I527-290 ESRIF Final Report (WEB).indd - European Commission

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2.6.4 Information Technologies and Communications
As outlined before, the computation power (in terms of speed and bandwidth, e.g. improvement upon quantum
computer technologies, etc.) and methodology (i.e. correlation capability) needs to be continuously enhanced. At the
moment, correlation/data mining methodologies are unable to keep the pace of data generation, thus hampering the
benefi t of higher computation speeds. Making sense of vast amounts of data – and getting the result to security forces in
the fi eld - will be key to successful security policy in the future. Plus, these systems and the internet, need to be protected
from illegitimate access to data (i.e. hacking, code-breaking) by means of continuously improved encryption, and will be
required on an ongoing basis.
Special Emphasis in security related research should be placed on ICT security. Especially in CI, ICT infrastructure
represents a core tool for communications and management; sometimes the CI is dependent on ICT infrastructure itself
(CII). Indeed, our societies will continue to be extremely dependent upon technologies and computers in particular,
engendering vulnerability to ICT disruption/data theft/hijacking/spoofi ng, etc. Europe therefore needs to make ICT systems
more secure (i.e. multilayered ICT security).
Secure and eff ective data mining and correlation methodologies and technologies need to be developed. The
exponentially increasing amount of data available, plus more detailed information as sensors improve, urgently requires this
capability – which is a clear gap today. We need investment in secure, high-performance and high-integrity computing in
order to attain this capability.
With the flow of vast amounts of information that are ideally filtered, layered and accessible comes the requirement
for new man-machine interfaces that enable intuitive, rapid access to data. What is needed are interfaces that either
optimise existing access and interfacing methodologies or explore novel ways and means, i.e. more effective use of
visual control, voice control or direct mind-machine interfaces. The range of applications for this is immense, from
systemic control and monitoring functions to command and control of security forces to cyberspace intervention
and action.
This ICT security related research needs to refl ect the enormous speed of ICT product lifecycles: The average
today is fi ve years and the speed is accelerating. Research into solutions and migration eff orts therefore need to be equally
fast, fl exible, non-bureaucratic and exploratory where no obvious solution exists. This also refers to ICT threats, which are
equally rapid in evolution and require similar speeds in countermeasures. We need a culture of experimentation and
WG2 strongly recommends a concentrated eff ort to monitor and extrapolate ICT developments for their positive and
negative eff ects.
The majority of ICT hardware commonly available is manufactured outside of Europe. A deterioration of political relations
could easily result in this fl ow stopping, or hitherto unknown hardware manipulations being used against Europe. While
this is a case example for a critical manufacturing capability, the importance of equipping security-essential
systems with absolutely trusted hardware and software, should not be underestimated.
2.6.5 Command and Control
Security agencies across Europe will depend even more on rapid command and communication technologies. Current
and near-future solutions are interoperable to a limited extent as their bandwidth is too low and they are neither hardened
nor completely secure against software hacking. This will refl ect on network hard- and soft-wired security, protocols and
control overrides. Secure, broadband professional mobile radio or software defi ned radio solutions of the next
generation should be developed (e.g. cognitive radio technologies).
Both public and private CI operators need to be fully aware of the state of their systems at any point in time. Therefore,
the more specifi c recommendations regarding sensors, tracing and communications means need to be integrated
into state of the art command and control systems that are linked to related and neighbouring systems and
security services (e.g. police, crisis management, etc). This calls for technological as well as procedural and regulatory
harmonisation.
To better protect space assets against any kind of space-borne threat (e.g. space debris, ASAT threats, etc.), a dedicated
European Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capability should be developed. This not only entails developing
awareness, but also enhancing controlled and autonomous evasion capabilities. Since this requirement would surpass
most national capabilities, a real European added value can be achieved.
The importance of the attainment of institutional integration within states and between states as a prerequisite for functional
command and control demands security research into its political and societal aspects.
ESRIF FINAL REPORT - PART 2 • Working Group: Security of Critical Infrastructures