Establishing a cyber-security cluster in the City of Orillia: Analyzing feasibility and risks

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

According to Strategy Analytics website, at the end of 2018 there were 22.0 billion devices connected to the internet, and this number is expected to grow to 40 billion by 2025. The proliferation of Internet-of-Thing (IoT) devices in recent years, however, has given rise to the emergence of cyber-attacks. The severity of this issue is to an extent that 67% of companies with critical infrastructure suffered at least one attack in 2017. Therefore, securing critical infrastructure and IoT devices is a pressing need that must be addressed. On this basis, the City of Orillia intends to leverage the cyber-security expertise at Lakehead University to perform a feasibility and risk analysis for developing a cyber-security cluster, focussed on Industrial IoT (IIoT) technology, for Orillia and area. More specifically, the project intends to (i) examine the feasibility of IIoT as a focal point for the development of a cluster, (ii) study the vulnerabilities, attack entry points, and security challenges of IIoT devices, (iii) investigate the state-of-the-art techniques in cyber-security and potential stakeholders, (iv) study the viability of further investments, and (v) develop a workplan for creating the cluster. The envisioned outcomes of this project will benefit Canada by creating job opportunities and commercial entities locally, training high-quality personnel and experts to build the cyber-security capacity of Canada in the future, facilitating the security of IIoT devices utilized in Canadian industry, and developing new policies, standards, services, and products, to increase the national cyber-security baseline.