| Connecting The DOTs
| Technology Profile
by Kirk Steudle
It’s time to make security an
infrastructure mindset, not
an afterthought
“Infrastructure security
must be made a priority
from the smallest
components to the larger
networked systems”
March/April 2020 Traffic Technology International 063
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
Among the pressures of
getting transportation
projects completed on
time and on budget, infrastructure security
can often be an afterthought. Such details
are often left to contractors, who in turn
leave it to the vendors, who leave it up to
their component providers, and so on.
The onslaught of connected and
automated vehicles (CAV), the internet of
things (IoT), and vehicle-to-everything
(V2X) technologies coming into
transportation systems have changed
this scenario. The integration of wireless
communications with increasingly
network-connected traffic systems now
magnifies how each system exposes the
security vulnerabilities of the others. We
can’t just rely on a traffic cabinet key for
infrastructure security. We must make
security a mindset – especially as more
and more CAV systems come online.
Infrastructure security must be made
a priority from the smallest components to
the larger networked systems, and as an
ongoing standard operating procedure.
Why? Because modern traffic management
systems integrate with a multitude of other
systems and subsystems, including CAV,
monitoring and surveillance, and transit
and emergency management. The
vulnerabilities will only increase with the
integration into more Smart City systems.
It starts with the physical security of all
hardware equipment and operational
facilities. The goal should be to detect and
prevent physical intrusion into the devices
and computers that are part of the
infrastructure, including traffic cabinets
and other electronic devices at traffic
intersections. It’s important for
transportation agencies to consider
securing traffic cabinets with electronic
locks. They can be programmed to provide
credentials for designated users with the
option of enforcing schedule-based access,
with all access events recorded.
Traffic controllers, conflict monitors,
sensors, roadside units, and other endpoint
devices in an ITS network should be
routinely checked for software updates,
malware, and other vulnerabilities. All
critical devices should be routinely backed
up, with regular testing to ensure that it is
working when needed.
We also need to take a layered approach,
just like securing personal valuables. Often
we have multiple locks, an alarm system
and even a safe. Similarly, our infrastructure
network should include multiple layers of
defense, starting at the edge of the network
and implemented at various internal levels
within it. Securing the network perimeter is
fundamental. Devices like firewalls and
smart firewalls should be used to restrict
and monitor inbound and outbound traffic.
Being security conscious means closely
monitoring and controlling access to all
critical resources and systems of the
network. The industry, including vendors,
integrators, contractors, and agencies, has
a critical role in ensuring the security of the
entire transport management industry. As
the components and systems expose one
another’s vulnerabilities, we must ensure
our ecosystem is safe and secure as
possible. Together, I believe we can get
there. Until next time, travel safe.
Kirk Steudle is senior vice president of Econolite and
former director of Michigan DOT. He can be reached
at KSteudle@econolite.com
Left: Rows of
Intercomp WIM
sensors
sensor matches the performance
of two, three, or four rows with
Class 10F certification up to
100km/h. Class 5E certification
with four rows up to 40km/h
delivers performance at low
to medium speeds.
Adding their LS-WIM Axle
Scale with OIML R134 Class 2,
and a pending certification for
LS630-WIM scales, Intercomp
has multiple options for WIM
users that require certified
scales. Basing products on strain
gauge technology, Intercomp
leverages the inherent internal
temperature compensation,
position insensitivity, and long
term stability to meet the WIM
certifications wherever their
products may be tested. Please
visit us at Intertraffic Amsterdam
2020 in Hall 12 to discuss our
certified products.
| Free reader
inquiry service
Intercomp
To learn more about this advertiser, please
visit: www.magupdate.co.uk/ptti
/www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
/ptti
link