CybExer Technologies, together with the City of Tartu, and the University of Tartu is organizing an applied research project on the cyber security of Smart City mobility solutions based on cyber range technology.
This project will create a better understanding of risks in this field. The goal is to enhance the cybersecurity of different applications and raise awareness of risk management in cities and municipalities all around the country.
The project will achieve this goal by letting participants analyze different data flows, conduct research on comprehensive security architectures, and model the smart city cybersecurity interdependencies on a cyber range.
Why Is This Project Important?
Cities and local governments worldwide are investing their time and budget in smart city solutions to enhance the sustainability, economic development, and well-being of their citizens.
However, adopting smart city solutions requires a high standard of safety, security, and trust in the system by the end users. Because of this, different elements of smart city projects require a high level of knowledge in the cyber landscape, as well as different threat levels across applications.
The global smart cities market is expected to grow exponentially year over year, reaching an estimated $873.7 billion by 2026. Growth in urbanization, the need for efficient management and utilization of resources, and demands for fast and efficient transport are key factors for driving investment into smart city solutions.
As cities become more advanced, urban smart technologies are becoming increasingly notable. Therefore, threats to all connected devices are also growing, giving hackers more avenues to attack. That’s why it is essential to be prepared for cyber threats and attacks when dealing with such complex and sophisticated smart city solutions.
Organizations Involved in This Project
The project will be carried out by CybExer Technologies, who will bring the cyber range technology and cybersecurity expertise. The City of Tartu will add a municipality perspective to smart city mobility solutions and its cybersecurity.
The University of Tartu will provide technical consultation for creating the digital functional clone of an autonomous vehicle and its teleoperator system and research on the cybersecurity aspect of the developed system.
The project has received support from Enterprise Estonia’s applied research programme, the task of which is to support companies in launching, advising on and financing knowledge-intensive development work and finding suitable cooperation partners. Projects supported by the programme are funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Union’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
Comments from the Lead Program Manager of this project from CybExer Technologies, Rain Nõmmsalu:
“This research project is important for the City of Tartu and other smart cities as it enhances the resilience of smart city mobility solutions.
By understanding the cybersecurity interdependencies of smart city elements, cities can proactively mitigate cyber risks and ensure the secure and resilient functioning of their technological infrastructure. The new cyber range offering from the project helps smart cities train their IT personnel in defending smart city solutions.”
Comments from the Head of Data Management at Smart City Tartu, Getter Kartau:
“The applied research project, led by CybExer Technologies, involves investigating the cyber security of smart city mobility solutions using cyber training ground technology. The cyber training ground is an isolated and flexible environment for testing the cyber security of technologies and training cyber security experts.
The project explores the data flows of smart city solutions, conducts security architecture studies, and models smart city cyber security cross-dependencies on a cyber training ground.”
Comments from the Autonomous Driving Lab Tech Lead at the University of Tartu, Tambet Matiisen:
“The Autonomous Driving Lab at the University of Tartu is delighted to make its valuable contribution to this research project by providing the digital twin of Tartu city center and conducting a thorough security analysis of the deployed solution.
We firmly believe that future smart city solutions must undergo comprehensive analysis and testing before their implementation in real-world scenarios. The cyber range developed by CybExer Technologies enables us to fulfill this crucial requirement.”
Conclusion
Applied research project on cyber security of Smart City mobility solutions based on cyber range technology is important because it creates new knowledge to develop further the core cyber range technology of CybExer, which is important to enhance cyber security and resilience of smart city solutions.
As a result, with enhanced understanding on the cybersecurity of smart cities CybExer Technologies will be able to deliver smart city-specific cybersecurity capability-building exercises for cities and municipalities with the geolocational data of the targets and information on interconnections.
