Security and Privacy in Cyber-Physical Systems

Chapter 13Cyber-Physical Vulnerabilities of Wireless Sensor Networks in Smart Cities

Md. Mahmud Hasan and Hussein T. Mouftah

School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

13.1 Introduction

A smart city is an evolving concept that is motivated by technological advancements. It is also synonymous with the digital city, intelligent city, and connected city. In the literature, there is no firm definition for a smart city due to its multidisciplinary nature. It can be defined in many ways, from different perspectives. For us, a smart city is an integrated effort of advanced technologies toward a digital world. At present, 50% of the world population lives in urban areas and this ratio is anticipated, according to a report from FAO (2009), to reach 70% by 2050. This implies rapid growth of urban population due to urbanization of rural areas; and human mobility toward urban areas. It is necessary to have an urban development strategy for the future cities to maintain high standards of living and comfort of the citizens. Smart cities are devised as an all-in-one solution to urban lives. Schaffers et al. (2012), Batty et al. (2012), MIT (2012), EU (2007), and UCLG (2012) have reported numerous initiatives to develop smart cities around the world. Such initiatives include government, industrial, and academic projects focusing on smart cities. Each of them has its own outline for smart cities. The common fact is that smart cities require ...