A review of cybersecurity in smart cities and intelligent transport systems

The increasing uptake of digital technologies in smart cities and intelligent transport systems (ITS), has increased associated cybersecurity concerns, with cyber threats on critical infrastructure, public safety, and data privacy. This bibliometric analysis studies cybersecurity research in smart cities and ITS over the last ten years (2015–2025) through 170 relevant documents retrieved from Scopus database. It focusses on research themes that include cybersecurity risk management, AI-driven threat detection, IoT security in urban environments, policy and governance frameworks, and resilience strategies against cyber threats. The use of blockchain technology in a decentralized way for maintaining data integrity, secure communication, and transparent transaction validation among smart city networks has particularly become a major concern. A pattern of trend of publication suggests an increase in research on cybersecurity issues after 2020 with greater interdisciplinary collaborations, data encryption, real-time anomaly detection, and regulatory compliance. Research studies continue to highlight persistent challenges in IoT device vulnerabilities and the lack of a standardized security protocol for securing large-scale urban networks. The results also tend towards AI-enhanced security models, blockchain-based authentication mechanisms, and policy-driven cybersecurity frameworks. Future research directions include quantum-resistant cryptographic solutions, AI-driven predictive security models, and cross-sector regulatory initiatives that can enhance cybersecurity resilience in smart urban infrastructures.