INTERSECTION


Project details:

Total cost

EUR 4 591 845

EU contribution

EUR 2 900 000

Coordinated in

Italy

Call for proposal

FP7-ICT-2007-1See other projects for this call

Funding scheme

CP – Collaborative project (generic)

Description

INTERSECTION (INfrastructure for heTErogeneous, Resilient, SEcure, Complex, Tightly Inter-Operating Networks) aims at enhancing the European potential in the field of security by assuring the protection of heterogeneous networks and infrastructures. The project will focus on vulnerabilities at the intersection points between different interoperating network providers.

INTERSECTION will design and implement an integrated security framework made of different subsystems and components providing network and infrastructure security. A working prototype will be implemented to be used as final demonstrator of specific scenarios. Involved end-users will share information on attacks and malfunctions, validate obtained results and host the demonstrator.

INTERSECTION will also contribute to standardisation in order to foster multi-operator interoperability and coordinated strategies for securing networked systems. Security metrics for assessment and certification of network infrastructures and systems will be defined.

In order to achieve its objectives, INTERSECTION has identified the following technical areas of work:

  • Analysis and classification of vulnerabilities of heterogeneous networks
  • Requirements analysis and design of an integrated framework comprising different security tools.
  • Development of techniques and tools for increasing security and resilience of networked systems.
  • Integration of the developed tools and their validation.
  • Standardization and definition of security metrics.

A prototype of the security framework will be released during the project. It will be used to build a final demonstrator showing specific scenarios and will be validated by both the INTERSECTION partners playing the role of end-users and the members of Group of Experts supporting the project.

Objective

INTERSECTION project aims to enhance the European potential in the field of security by assuring the protection of heterogeneous networks and infrastructures.
INTERSECTION will design and implement an integrated security framework made of different subsystems and components providing network and infrastructure security. A working prototype will be implemented to be used as final demonstrator of specific scenarios. Involved end users will share information on attacks and malfunctions, validate obtained results and host the demonstrator, thus enhancing the effectiveness of such multidisciplinary consortium. INTERSECTION will also contribute to standardisation process in order to foster multi-operator interoperability and coordinated strategies for securing networked systems. Security metrics for assessment and certification of network infrastructures and systems will be defined.

In order to achieve its objectives, INTERSECTION has identified the following areas of work:

1.State of the art analysis
2.Analysis and classification of vulnerabilities of heterogeneous networks
3.Requirements analysis and design of an integrated framework comprising different security tools.
4.Development of techniques and tools for increasing security and resilience of networked systems.
5.Integration of the developed tools and their validation.
6.Standardization and definition of security metrics
7.Dissemination, exploitation and IPR management

As previously mentioned, a prototype of the security framework will be released during the project. It will be used to build a final demonstrator showing specific scenarios and will be validated by both the INTERSECTION partners playing the role of end users and the members of Group of Experts supporting the proposal.

INTERSECTION (INfrastructure for heTErogeneous, Resilient, SEcure, Complex, Tightly Inter-Operating Networks) is a Collaborative Project co-funded by the European Commission in the context of the Seventh Framework Programme under the Area 5 subprogramme: “Security, Privacy and Trust in the Future Internet”, whose overarching challenges are: The creation of a trustworthy and resilient Future Internet as a conglomerate of networks and systems, with built-in security, dependability, privacy and trust Enabling users to understand security, privacy and trust in the Future Internet by providing usable and credible support protecting their data and privacy, thus allowing them to make informed decisions on the trustworthiness of information, services, social contacts and services.

 

 

The INTERSECTION project is aimed at enhancing the European potential in the field of security by assuring the protection of heterogeneous networks and infrastructures. The project will focus on vulnerabilities at the intersection points between different interoperating network providers.

 

 

 

The Project

The increasing complexity and heterogeneity of the communication networks used to connect components also increases their level of vulnerability. Furthermore, the progressive move away from dedicated communications infrastructures and proprietary networked components, together with the growing adoption of IP-based solutions, exposes critical information infrastructures to cyber attacks coming from the Internet. These infrastructures are characterised by a vulnerability level similar to other systems connected to the Internet, but the socio-economic impact of their failure can be enormous. Therefore, it becomes extremely important to strongly protect network infrastructures from attacks and failures in order to ensure the secure end-to-end transmission of control information generated by critical systems. The main objective of the INTERSECTION project is to design and implement an integrated framework able to:
  • Detect anomalous events;
  • React to well-known, as well as to new forms of anomalies;
  • Deploy truly distributed countermeasures against evolving threats;
  • Provide mechanisms for intrusion tolerance to reduce the likelihood of intrusions generating system failures.
The INTERSECTION project is identifying and classifying vulnerabilities related to interconnections between telecom providers (wired, wireless, satellite, mobile networks), as well as providing key action points for overcoming them. A European vulnerability database is being designed to hold this information and make it easily accessible. The project is developing innovative techniques for anomaly and intrusion detection, intrusion tolerance and topology discovery. In addition it is identifying possible countermeasures (i.e. tools, methods). INTERSECTION is also contributing to standardisation in order to foster multioperator interoperability and coordinated strategies for securing networked systems. To assist with this, metrics for assessment and certification of network infrastructures and security systems are being defined.

 

The Consortium

The INTERSECTION project is being carried out by a consortium, consisting of a set of companies and research institutions with complementary skills in both communication networks and security, coordinated by Elsag Datamat.
Two of the INTERSECTION partners (CINI and Fraunhofer) are research centres already working in the area of traffic monitoring and network resiliency, two (ULANC and ETH ZURICH) are universities with a long track record in the area of network and information security. Four partners are industries, out of which one is SME (Small-Medium Enterprise), with a strong R&D expertise in network monitoring and security, in the field of distributed monitor and control systems and in the area of information system security. The remaining partners (TID, TSP, and ERA) are communication network and infrastructure operators and play the role of potential end-users of project results.

 

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