Smart Security for the Cities of the Future: Italtel’s Case Study in Barcelona

Challenge

Smart Cities are constantly evolving, integrating advanced technologies to improve the quality of life for citizens. However, as systems become more complex, new challenges arise in terms of cybersecurity, especially when connecting physical infrastructures, such as public transportation, with technological solutions.

One of the most advanced initiatives in the realm of smart cities is the IRIS project, which received funding from the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program of the European Union, under grant agreement no. 101021727. The consortium, formed by 18 organizations, includes private and public sector companies, European innovation and training centers, as well as 3 cities (Barcelona, Helsinki, and Tallinn), which act as pilots for the implementation of a Smart Cities use case.

The design and implementation of the IRIS platform aim to prevent, detect, analyze, and respond to cyber threats and Zero-Day vulnerabilities within the context of Smart Cities. Additionally, IRIS is designed to connect different CERT and CSIRT teams across Europe, enabling them to work together and create a common framework for such environments. A Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) is an organization or team that provides services and support to respond to cybersecurity incidents on a broader scale. A Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) often serves larger communities, sectors, or even entire countries.

In the case of Barcelona, the project was led by the Barcelona City Council through the Municipal Institute of Informatics of Barcelona (IMI) and its innovation department. One of the project’s pilots was implemented, with the challenge of ensuring the security of services designed to protect pedestrians, using technologies such as 802.11p and image recognition. The objective of this use case is to prevent accidents and collisions between bicycles, Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs), and pedestrians exiting trams, in specific conflict zones. Italtel is one of the companies that contributed to the project’s realization.

The implementation of this solution must consider a key factor: the integration of IoT (Internet of Things) and OT (Operational Technologies) environments into current IT networks. While this integration is essential for enhancing services, it presents significant challenges in terms of cybersecurity. The city’s infrastructure must continue to operate efficiently without being compromised by threats or vulnerabilities.

Solution

To tackle these challenges, the IRIS project is based on a flexible and robust architecture, designed to ensure the availability of IoT and AI environments, with a specific focus on the European coordination of cybersecurity for emerging smart cities. The solution implemented in Barcelona integrates an advanced threat and anomaly detection system in real-time, tailored to an IoT/OT environment.

Using Cisco Cyber Vision, the system not only identifies and profiles all devices connected to the network but also detects vulnerabilities, potential attacks, and abnormal behaviors in network traffic and devices, including those based on specific IoT and OT protocols. This data is sent to the IRIS platform, which can then communicate with Cisco Cyber Vision to take actions based on applied artificial intelligence, leveraging the information collected from other European pilot cities.

The Barcelona pilot includes public equipment, with the installation of Far Edge poles and an edge computing infrastructure. Thanks to this infrastructure, it is possible to monitor and protect the city’s critical systems in real-time, ensuring that the operation of the transportation system is not affected by cyber threats.

Additionally, the implementation follows the Zero Trust concept, meaning that every element of the network is considered potentially vulnerable and must be constantly validated and protected. This provides a robust level of security that protects both the physical and virtual infrastructures of the city.

In this case, IRIS verifies that the information has not been tampered with by a cyberattack, and in case of detection, it corrects the anomaly, ensuring the proper functioning of the services provided to citizens.

Benefits

The benefits of the IRIS project in Barcelona are multiple and significant. First, it ensures the safety of tram users by preventing accidents between pedestrians and Personal Mobility Vehicles, thus increasing citizens’ trust in public transportation. Secondly, it improves the integration of IoT and OT technologies with IT networks, enabling more efficient management of the city’s resources without compromising security.

Thanks to the implementation of the IRIS platform, Barcelona now has an advanced cybersecurity system that not only protects critical infrastructures but is also ready to adapt and scale with the growth of smart services. Additionally, the platform provides full visibility of the network, helping to identify and mitigate potential threats before they impact the city’s operations.

With IRIS, Barcelona not only improves the safety of its citizens but also positions itself as a global leader in the integration of cybersecurity into smart cities. The solution implemented is not only effective today but is also prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow in an ever-evolving technological environment.

Italtel Collaboration

As part of this project, Italtel collaborated with the Barcelona City Council through the Municipal Institute of Informatics of Barcelona (IMI) and its innovation department, providing its engineering, integration, consulting, support, and maintenance services in cybersecurity, perimeter security, and smart networks. Italtel integrated Cisco Cyber Vision and Cisco Next Generation Firewall Firepower technologies with industrial IoT switching and routing equipment to ensure the ability to process data locally (Edge Computing).