress. The possibilities of cybersecurity education at universities, within the framework of postgraduate education, courses and trainings are analyzed. The study shows that modern technologies have a significant impact on Poland's national security. Rapid technological development poses a serious threat to national security for any country, including Poland. They directly influence national security aspects as the fight against terrorism, ensuring the security of state institutions in cyberspace and guaranteeing permanent military development necessary to counteract both common and hybrid threats. The functioning of state entities and their citizens requires constant adaptation to an environment that changes dynamically in the international arena. Poland, like any other country, should be in constant readiness to resist the above mentioned challenges to defend their own national interests. To do this, you need to use the opportunities and soften the threats associated with the constant inter -sectoral development of technology. Modern information technologies offer advanced means and capabilities of cybersecurity. However, it also increases the potential for cyberattacks, which requires constant improvement and adaptation of cybersecurity policy. The development of military technologies, including artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, or cybercribe, changes the face of national defense. Poland needs to be effectively investing in modern defense technologies in order to maintain their defense capability at a proper level. Modern technologies influence the protection of critical infrastructure from potential terrorist attacks. Integrated IT systems can increase efficiency, but at the same time increase the risk of cyberattacks that can have serious consequences for the country's functioning. It is also necessary to strengthen international cooperation to exchange advanced experiences and work together to protect against modern technological threats. Key words: technology, military safety, terrorism, cyberspace, cybersecurity, higher education, Poland.

Building a Legislative Framework for Securing Georgia’s Strategic Assets

Abstract The article discusses the importance of modernizing and securing critical infrastructure in Georgia, particularly within the context of its geopolitical position and evolving economic landscape, by building an appropriate legal framework. The article outlines the signifi cant impact of cyberspace on traditional sectors such as energy, transportation, and telecommunications, necessitating a re-evaluation of critical infrastructure in the digital age. Highlighting Georgia’s aspirations to align with European and Euro-Atlantic structures for enhanced national security and democratization, the study emphasizes the need for regulatory and legislative frameworks that would be compatible with EU standards. Drawing on a comparative analysis between Estonia and Georgia, the research identifies gaps and areas for improvement in Georgia’s critical infrastructure protection (CIP) system. Through the examination of Estonia’s successful transformation from a Soviet-era environment to a robust EU-compatible CIP system, the study offers recommendations tailored to Georgia’s context.

Advancing coordination in critical maritime infrastructure protection: Lessons from maritime piracy and cybersecurity

Critical maritime infrastructure protection has become a priority in ocean governance, particularly in Europe. Increased geopolitical tensions, regional conflicts, and the Nord Stream pipeline attacks in the Baltic Sea of September 2022 have been the main catalysts for this development. Calls for enhancing critical maritime infrastructure protection have multiplied, yet, what this implies in practice is less clear. This is partially a question of engineering and risk analysis. It also concerns how the multitude of actors involved can act concertedly. Dialogue, information sharing, and coordination are required, but there is a lack of discussion about which institutional set ups would lend themselves. In this article, we argue that the maritime counter-piracy operations off Somalia, as well as maritime cybersecurity governance hold valuable lessons to provide new answers for the institutional question in the critical maritime infrastructure protection agenda. We start by clarifying what is at stake in the CMIP agenda and why it is a major contemporary governance challenge. We then examine and assess the instruments found in maritime counter-piracy and maritime cybersecurity governance, including why and how they provide effective solutions for enhancing critical maritime infrastructure protection. Finally, we assess the ongoing institution building for CMIP in Europe. While we focus on the European experience, our discussion on designing institutions carries forward lessons for CMIP in other regions, too.

A New Strategy is Needed to Solve the 50-Year-Old Problem - EMP Protection of Critical Civilian Infrastructure

The problem of the destructive effects of High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP or EMP) on electronic and electrical equipment has been well known for more than 50 years. All military equipment and critical equipment of special governmental services are reliably protected from such influences. There are many companies on the market that manufactures numerous EMP protection means that meet the requirements of military standards. It would seem that in such a situation, critical civilian infrastructure facilities (electrical power systems, water supply systems, communications, large medical centers, banks, etc.) should also be protected against EMP. But it turns out that this is not the case! Nowhere in the world are critical civilian infrastructure still protected from such impacts! Why? The main reason is an attempt to use well-known military strategies, methods and protection means for protecting civilian infrastructure. This article proposes new protection strategies and methods for the civilian sector.

Cloud service models, business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and responsibilities

Purpose The purpose of this article is to identify the role of cloud computing services in business continuity and disaster recovery plans and delineate responsibilities for their execution. In recent times, there has been a huge upsurge in the usage of cloud service models such as infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service, software-as-a-service and disaster recovery-as-a-service. However, in case of an emergency event or during contract negotiations, a question might arise as to who should be accountable and responsible for the content and execution of recovery plans. The main stakeholders in this scenario are cloud service providers and cloud consumers. Design/methodology/approach After a review of academic articles, standards, guidelines and vendor documentation, a proposal for assigning accountability and responsibility for business continuity and disaster recovery plans is presented, based on the RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted and informed) matrix. In this regard, a critical information infrastructure protection plan, a disaster recovery plan, an information systems contingency plan and a business continuity plan have been elaborated on in the article. Findings RACI matrices are presented for three general cloud service models and for three DRaaS models (managed, assisted and self-service). Accountability and responsibilities depend on the deployed cloud service model and the roles of cloud service providers and cloud consumers. Originality/value The proposed model for accountability and responsibility assignment provides a guideline for the allocation of responsibilities to roles not only during recovery but also during contract negotiations between cloud service providers and cloud consumers. By delving into business continuity and disaster recovery processes and activities, similar yet nuanced RACI matrices should be developed, as presented in this paper. They need to be customised for the specific context.

Protecting critical infrastructure against cascading effects: The PRECINCT approach

Critical Infrastructures (CIs), which serve as the foundation of our modern society, are facing increasing risks from cyber threats, physical attacks, and natural disasters. Additionally, the interdependencies between CIs throughout their operational lifespan can also significantly impact their integrity and safety. As a result, enhancing the resilience of CIs has emerged as a top priority for many countries, including the European Union. This involves not only understanding the threats/attacks themselves but also gaining knowledge about the areas and infrastructures that could potentially be affected. A European Union-funded project named PRECINCT (Preparedness and Resilience Enforcement for Critical INfrastructure Cascading Cyber-Physical Threats), under the Horizon 2020 program, tries to connect private and public stakeholders of CIs in a specific geographical area. The key objective of this project is to establish a common cyber-physical security management approach that will ensure the protection of both citizens and infrastructures, creating a secure territory. This paper presents the components of PRECINCT, including a directory of PRECINCT Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) blueprints. These blueprints support CI communities in designing integrated ecosystems, operating and replicating PRECINCT components (or toolkits). The integration enables coordinated security and resilience management, incorporating improved 'installation-specific' security solutions. Additionally, Serious Games (SG), and Digital Twins (DT) are a significant part of this project, serving as a novel vulnerability evaluation method for analysing complicated multi-system cascading effects in the PRECINCT Living Labs (LLs). The use of SG supports the concentrated advancement of innovative resilience enhancement services.

Securing Critical Infrastructure with Blockchain Technology: An Approach to Cyber-Resilience

Currently, in the digital era, critical infrastructure is increasingly exposed to cyber threats to their operation and security. This study explores the use of blockchain technology to address these challenges, highlighting its immutability, decentralization, and transparency as keys to strengthening the resilience of these vital structures. Through a methodology encompassing literature review, use-case analysis, and the development and evaluation of prototypes, the effective implementation of the blockchain in the protection of critical infrastructure is investigated. The experimental results reveal the positive impact of the blockchain on security and resilience, presenting a solid defense against cyber-attacks due to its immutable and decentralized structure, with a 40% reduction in security incidents. Despite the observed benefits, blockchain integration faces significant challenges in scalability, interoperability, and regulations. This work demonstrates the potential of the blockchain to strengthen critical infrastructure. It marks progress towards the blockchain’s practical adoption, offering a clear direction for future research and development in this evolving field.

Performing risk assessment for critical infrastructure protection: A study of human decision-making and practitioners' transnationalism considerations

This paper investigates the views of practitioners on the decision-making influences and the transnational considerations affecting risk assessment (RA) for critical infrastructure (CI) and its protection (CIP).The investigation is based on a thematic analysis of the interviews of twelve RA practitioners. The analysis identified an overarching theme supporting the view that the team approach is the one true remedy to RA process shortcomings as well as five other themes: (1) the value of the human influence in RA; (2) transnationalism - an unfathomable notion; (3) consistency is no panacea to performance; (4) CI organizational RA-influencing forces; and (5) CI RA-enablers and impediments.The investigation suggests that the team approach to effective RA for CIP is considered as the absolute panacea in the eyes of practitioners although both insights from the current industry RA practice through the interviews themselves, and an investigation of relevant literature suggests that although this is warmheartedly recommended (a) there are no set rules and guidelines in its application, (b) it is not coordinated nor applied consistently, and (c) it is not an integral part of RA processes. Notwithstanding the reality that a team approach to RA for CIP is being contemplated by practitioners, albeit with lagging consistency and coordination, it is evident that additional research is necessary to broaden the understanding of its value.

A novel framework to intercept GPS-denied, bomb-carrying, non-military, kamikaze drones: Towards protecting critical infrastructures

Protection of urban critical infrastructures (CIs) from GPS-denied, bomb-carrying kamikaze drones (G-B-KDs) is very challenging. Previous approaches based on drone jamming, spoofing, communication interruption and hijacking cannot be applied in the case under examination, since G-B-KDs are uncontrolled. On the other hand, drone capturing schemes and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons seem to be effective. However, again, existing approaches present various limitations, while most of them do not examine the case of G-B-KDs. This paper, focuses on the aforementioned under-researched field, where the G-B-KD is confronted by two defensive drones. The first neutralizes and captures the kamikaze drone, while the second captures the bomb. Both defensive drones are equipped with a net-gun and an innovative algorithm, which, among others, estimates the locations of interception, using a real-world trajectory model. Additionally, one of the defensive drones is also equipped with an EMP weapon to damage the electronics equipment of the kamikaze drone and reduce the capturing time and the overall risk. Extensive simulated experiments and comparisons to state-of-art methods, reveal the advantages and limitations of the proposed approach. More specifically, compared to state-of-art, the proposed approach improves: (a) time to neutralize the target by at least 6.89%, (b) maximum number of missions by at least 1.27% and (c) total cost by at least 5.15%.

IT Failures in Hospitals - Structures and Processes in Hospitals for Coping Cyber Attacks

Clinics are, by definition, part of a country's critical infrastructure. In recent years, hospitals have increasingly become the target of cyber attacks, resulting in disruptions to their functionality lasting weeks to even months. According to the "National Strategy for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (CRITIS Strategy)", clinics are legally obligated to take preventive measures against such incidents. This involves evaluating, defining, and developing failure concepts for IT-dependent processes within a clinic to be prepared for a cyber attack. Specifically tailored emergency plans for computer system failures should be created and maintained in all IT-dependent areas of a clinic.Additionally, paper-based alternative solutions, such as request forms for diagnostic or consultation services, department-specific emergency documents, and patient documentation charts, should be kept in a readily accessible location known to staff in the respective areas. The complete restoration of a clinic's network after a cyber attack often requires extensive recovery of numerous IT systems, which may take weeks to months in some cases.If the hospital has robust plans for cyber emergency preparedness, including regular scans and real-time backups, stabilization and a quicker resumption of operations may be possible.

Research on the state of areas in Ukraine affected by military actions based on remote sensing data and deep learning architectures

The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the escalation of military actions in the regions have led to significant damage to residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, various critical infrastructure objects, dams, and extensive pollution of the territories. In this context, the tasks of remote sensing using satellite imagery and aerial observation arise to analyze the impact and conduct an economic assessment of damage in these areas. This work investigates and employs deep neural network (DNNs) models in computer vision (CV) tasks (classification, segmentation) and combines their derivatives, such as convolutional networks (CNNs) and vision transformer models (ViTs), to enhance the accuracy of damage assessment. ViTs have demonstrated significant success, often surpassing traditional CNNs, and have potential applications in remote sensing for damage assessment and the protection of critical infrastructure. The research conducted in this work confirms the importance of applying such technologies in environments where labeled data are rare or non-existent, particularly evaluating the use of DNNs, including CNNs and ViTs, in analyzing regions affected by military actions using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and multispectral images. The aim and subject of this research also include reviewing the possibilities of combining CNNs and ViTs to improve the speed of image feature extraction, landscape detection, and the detection of complex structural contours of objects, where data are usually insufficient. The results of this study provide a critical review of the application of CNNs and ViTs in remote sensing, identifying significant gaps and challenges, especially in the context of the economic consequences of destruction due to military actions. The technical aspects of using CNNs and transformer-based models for complex CV tasks and transfer learning under data-scarce conditions, as well as the challenges in analyzing large volumes of geophysical data, are considered. The conclusions emphasize the transformational potential of DNNs, especially transformers, in remote sensing under conflict and disaster conditions. Their adaptability and accuracy in various environments underscore their utility in both strategic military and humanitarian contexts, establishing a practical standard for their application in key real, real-world scenario-based territory condition assessment.

CHARACTERISATION OF METHODS OF PROTECTING THE STATE’S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FROM TERRORIST ACTIVITIES

The study describes methods for protecting the critical infrastructure of a state. The article aims to determine the combination of protecting methods of the state’s critical infrastructure from terrorist activities, namely security, physical protection, protection of critical infrastructure, protection of critical information infrastructure, and prevention of emergencies of a terrorist nature at objects of critical infrastructure. It is necessary to fulfil the following objectives to achieve the aim: to consider the difference and interrelation of the concepts of critical infrastructure and information critical infrastructure; to characterise the general properties of various terms, in particular: security, physical protection, protection of critical infrastructure, protection of information critical infrastructure, prevention of terrorist emergencies at objects of critical infrastructure; to analyse from the scientific point of view the classical definitions of forms and methods of critical infrastructure protection; to propose a generalised structure of information and technical methods of critical infrastructure protection; to determine the possibility of using information and technical methods in various fields of knowledge to protect the state’s critical infrastructure from terrorist influence. In summary, the structure of information and technical methods for critical infrastructure protection consists of three components: a mathematical model that describes the process occurring at critical infrastructure, a control algorithm that implements the mathematical model, and procedures that indicate the order of actions for applying the method. The problem of protecting critical infrastructure from terrorist activities requires technical, legal, military, psychological, medical, chemical, biological, and other sciences to address it. Each type of science will use its specific methods to solve practical problems of preventing terrorist emergencies at critical infrastructure. For technical sciences, there will be information-technical, engineering-technical, operational-technical, organisational-technical, biotechnical, and other methods to prevent emergencies of a terroristic nature that need development shortly. Keywords: critical information infrastructure, protection, terror, security, terrorist emergency.

The role of critical IT -infrastructures in ensuring national security

The complexity and diversity of risks and threats, increasingly interconnected and characterized by multiple determinations, call for an integrative, systemic and comprehensive approach to security objectives, with an emphasis on protecting those vital components for safety and the smooth running of socio-economic life.The activity of protecting critical infrastructures no longer takes into account national borders and involves joint efforts, in the sense of identifying and evaluating any of their vulnerable points. As such, the protection of critical infrastructures - a determining element for maintaining the state of stability and security - requires the amplification of the concerns of the main international actors (states and international organizations) to elaborate and harmonize some strategies in the field. They must allow the identification and early warning of risks, simultaneously with the adoption and timely initiation of decisions/approaches for preventive intervention and countermeasures. Critical infrastructures have always been the most sensitive and vulnerable area of any system and process. Their sensitivity stems from their particular role within the structure. No matter how well protected, critical infrastructures will always have a high ratio of vulnerability, as they are usually the first to be targeted when seeking to destabilize and even destroy a system or process or even when an emergency situation occurs.

Leveraging IoT for Enhanced National Security : A Comprehensive Review

In an era marked by rapid technological advancement and evolving security threats, the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies has emerged as a pivotal strategy for bolstering national security efforts. The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into national security frameworks offers unprecedented opportunities for enhancing situational awareness, proactive threat detection, and effective response mechanisms. By deploying IoT devices such as sensors, cameras, and drones across various sectors including border control, critical infrastructure protection, and emergency management, governments can achieve real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making capabilities. This paper gives a comprehensive review of the use of IoT technologies in national security, including real-time surveillance, border control and critical infrastructure protection. It examines the challenges and propose strategies, including the development of robust regulatory frameworks.