Enhancing Cybersecurity in Public Transportation

As transportation infrastructure continues to expand from isolated nodes to large interconnected networks, cybersecurity is a critical concern for transit agencies. This report provides recommendations and suggested policies for transit agencies that may help reduce cybersecurity liabilities. The recommendations are informed by a literature review of existing vulnerabilities, a survey of Florida transit agencies, a taxonomy of transit technologies, outcomes of cybersecurity working groups and workshops, and hands-on analyses of several technologies, all of which were conducted as part of this project. Existing vulnerabilities were discovered in literature for connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, electronic ticketing systems, traffic signal controllers, traffic signal priority, and dynamic message signs. Survey participants ranked employee training as the biggest challenge to implementing good cybersecurity practices. The taxonomy of transit technologies was based on five dimensions: extent of deployment in Florida, mode of transportation, functionality, responsible organizations, and liabilities. The report also includes the results of the cybersecurity working group meetings and workshops held during the project and provides a detailed analysis of a vulnerability discovered in a Florida mobile fare payment application by the research team. Important areas of future work include further examining mobile fare payment apps, onboard Wi-Fi, and traffic controller equipment, as well as adding cybersecurity components to the existing management plan processes currently established for safety and security in Florida.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.5038/CUTR-NCTR-RR-2018-04
• Record URL:
  https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/research/reports/fdot-bdv25-977-51-rpt.pdf
• 
• Summary URL:
  https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/research/reports/fdot-bdv25-977-51-sum.pdf
• Summary URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/65602
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/62012
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Center for Transit Research

  Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida
  4202 East Fowler Avenue, CUT 100
  Tampa, FL  United States  33620

  Florida Department of Transportation

  605 Suwannee Street
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32399-0450

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Barbeau, Sean J
  • Ligatti, Jay
  • Dennis, Kevin
  • Alibayev, Maxat
• Publication Date: 2019-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 172p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer security; Public transit; Risk assessment; Transit operating agencies; Transit safety
• Geographic Terms: Florida
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01725731
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CUTR-2019-09
• Contract Numbers: BDV25-977-51
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Dec 20 2019 4:23PM