As part of the nationwide Housing and Urban Environment project and the Digital Economy national program, the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation is implementing the ‘Smart City’ project for the digitalization of
the urban economy. Its goals are to increase the competitiveness of Russian cities, form effective urban management systems, and create safe and comfortable living conditions for citizens.
Orenburg is one of the cities participating in the project. Kaspersky collaborated with the Orenburg regional government in the creation of a cloud-based control room.
In large cities, it is almost impossible to effectively manage thousands of residential and non-residential objects and correctly reflect the city-wide situation in the field of public utilities without automated data collection from a single center. This is where a cloud control room can help. The technologies of the internet of things (IoT) make it possible to build such a platform. But because the IoT infrastructure has numerous vulnerabilities, it’s necessary to provide reliable cybersecurity. The functioning of the city’s critical structures, and with them people’s lives, may depend on the quality of that cybersecurity. For example, if a hacker manages to gain access to a fire alarm system, city services may not receive a fire alert in time.
Kaspersky specialists carried out research and compiled a threat model characteristic of urban IoT solutions.
Our task is to ensure a steady increase in the quality of life for residents of the region and create a comfortable urban environment for everyone through the use of digital technologies. When using modern technologies, the top priority for us is protecting the city’s infrastructure from cyberthreats. That’s why we turned to Kaspersky, an expert in this field, to implement a solution that provides data protection in the housing and public utilities system for remote monitoring and management of building engineering systems.
Based on the threat model that was created, Kaspersky developed an approach that makes use of several solutions for protection at different levels of the urban IoT infrastructure.
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The cloud level is protected by Kaspersky Hybrid Cloud Security. This comprehensive solution for automated protection of hybrid cloud infrastructure performs the following functions:
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The data transfer channel from the controller (PLC) to the cloud is protected by Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway (KISG) 1000. This gateway is based on the technologies of KasperskyOS. It not only has Cyber Immunity – innate protection against cyberattacks – but also helps ensure the security of the entire IoT infrastructure. The Kaspersky Security Center platform allows you to centrally manage KISG 1000 and track its events. Together, these two products form Kaspersky IoT Infrastructure Security.
Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway 1000 detects and classifies all devices on the network. The gateway has firewall functions and protects against network attacks (IDS/IPS). It also provides the means to receive, scan and distribute sensor messages received via the MQTT protocol. |
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The SEM Pro 5 controller, developed by Information Systems and Strategies, is installed as a PLC. The pre-installed KasperskyOS operating system ensures data intergrity: prevents data tampering, securely downloads firmware updates and protects certificates and controller policies. |
In order to build an urban IoT infrastructure, three objects with different social functions were identified with the participation of the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications of the Orenburg Region:
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Apartment building (155/6 Pobedy Ave.) |
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Polyclinic of Orenburg Regional Clinical Hospital №2 (24 Nevelskaya Street) |
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Orenburg College of Economics and Informatics (11 Chkalova Street) |
Work was carried out at the various sites to install sensors and controllers along with the means of transmitting the collected data and their visualization:
Kaspersky approach to protecting the internet of things
Cloud control room tasks:
The following parameters are collected from each object:
Testing of a smart city digital control room is a long-term project. Its effectiveness directly depends on the reliability of the entire IoT infrastructure. Kaspersky’s technologies have helped protect it from cyberattacks at all levels.
Protection of public utilities systems in Orenburg using Kaspersky technologies
In the process of using the control room, the following results are expected:
Thanks to the cloud control room, it’s possible to centrally collect relevant indicators from public utility services and monitor them comprehensively, consolidating data on a single platform.
All this also makes it possible to monitor the actual consumption of resources online, increasing the transparency of public services and, as a consequence, the level of trust in them.
