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

根据Strategy Analytics网站的数据，截至2018年底，有220亿台设备连接到互联网，预计到2025年这一数字将增长到400亿。然而，近年来物联网（IoT）设备的激增导致了网络攻击的出现。这一问题的严重性是，在2017年，67%拥有关键基础设施的公司至少遭受了一次攻击。因此，确保关键基础设施和物联网设备的安全是必须解决的迫切需求。在此基础上，奥里利亚市打算利用湖首大学的网络安全专业知识，为奥里利亚和该地区开发一个网络安全集群进行可行性和风险分析，重点是工业物联网（IIoT）技术。更具体地说，该项目旨在（i）研究IIoT作为集群发展的协调中心的可行性，（ii）研究IIoT设备的脆弱性，攻击入口点和安全挑战，（iii）调查网络安全和潜在利益相关者的最新技术，（iv）研究进一步投资的可行性，以及（v）制定创建集群的工作计划。该项目的预期成果将使加拿大受益，包括在当地创造就业机会和商业实体，培训高素质的人员和专家，以建立加拿大未来的网络安全能力，促进加拿大工业中使用的IIoT设备的安全，以及开发新的政策，标准，服务和产品，以提高国家网络安全基线。

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.