The increasing proliferation and deployment of ICT in the infrastructure of cities has increased interest in smart cities. The long-term objective of a smart city is to enhance the quality of services provided to citizens and ultimately improve their quality of life. However, incorporating ICT opens up various security and privacy issues in smart cities, along with the people living in them. We briefly present the fundamental design concepts of a smart city and review recent smart city initiatives and projects. After identifying several security vulnerabilities and privacy issues within the context of smart cities that must be addressed, we then discuss various privacy and security solutions, recommendations, and standards for smart cities and their services.

Introduction

Many cities around the world risk becoming barely livable within a few years as their infrastructures are stretched to their limits in terms of scalability, environment, and security while they adapt to support population growth (9.7 billion in 2050 according to the UN-Habitat United Nations [UN] program — http://unhabitat.org). Today, urban territories have complex economic and environmental crises. In fact, this urban evolution will convey both benefits and challenges. Economies will be under increased pressure; energy consumption will increase exponentially; the environment will be challenged; healthcare and education systems will demand new approaches; public safety will be further challenged; and the potential for future cyberattacks against cities is high. Without innovative solutions, this situation can lead to further environmental degradation and poverty. We need to rethink the models of access to resources, transport, waste management, and energy management [1]. Hence, smart, cost-effective, scalable, innovative solutions that can address the problems of urbanization are needed. There are six components that underpin most smart city models: government, economy, mobility, environment, living, and people. All these components help a smart city to achieve multiple benefits that include the following.