Final Report Summary - SECRET (SECurity of Railways against Electromagnetic aTtacks)
Executive Summary:
Main objectives
The project SECRET aims to assess the risks and consequences of EM attacks on the rail infrastructure, to identify preventive and recovery measures and to develop protection solutions to ensure the security of the rail network, subject to intentional electromagnetic (EM) interferences, which can disturb a large number of command-control, communication or signalling systems.
The objectives are to:
Identify critical scenarios of EM attacks and to evaluate the consequences thanks to risks analysis and attack experiment on railway infrastructure
Develop equipment protection and resilient command-control and communication architecture to such attacks, including detection devices of EM attacks and management processes in order to completely defeat the effect of attack or to facilitate the return to normal conditions
Produce technical recommendations to reinforce the railway infrastructure.
Description of work
SECRET will develop innovative solutions to reinforce the infrastructure and to prevent the European railway from the EM vulnerability resulting from the harmonisation process. This requires development of technologies in compliance with ERTMS and production of technical recommendations improving the European standardisation and the railway infrastructure resiliency.
The work plan of the project extends over 36 months and is structured in five work packages in charge of the technical works:
First, WP1 is dedicated to the threat analysis and risks assessment in terms of EM attacks scenarios, impacts and EM attack devices. These outputs aim to provide a clear view of the criticality of the railway infrastructure to policy makers.
WP2, WP3 and WP4 are focused on the innovative solutions to be implemented in order to protect the railways against EM attacks.
WP5 aims at producing the specifications and technical recommendations dedicated to European standardisation bodies.
WP6, WP7 and WP8 are respectively in charge of the dissemination, the project technical management and the administrative and financial management.
Added value
European added value:
Support to the Interoperability of the European Railway network This project will provide the EM robustness and resilience that GSM-R and ETCS lack to advance,the harmonization of the European network.
Improve the European standardization and harmonization The works and results of this project will be a broken down form of technical recommendations that will be presented to the European standardization bodies.
Starting date
1st August 2012
Duration
40 Months
Project Context and Objectives:
Cyber threats are an increasing concern for every business. Barely a week goes by without new reports of sophisticated IT systems – even of the largest organisations or intelligence services – falling victim to cyber attacks. It was therefore important to check what further precautions could be taken within the railway sector should the need arise.
The SECRET EU project addresses the issue of electro-magnetic attacks targeting rail infrastructure and contributes to reinforce the signalling systems. The electro-magnetic attacks considered in SECRET are low power intentional interferences that can break the communication links and affect voice communication and the good transmission of signalling information.
The SECRET consortium and its 10 members came together to assess the risks and consequences of electromagnetic (EM) attacks on the rail infrastructure, to identify preventive and recovery measures and to develop protection solutions to ensure the security of the rail network, subject to intentional EM interferences, which can disturb a large number of command-control, communication or signalling systems.
Project Results:
cf attached deliverable D8.2 + White Paper
Potential Impact:
The project illustrated the risk by implementing some electromagnetic attacks and analyzing their effects, thereby inciting the different railway actors to work together to strengthen the resilience of a system that must remain effective and safe for the serenity of our society.
Then the project opened ways to resilience solutions regarding this type of attack. Preferring to avoid unconstructive and alarming rhetoric, which is unjustified as the European railway system is above all a very safe means of transport, the project identified and proposed strategies in which each actor would be able to inspire itself in order to act towards resilience.
The strategies developed mainly concern:
- The tests that can be performed to assess the susceptibility of individual network components dealing with intentional interferences and allowing each designer, integrator or operator to build, evaluate and compare the susceptibility of these products.
- The methods of detection of electromagnetic attacks that are essential for several reasons: Detecting is to be able to demonstrate that we have been a victim of an electromagnetic attack, detecting avoids confusing an electromagnetic attack with a technical failure which could unduly jeopardize the operator, who could initiate unnecessary diagnostic inquiries. And, finally a reliable detection can instigate a fast and appropriate reaction to the threat.
- The resilient architecture which is a compulsory issue when we consider a critical infrastructure which is a network. The resilient architecture has to ensure the maintenance of communication for the transmission of critical information, thus maintaining the control of the network. We worked on an adapted architecture permitting us to assess the impact of certain technological solutions on reliability and responsiveness.
Target group for the project
The project main targets are
- Rail manufacturers
- Rail operators
- Rail Infrastructure Manager
- Standardization Bodies
List of Websites:
http://www.secret-project.eu/
Main objectives
The project SECRET aims to assess the risks and consequences of EM attacks on the rail infrastructure, to identify preventive and recovery measures and to develop protection solutions to ensure the security of the rail network, subject to intentional electromagnetic (EM) interferences, which can disturb a large number of command-control, communication or signalling systems.
The objectives are to:
Identify critical scenarios of EM attacks and to evaluate the consequences thanks to risks analysis and attack experiment on railway infrastructure
Develop equipment protection and resilient command-control and communication architecture to such attacks, including detection devices of EM attacks and management processes in order to completely defeat the effect of attack or to facilitate the return to normal conditions
Produce technical recommendations to reinforce the railway infrastructure.
Description of work
SECRET will develop innovative solutions to reinforce the infrastructure and to prevent the European railway from the EM vulnerability resulting from the harmonisation process. This requires development of technologies in compliance with ERTMS and production of technical recommendations improving the European standardisation and the railway infrastructure resiliency.
The work plan of the project extends over 36 months and is structured in five work packages in charge of the technical works:
First, WP1 is dedicated to the threat analysis and risks assessment in terms of EM attacks scenarios, impacts and EM attack devices. These outputs aim to provide a clear view of the criticality of the railway infrastructure to policy makers.
WP2, WP3 and WP4 are focused on the innovative solutions to be implemented in order to protect the railways against EM attacks.
WP5 aims at producing the specifications and technical recommendations dedicated to European standardisation bodies.
WP6, WP7 and WP8 are respectively in charge of the dissemination, the project technical management and the administrative and financial management.
Added value
European added value:
Support to the Interoperability of the European Railway network This project will provide the EM robustness and resilience that GSM-R and ETCS lack to advance,the harmonization of the European network.
Improve the European standardization and harmonization The works and results of this project will be a broken down form of technical recommendations that will be presented to the European standardization bodies.
Starting date
1st August 2012
Duration
40 Months
Project Context and Objectives:
Cyber threats are an increasing concern for every business. Barely a week goes by without new reports of sophisticated IT systems – even of the largest organisations or intelligence services – falling victim to cyber attacks. It was therefore important to check what further precautions could be taken within the railway sector should the need arise.
The SECRET EU project addresses the issue of electro-magnetic attacks targeting rail infrastructure and contributes to reinforce the signalling systems. The electro-magnetic attacks considered in SECRET are low power intentional interferences that can break the communication links and affect voice communication and the good transmission of signalling information.
The SECRET consortium and its 10 members came together to assess the risks and consequences of electromagnetic (EM) attacks on the rail infrastructure, to identify preventive and recovery measures and to develop protection solutions to ensure the security of the rail network, subject to intentional EM interferences, which can disturb a large number of command-control, communication or signalling systems.
Project Results:
cf attached deliverable D8.2 + White Paper
Potential Impact:
The project illustrated the risk by implementing some electromagnetic attacks and analyzing their effects, thereby inciting the different railway actors to work together to strengthen the resilience of a system that must remain effective and safe for the serenity of our society.
Then the project opened ways to resilience solutions regarding this type of attack. Preferring to avoid unconstructive and alarming rhetoric, which is unjustified as the European railway system is above all a very safe means of transport, the project identified and proposed strategies in which each actor would be able to inspire itself in order to act towards resilience.
The strategies developed mainly concern:
- The tests that can be performed to assess the susceptibility of individual network components dealing with intentional interferences and allowing each designer, integrator or operator to build, evaluate and compare the susceptibility of these products.
- The methods of detection of electromagnetic attacks that are essential for several reasons: Detecting is to be able to demonstrate that we have been a victim of an electromagnetic attack, detecting avoids confusing an electromagnetic attack with a technical failure which could unduly jeopardize the operator, who could initiate unnecessary diagnostic inquiries. And, finally a reliable detection can instigate a fast and appropriate reaction to the threat.
- The resilient architecture which is a compulsory issue when we consider a critical infrastructure which is a network. The resilient architecture has to ensure the maintenance of communication for the transmission of critical information, thus maintaining the control of the network. We worked on an adapted architecture permitting us to assess the impact of certain technological solutions on reliability and responsiveness.
Target group for the project
The project main targets are
- Rail manufacturers
- Rail operators
- Rail Infrastructure Manager
- Standardization Bodies
List of Websites:
http://www.secret-project.eu/
