Project description
New tool for small businesses to fight cyberattacks
It is not only big businesses that need to prepare for the threat of cybercrimes. SMEs, which form the backbone of Europe’s economy, also need to boost their cybersecurity. SMEs’ dependency on information technologies and the internet has opened the door to vulnerabilities to cybercrime. The EU-funded GEIGER project will develop an innovative solution for SMEs and microenterprises in Europe. It will make it easier for even the smallest business to assess, monitor and forecast risks and to reduce them. For instance, a special toolbox will allow stepwise do-it-yourself assessment and improvement of security, privacy and data protection with lightweight controls and advice for improved overall protection.
Objective
Our proposed GEIGER will be an innovative solution with associated components and an Education Ecosystem addressing security, privacy and data protection risks of and for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Microenterprises (SMEs&MEs) in Europe. GEIGER will be developed in analogy of a GEIGER counter for detecting atomic radiation threatening human life. The GEIGER solution will be used for assessing, monitoring, and forecasting risks and reducing these risks by improving the SMEs’&MEs’ security with well-curated tools, and an education program targeting practitioners-in-practice as “Certified Security Defenders” bringing security expertise sustainably to SMEs&MEs using existing vocational education frameworks. GEIGER consist of a GEIGER Indicator that dynamically summarizes the current level of risk by evaluating measures undertaken for security defences among the participating SMEs&MEs. The GEIGER Indicator can be personalised by registering the enterprise’s profile and supports GDPR-compliant sharing and exchanging data about incidents. The GEIGER Toolbox allows stepwise do-it-yourself assessment and improvement of the SMEs’&MEs’ security, privacy, and data protection with lightweight controls and advice for improved protection at varied levels of sophistication. The included tools offer endpoint, server, and network protection and guide the SME&ME in a personalised manner in data hygiene, including access and security control, data privacy management, and backup practices. The GEIGER Education Ecosystem offers experimental-based training and cyber range-enabled challenges and will be integrated into curricula of diverse professions of non-ICT experts, offering direct impact on SMEs&MEs through target group-oriented education. The GEIGER solution will be demonstrated in three complementary use cases within three countries. GEIGER will achieve sustainable impact by raising awareness of more than one million SMEs&MEs within a period of 2.5 years after start.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.7. - Secure societies - Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens Main Programme
- H2020-EU.3.7.6. - Ensure privacy and freedom, including in the Internet and enhance the societal, legal and ethical understanding of all areas of security, risk and management
- H2020-EU.3.7.4. - Improve cyber security
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
5210 Windisch
Switzerland