Cybersecurity in Smart Traffic

Nowadays, almost everyone carries a smartphone in their pocket, and an increasing number of people also wear a smartwatch on their wrist. The march of smart technologies is visible everywhere, and the rapid development of software, sensor, and automation technologies extends to solutions for mobility.

In everyday road traffic, we encounter intelligent infrastructure, and digitization is advancing rapidly in this field as well. However, as with all digitalization, intelligent transportation faces threats. Smart traffic is no exception. For example, if a cyberattack targets a vehicle’s location sensors, hacking could distort the vehicle’s perception of its position relative to another object or obstacle.

If transport systems are compromised by criminal hacking, it could lead to delays in deliveries or widespread halts in transportation, which in turn may result in increased costs and expensive, prolonged recovery efforts.

In addition to economic impacts, a cyberattack on intelligent transportation infrastructure could pose severe risks to public safety. Transportation systems now play an essential role in emergency services, military logistics, and energy sector operations. A targeted attack on these areas could jeopardize their services, potentially leading to a broader crisis with implications for national security.

Intelligent transportation infrastructure presents unique cybersecurity challenges. Therefore, autonomous vehicles and smart traffic infrastructure must be designed and built in such a way as to make hacking as difficult as possible. At the same time, the individuals working in traffic management, control, and related roles should not be overlooked. These personnel must be sufficiently skilled to monitor operations and respond to unusual situations. When necessary, they should be capable of isolating compromised systems and restoring normal operations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration emphasizes that ongoing cybersecurity training for those working with intelligent transportation infrastructure is the most critical factor in maintaining safety. NHTSA encourages all stakeholders in intelligent transportation to collaborate and develop educational programs in partnership with universities to promote cybersecurity in the field of smart traffic. As transportation becomes increasingly digitalized in Finland as well, Centria University of Applied Sciences has a role to play in this endeavor.

Do you want to know more? Read (in Finnish) about this topic in Centria Bulletin:
https://centriabulletin.fi/alyliikenteen-tietoturvasta/

Centria Bulletin (ISSN 2489-3714) is an online journal where the article was first published.

Tom Tuunainen
R&D Developer
Centria University of Applied Sciences
Tel. +358 40 681 7207

References

Darktrace. 2025. Cybersecurity in transportation. Available at: https://darktrace.com/cyber-ai-glossary/cybersecurity-in-transportation

Khan, S. K., Shiwakoti, N. & Stasinopoulos, P. 2022. A conceptual system dynamics model for cybersecurity assessment of connected and autonomous vehicles. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 165, 106515. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2021.106515

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 2022. Cybersecurity Best Practices for the Safety of Modern Vehicles. Available at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2022-09/cybersecurity-best-practices-safety-modern-vehicles-2022-tag.pdf