Cybersecurity Initiative Flanders Strategic Research Programme
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VR 2019 1312 DOC.1235/5 Cybersecurity Initiative Flanders Strategic Research Programme July 2019 Contributing Authors: Bart De Decker, Bart Jacobs, Bart Preneel, Benedikt Gierlichs, Bert Lagaisse, Bjorn De Sutter, Bruno Crispo, Claudia Diaz, Coen De Roover, Cyprien Delpech de Saint Guilhem, Danny De Cock, Danny Hughes, Dave Singelee, Davy Preuveneers, Dimitri Van Landuyt, Dominique Devriese, Elena Andreeva, Elisa Gonzales Boix , Els Kindt, Emmanuela Orsini, Enrique Argones Rua, Frank Piessens, Frederik Vercauteren, Ingrid Verbauwhede, Jan Tobias Mühlberg, Koen Yskout, Lieven Desmet, Nele Mentens, Nigel Smart, Peggy Valcke, Pieter Maene, Sam Michiels, Stijn Volckaert, Svetla Nikova, Vincent Naessens, Vincent Rijmen, Wolfgang De Meuter, Wouter Castryck, Wouter Joosen Cybersecurity Initiative Flanders- Strategic Research Programme Page 2 | Introduction Cybersecurity Initiative Flanders - Strategic Research Programme 1. Introduction Context and Motivation: Cybersecurity, Challenge and Opportunity While the digital transformation has a strongly increasing and positive impact on our society and our economy, the lack of adequate cybersecurity in our systems, platforms and services can lead to major dangers, risks and problems. More and more information is being collected and analyzed, leading to significant efficiency gains and new applications. In cyber-physical systems, this results in far-reaching automation with, among other things, autonomous robots, cars and drones. The entire infrastructure of society is also being transformed; we get smarter cities (smart cities), smart transport systems (smart transport) and smart electricity grids (smart grids), smarter hospital facilities, etc. This transformation affects all sectors, both within the government (general policy, education and health, infrastructure, police, defense) and within the private industry: critical infrastructure, transport, manufacturing, financial sector, media, health sector. They are and will all be more competitive and strengthened thanks to digital transformations, but they are also vulnerable. In addition to the far-reaching and limitless possibilities, this digital transformation indeed brings important new risks. Addressing these cybersecurity risks will be essential for economic success in the forthcoming decades. The cybersecurity risks continuously increase because of the following evolution: (1) As cybercrime becomes more and more attractive and rewarding for malicious organizations, its impact grows with the size of the digital economy. Consequently, the attacks and attackers become more specialized. The cybercrime threat has evolved from break-ins carried out by individuals with simple tools, to sophisticated attacks carried out by organized crime, hacktivists, specialized companies, and nation states. This is not restricted to the passive collection of information (for industrial espionage, among other things) but also actively hacking into systems and creating physical damage (e.g., Wannacry, and attacks on the electricity network in Ukraine in 2015), as well as global hybrid threats. A complex ecosystem has developed in which malicious actors specialize in various aspects of cybercrime. 2) Cybercriminals exploit large scale attack infrastructures. By using networks and mechanisms for automatic distribution, it becomes feasible to attack a large number of systems from any location (e.g., the 2016 Mirai botnet). Attribution is very complex. There is also an important problem of proliferation: attacks with sophisticated malware executed by nation states may leave traces. Subsequently, organized crime or other nation states can exploit such malware. (3) The digital platforms, services and assets that we need to protect also increase in complexity – which obviously makes protection more difficult. Modern digital services are very complex and interdependent systems, created through a complex and international supply chain. This means that it is impossible to make such systems perfectly secure: due to the complexity and the dynamism there are always minor errors, which necessitates regular updates that require a complex governance. At the same time, many systems contain deliberate loopholes. (4) The societal challenge goes far beyond the battle between attackers and defenders/guardians. The explosion of the use of computer systems and networks (smartphones, smart cameras, industrial IoT, implantable medical devices, ...) and the sharply decreasing cost of collecting and processing information result in important new privacy risks. For example, the number of data leaks increases exponentially1. These risks are not only a threat to human rights (the right to privacy is recognized by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 7 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union), but also the democracy and the rule of law (interference of nation states in elections via social media). In addition, they also pose a security problem: data protection is essential to guarantee safety for citizens as well as governments. 1 http://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/worlds-biggest-data-breaches-hacks/ Introduction|Page 3 Cybersecurity Initiative Flanders- Strategic Research Programme Internationally leading cybersecurity competence is available in Flanders (see Annex 1). Flanders can therefore meet this challenge, also in the context of a growing international competition. Fortunately, cybersecurity does not only present a challenge, but it also creates an opportunity with economic benefits. As a starting point, the creation of a secure infrastructure (for transport, communication, data storage, etc.) is essential for the economic development of Flanders and becomes an important competitive advantage. The industry is increasingly evolving towards a model that strongly relies on the combination of online services, software and hardware: cybersecurity becomes an essential component of all products and services, but it is also of great importance to prevent the theft of intellectual property. To meet the complex challenges, there is a need for intensive cooperation according to the triple helix innovation model: academia, government and industry each have an important role to play. The challenges mentioned above necessitate investments in research, development and implementation, application, innovation and valorization – the entire chain from basic research to effective services in the market – and far beyond common practice. This is illustrated by the realizations and policy decisions in our neighboring countries. Specifically for this case of cybersecurity, there are a number of important elements: 1) Studies have shown that there are major market failures2 in the area of cybersecurity and privacy: this means that technology users are not prepared to pay more for more secure solutions and the industry investments are insufficient. This implies that the government must intervene, or at least play a supporting and leading role, by playing an active role in stimulating advanced research and innovation. A Cybersecurity Programme for Flanders must therefore further develop, manage, distribute and share high- level competence in cybersecurity. In an advanced research program, specialized and critical cybersecurity knowledge must be continuously enhanced and maintained, transformed and proven applicable in collaboration with industry, and disseminated with specialized stakeholders. 2) The cybersecurity problem is an international phenomenon. The Flemish economy relies for a large part on hardware, software and ICT services that are produced abroad. We cannot solve the problems locally / regionally – but we can be a strong player and play a central role in the larger European picture. A Cybersecurity Programme for Flanders must strengthen the core competences, stay comprehensive (“we leave no flank unprotected”) while reaching out to industry to ensure applicability of knowledge and technology, and to operate with an up-to-date prioritization of topics in cybersecurity. At the same time, collaboration and synchronization with other leading labs in Europe will ensure that Flanders invests in its strengths in cybersecurity, while creating synergy and collaboration with other leading centers in Europe thus avoiding unproductive duplication of efforts. 3) A number of studies show that there is an important shortage of experts in cybersecurity in all countries. This seems only the beginning of a dangerous evolution. Where this is a (possibly personal) economic opportunity for the limited group of experts in the short term, this will represent a dramatic social and economic risk in the long term. That is why we advocate strengthening knowledge and expertise in an environment where education and training are part of the core business. A Cybersecurity Programme for Flanders will therefore invest in a rich portfolio of cybersecurity trainings building an offering for different audiences in terms of existing competence levels, as well as focus areas. This training must be backed by state-of-the-art knowledge and competence made available by the top-level academic groups that are present in Flanders. The aim of this document is to present at a high-level, the Strategic Programme for Cybersecurity Research in Flanders. This Programme has to deliver impactful solutions to real-world challenges, while starting from and building upon academic excellence. The execution of the Programme has to strengthen existing core competences in cybersecurity