Syssec: A European Network of Excellence in Managing Threats and Vulnerabilities in the Future Internet: Europe for the World (SysSec)

Research Project, 2010 – 2014

Over the past decade we are witnessing an ever-increasing amount of cyberattacks on the Internet.Prolific, ingenious, and ranging in style from large-scale worms to "below the radar" phishing attempts, cyberattacks have evolved to unprecedented levels of sophistication. To counter these cyberattacks, defenders are (mostly) developing safeguards, after the attack was made. In the meantime, while defenders are busy with mending the fences, attackers had already developed and planned their next strike. What we have realized over this past decade is that we are facing an asymmetrical threat: unless addressed, this asymmetrical threat will have us defenders locked into a vicious cycle: chasing after attackers without ever being able to catch up.
We believe that in order to advance the field of cybersecurity, we must act proactively and in synergy to change the rules of the game:instead of being reactive to cyberattacks, we should become proactive. Instead of cleaning after existing(or past) attacks, we should work on predicting threats and vulnerabilities and build our defense before threats materialize.Research combined with effective synergies is critical to realize this game-changing plan and Europe has the expertise and the talent to succeed. SysSec proposes to create a Network of Excellence in the field of Systems Security for Europe to play a leading role in changing the rules of the game. Capitalizing on the results of the currently running FORWARD CSA and building on strong synergies with Industry and Policy makers, SysSec plans: (i) to create a virtual center of excellence, to consolidate the Systems Security research community in Europe, (ii) to promote cybersecurity education, (iii) to engage a think-tank in discovering the threats and vulnerabilities of the Current and Future Internet, (iv) to create an active research roadmap in the area, and (v) to develop a joint working plan to conduct State-of-the-Art collaborative research.