INTEGRATION OF INTERNET OF THINGS TECHNOLOGIES INTO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE CYBERPROTECTION SYSTEMS

Abstract

The problem of studying the opportunities and risks of integrating the Internet of Things into critical infrastructure security systems is extremely relevant, as it involves a comprehensive analysis of the benefits and challenges that arise during the implementation of innovative technologies in the security sector. On the one hand, the Internet of Things opens up great opportunities for automating security processes, increasing the effectiveness of monitoring and responding to threats in real time, and on the other hand, this technology carries with it new risks associated with the vulnerability of devices to cyber threats, ethical issues of using autonomous systems and problems of integrating various technologies into a single secure ecosystem. To solve this problem, the article achieves the following results. Existing research in the field of critical infrastructure cybersecurity and the Internet of Things as a common secure ecosystem is analyzed. Literature sources are classified into three areas: cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, cybersecurity of Internet of Things environments and research in common areas. The lack of a holistic approach in joint research of interconnected critical infrastructure environments and the Internet of Things has been identified. The fundamental goals and their priority for cybersecurity of critical infrastructure and the Internet of Things as a single system have been proven, based on the classic CIA triad (confidentiality, integrity, availability), however, the priority of fundamental cybersecurity goals in the processes of integrating Internet of Things technologies into critical structures should be carried out in the following order: safety of people and the environment, availability, integrity, resilience and recovery, confidentiality. The main Internet of Things technologies used in critical infrastructure have been investigated and a structured security system in the form of interconnected components has been provided, which allows creating integrated security systems, reducing the impact of the human factor, ensuring rapid response to incidents, optimizing security costs, and increasing the overall level of security of facilities. Innovative cybersecurity solutions in the critical infrastructure sector are substantiated: systems based on artificial intelligence and machine learning (analysis of network and device behavior, automatic response to incidents); decentralized security management to ensure confidentiality and data integrity based on blockchain technology; quantum methods for data encryption and key distribution in secure communication networks; zero-trust architecture and cloud security systems (confidential computing, secure access to the service, cloud application protection platforms). Innovations in critical infrastructure cybersecurity allow: to reduce the time to detect and respond to attacks; to increase resistance to targeted attacks; to integrate environment protection into a single strategy. Existing information security standardization systems for critical infrastructure protection are analyzed by technical level and availability of certification schemes. Standards for the Internet of Things and distributed critical infrastructure systems are becoming a mandatory element of cyber protection. They provide unified requirements for the security of devices, networks and processes. They ensure the integration of devices and systems, increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure to modern cyber threats.