In increasingly urbanizing surroundings, smart cities (SCs) are essential for improving urban living, addressing resource constraints, optimizing infrastructure, and utilizing technology for efficiency, sustainability, and a higher standard of living. Because quantum cryptography (QC) may offer appropriate performance for security for various applications, it is gaining importance in both the scientific and business areas. SCs produce a huge deal of data because of the extensive use of networks, sensors, and linked devices. Thus, SC security issues include cyber threats, data security, Internet of Smart City Things (IoSCT) vulnerabilities, and urban infrastructure dangers, necessitating strong solutions to protect residents, digital assets, and vital services. Some options include cybersecurity measures, data signatures, threat detection strategies, and standardized security procedures to promote a robust and safe SC ecosystem. Unfortunately, existing systems are still vulnerable to security threats, mainly due to the lack of fast and effective security techniques. In order to combat these security loopholes, this research work proposes a SC security system (PSCSS), grounded in QC, FALCON signatures (FS, QKD) technology, RF and QBoost. Use of QC helps in effective precautions to be maintained for security. In addition, because FS does provide reliable safety to protect the data received through the SC nodes from tampering. In this paradigm, QKD underpins the PSCSS, offering public and private keys to all SC nodes reliably and securely. To sum up, the fusion of RF and QBoost is beneficial when it comes to identifying suspicious data in PSCSS. The viability of the proposed system is illustrated through theoretical performance, security analysis and comparison of the SC system with state-of-theart security algorithms. The theoretical results show that our system achieves a better trade-off between performance and security than existing systems.
In increasingly urbanizing surroundings, smart cities (SCs) are essential for improving urban living, addressing resource constraints, optimizing infrastructure, and utilizing technology for efficiency, sustainability, and a higher standard of living. Because quantum cryptography (QC) may offer appropriate performance for security for various applications, it is gaining importance in both the scientific and business areas. SCs produce a huge deal of data because of the extensive use of networks, sensors, and linked devices. Thus, SC security issues include cyber threats, data security, Internet of Smart City Things (IoSCT) vulnerabilities, and urban infrastructure dangers, necessitating strong solutions to protect residents, digital assets, and vital services. Some options include cybersecurity measures, data signatures, threat detection strategies, and standardized security procedures to promote a robust and safe SC ecosystem. Unfortunately, existing systems are still vulnerable to security threats, mainly due to the lack of fast and effective security techniques. In order to combat these security loopholes, this research work proposes a SC security system (PSCSS), grounded in QC, FALCON signatures (FS, QKD) technology, RF and QBoost. Use of QC helps in effective precautions to be maintained for security. In addition, because FS does provide reliable safety to protect the data received through the SC nodes from tampering. In this paradigm, QKD underpins the PSCSS, offering public and private keys to all SC nodes reliably and securely. To sum up, the fusion of RF and QBoost is beneficial when it comes to identifying suspicious data in PSCSS. The viability of the proposed system is illustrated through theoretical performance, security analysis and comparison of the SC system with state-of-theart security algorithms. The theoretical results show that our system achieves a better trade-off between performance and security than existing systems.
Securing big data in power plants is an important and fundamental step in the infrastructure of smart cities. In addition, it becomes a barrier if it is not controlled from the beginning. Security must be a combination of fast and robust properties. This research presents a traffic security system (TSS) in a smart city (SC). It is a novel paradigm meant to improve data security and integrity by means of a multilayered method. Advanced fault analysis, dual-stage pseudonymizing, quantum key distribution via the BB84 protocol, and Falcon signatures (FS) are combined in the proposed system. TSS enhances data security by enhancing privacy, supporting resilience against quantum computing threats, and not burdening the network with complex and large keys. The proposed system has been tested against several recently known attacks, such as replay, supply chain, Sybil, blackhole, eavesdropping, advanced persistent threat (APT), tampering, ransomware identity fraud, and desynchronization, and it has been proven to overcome them. In terms of performance evaluation, the average signing time was approximately 0.002 milliseconds. In comparison, the average signature verification time was approximately 0.004 milliseconds, with an average execution time of approximately 0.54 milliseconds and a precision of approximately 93.6 %, a recall of approximately 97.8 %, and an F1_score of approximately 95.6 %, which are considered low compared with those of state-of-the-art research. Thus, the proposed TSS system is highly acceptable for power plant applications. This work lays the groundwork for future developments in safe, privacy-conscious urban systems by presenting a multilayered approach to secure energy data in smart cities.
The evolution of smart cities will contribute to an increase in the use of interconnected physical/digital ecosystems, and consequently, an increase in threat surface for the cyber threats against the protected data streams. With the emergence of quantum-based cyberthreats, this has increased the potential range of types of cyber-attacks on protected data and increased the use of quantum-based means of conducting cyber-attacks on protected data. This research proposal presents an Internet of Things (IoT) smart city framework founded on quantum-secure standards that were developed for next-generation IoT smart cities. The IoT Smart City Framework is comprised of four levels of architecture: a Quantum Backbone, a Key Management Level, an Edge Gateway Level, and an IoT Device Layer. Consequently, through the use of this architecture, the IoT Smart City Framework can protect the IoT Smart City Network from future cybercriminal attacks while providing assurance that the IoT Smart City Framework has been 'future-proofed.' By utilizing strategically deployed quantum nodes, the proposed solution performs QKD and frees devices with limited resources from needing to perform highly computationally intensive cryptography in order to secure encrypted communications, instead employing Lightweight Encryption Standards in conjunction with Symmetric Keys established via QKD. Using simulated quantum channels and urban IoT workloads, our experimental results yield secret key rates between 12 and 18 kilobits/sec (kbps) with a low quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 1.8% to 3.2%. Based on these experimental results, we conclude that the proposed hierarchical security architecture provides a resilient security framework for urban essential services, with negligible energy consumption.
Currently and in the near future, Smart Cities are vital to enhance urban living, address resource challenges, optimize infrastructure, and harness technology for sustainability, efficiency, and improved quality of life in rapidly urbanizing environments. Owing to the high usage of networks, sensors, and connected devices, Smart Cities generate a massive amount of data. Therefore, Smart City security concerns encompass data privacy, IoT vulnerabilities, cyber threats, and urban infrastructure risks, requiring robust solutions to safeguard digital assets, citizens, and critical services. Some solutions include robust cybersecurity measures, data encryption, AI-driven threat detection, public-private partnerships, standardized security protocols, and community engagement to foster a resilient and secure smart city ecosystem. For example, Security Information and Event Management helps in real-time monitoring, threat detection, and incident response by aggregating and analyzing security data. In this paper, we propose a Hybrid Quantum Architecture for bolstering Smart City security that exploits Quantum Machine Learning and SIEM to provide security based on Quantum Artificial Intelligence and patterns/rules. The validity of the architecture was proven by conducting experiments and a comparison of the QML algorithms with a state-of-the-art AI algorithms. We also provide a proof of concept dashboard for the proposed architecture.
Smart Cities rely on high-density digital infrastructures that include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, digital identity systems, and operational technology. Although these systems improve efficiency and sustainability, they also provide a large cyber-physical attack surface. The problem is exacerbated by the advent of quantum computing, as popular public-key ciphers like RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography can be broken using quantum algorithms such as Shor's algorithm (Shor, 1994; Mosca, 2018). Smart cities rely on long-term data confidentiality, certificate-based trust, and remote management of critical infrastructure. This presents a strategic cyber resilience challenge. This thesis examines the impact of quantum technology on smart cities' cyber resilience, as well as how quantum-safe mechanisms can be integrated into urban digital infrastructure. The updated proposal now includes a critical literature review, case reasoning by comparison, a threat and vulnerability matrix, and a simulated BB84 quantum key distribution demonstration. According to NIST (2024b, 2024c, 2024d) and Pirandola et al. (2020), this thesis supports post-quantum cryptography (PQC) NIST standards FIPS 203, FIPS 204, and FIPS 205 as a scalable software migration strategy and quantum key distribution (QKD) as a selective protection strategy for high-value fixed communication links. The analysis demonstrates that quantum-safe resilience cannot be achieved solely through one technology. Any practical smart city transition must include a cryptographic inventory, data lifetime assessment, risk-based prioritization of critical services, hybrid migration, continuous monitoring, and governance. According to the simulation, the quantum bit error rate increases during the intercept-resend attack, alerting Alice and Bob to the eavesdropping activity and allowing them to discard the common key. The proposed framework integrates post-quantum cryptography for a wide range of software and cloud services, quantum key distribution for specific critical infrastructure links, and NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 governance functions to ensure ongoing operational resilience.
Smart cities face multiple cybersecurity threats that have arisen from the increased digitization of city infrastructure. This research seeks to develop a theoretical model that will adopt quantum cryptography and blockchain in defending in-terconnected city networks from emerging threats. The proposed framework is based on the integration of quantum, decentralized ledger systems, and can protect IoT infrastructure without compromising its functionality. Our approach analyzes possible cryptographic approaches throughout different urban systems, paying special attention to data authenticity and the network's robustness. The presented framework shows how the use of quantum cryptographic methods integrated with the blockchain approach can form the basis for the effective protection of important urban infrastructure from the development of new cyber threats.
The deployment of IoT for smart cities surveillance includes smart grids, smart lighting, air and water quality control, noise level detection, and the detection of natural disasters. Sensors and cameras are utilized for detecting suspicious activity, identifying road hazards, and monitoring traffic patterns. This widespread adoption of IoT for smart city monitoring enhances the urban lives of citizens from the perspectives of cleanliness, temperature, smart governance, and real-time information broadcasting. However, information transmission among these is a leading application that takes place through a hostile and low-latency networking technology, making them vulnerable to numerous cyber-attacks. However, if a robust and error-free security mechanism is implemented, then surveillance of the critical domain can be efficiently handled. Moreover, conventional security schemes are currently not workable and are vulnerable to different vulnerabilities. Therefore, this article presents an advanced security framework using the quantum key derivation (QKD) technique for secure smart city monitoring, because the QKD approach, based on the principles of quantum physics, is immune to all known cyber threats. The correctness of the proposed QKD protocol has been verified using the widely accepted random oracle model (ROM), and its performance features have been evaluated by considering computation and communication costs, as well as energy consumption. The results obtained demonstrated that the proposed protocol is lightweight, robust, correct, and feasible for real-world implementation in smart city monitoring.