Opportunities and Challenges of Data-Driven Cybersecurity for Smart Cities

To enhance the quality of life for city residents, ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is used along with additional new technologies to create smart cities. Smart cities also facilitate efficient utilization of the city resources and improve adaptability and sustainability. There are different applications supporting smart cities for smart energy systems, smart water networks, smart transportation systems, smart healthcare and smart public safety and security. While these applications provide several benefits, cybersecurity threats can be a major obstacle in realizing these benefits. In this study, we review the cybersecurity challenges in smart city applications. Then, we investigate using a data-driven cybersecurity approach to protect smart city applications. We identify and discuss the opportunities and challenges of utilizing the data-driven approach. Currently there are research efforts and publications discussing cybersecurity issues in smart city applications. However, none of them focus on data-driven cybersecurity approaches. Therefore, the main contributions of this paper include identifying potential smart city applications, identifying and discussion the benefits and opportunities of using the data-driven approach and outlining the challenges of applying it for securing smart city applications.