Cybersecurity and Cyber Forensics for Smart Cities: A Comprehensive Literature Review and Survey.

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Information Security
• Urban Studies

Background:

• Smart cities integrate technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance urban living.
• Real-time data exchange via networks improves resident convenience but introduces cybersecurity and cyber forensics challenges.
• Existing research lacks a systematic overview of these critical security aspects in smart city contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive review and survey of cybersecurity and cyber forensics in smart cities.
• To identify key research areas and trends within smart city security.
• To propose a new framework based on existing research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic analysis of 154 research papers published between 2015 and 2022.
• Identification and categorization of major and sub-areas within smart city cybersecurity and cyber forensics.
• Framework development based on a decade of relevant research.

Main Results:

• Smart homes and the Internet of Things (IoT) emerged as the most active research domains in smart city cybersecurity.
• Research on cyber forensics for smart cities is significantly less developed compared to cybersecurity.
• Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) are increasingly utilized in IoT security research since 2020.

Conclusions:

• Smart city security requires focused attention, particularly in the under-researched area of cyber forensics.
• The integration of ML and DL is crucial for managing large-scale data and enhancing security in smart cities.
• A structured approach and further research are needed to build robust cybersecurity and cyber forensics frameworks for smart urban environments.