INVESTIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF SECURING INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) DEVICES IN SMART HOMES AND CITIES AGAINST CYBER THREATS

Abstract

The increasing integration of Internet of Things technologies into smart homes and smart cities has transformed urban living and infrastructure management, while simultaneously introducing critical cybersecurity challenges. This study investigates these challenges using a mixed-methods experimental methodology that combines qualitative analysis with quantitative evaluation of IoT security performance. An experimental testbed was developed to simulate smart home and smart city environments, enabling the assessment of key performance and security metrics under multiple cyber-attack scenarios. The results reveal that resource-constrained and heterogeneous IoT devices are highly susceptible to attacks that significantly impact latency, energy consumption, packet loss, and overall system reliability. Quantitative findings demonstrate that layered security mechanisms, including lightweight encryption, adaptive intrusion detection, and gateway-level defenses, substantially improve attack detection accuracy and system robustness with manageable overhead. Qualitative analysis further highlights persistent issues related to interoperability, governance, and privacy that exacerbate cybersecurity risks at scale. Collectively, the results indicate that no single security solution is sufficient; instead, an integrated, multi-layered, and adaptive cybersecurity approach is essential for protecting smart home and smart city infrastructures. This study provides empirical evidence and strategic insights to inform the design of resilient IoT security frameworks capable of addressing both technical and organizational challenges in increasingly interconnected environments.