Page 435 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

Cybersecurity, data protection and cyber resilience
in smart sustainable cities

Overview
Smart and sustainable city deployments will be carried out by a diverse ecosystem of providers in
innovative domains, involving state‐of‐the‐art technology, including critical and complex
information and communication technology (ICT) implementations.

These deployments can address different components and city systems, like intelligent
transportation, connected health care, public safety and security, emergency services, smart grid
and smart metering, intelligent buildings, etc.

Increasing ICT complexity, hyper‐connectivity, namely through “Internet of Things” (IoT)
environments, as well as the generation of significant amounts of data, will also mean increasing
vulnerability, both to malicious attacks and unintentional incidents. By conceiving interconnected
urban systems with cybersecurity and data protection in mind, city administrators will be able to
ensure service continuity, safety and well‐being for citizens and businesses alike.

This Technical Report details these cybersecurity and data protection considerations in smart and
sustainable city developments. It will explore the requirements and challenges of creating a secure,
reliable and resilient smart and sustainable city. It will also consider how administrations and the
overall city ecosystems will need to provide innovative, resilient “smart” solutions that leverage
digital information while protecting against malicious violations, unintentional damage and natural
disasters.

ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 425