Cybercrime is growing and every organisation is at risk, including national and international defence agencies – no organisation is immune. This can have serious repercussions for national economic and societal security, elevating the need for unbiased, highly experienced security centres able to provide support across the cybersecurity spectrum. A new European Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in Belgium will provide this for every type of organisation, including defence agencies.
For many years, military commanders and security professionals have warned of the escalating dangers of cyberattacks as an additional facet of any future military conflict. They talked the language of the battlefield, such as offensive cyber operations, cyber weapons and cyber warfare.
Now we know they were right. Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine has not focused only on troops and civilians on the ground – it has also targeted an additional frontline: our digital environment, the cyber world. Even before the physical invasion started, cyberattacks became prolific and this has continued throughout the conflict.
Elsewhere, European and US organisations are experiencing a surge in cyberattacks. Globally, the cost of cybercrime to its victims is expected to grow by 15% per year, reaching US$10.5 trillion annually by 2025[i]. This demonstrates how urgent it is for every business and institution to implement a resilient cybersecurity and incident response strategy to protect themselves against cyber threats and to prevent data breaches and attacks on their services.
It also demonstrates the increasing need for managed cybersecurity services operating from large-scale security centres. These centres can provide services and expertise covering the entire cybersecurity value chain, which can complement cybersecurity operations conducted by national defence and other agencies.
The need for defence against increasing cyberattacks
The requirement for increased expert cybersecurity provision has never been higher. The geopolitical situation has been changing significantly over the last 12 months, with certain countries becoming far more active in the cyber domain in attempts to destabilise Western economies and societies. This was evident even before Russia invaded Ukraine.
The increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber activity makes it much harder for national security and defence organisations to protect their countries’ critical infrastructure and industry, because the scope is so broad.
The challenge for each country is how to be resilient in the face of constant cyberattacks – protecting society, industry and the political infrastructure. This is an international challenge too, which is being faced by organisations such as NATO, the European Union (EU), the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), all of which have major centres in Belgium.
New cybersecurity centre
To support and strengthen European organisations across all sectors, including defence, against the perpetual threat of attacks, and to act as a centre of excellence to ensure digital trust at all times, we, with our partner IDELUX, are creating a European Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in Transinne, Belgium.
This new centre will provide a unique cybersecurity ecosystem and pool of expertise in the heart of Europe to effectively address any preventive and corrective concerns and needs that European organisations may have when it comes to securing their operations, IT systems and data.
This new Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence is designed to cover the entire cybersecurity lifecycle. It will offer a full range of services across the cybersecurity spectrum, including consultancy, training, validation, testing, design, managed security operation centre (SOC) services, cybersecurity products and solutions, and incident response.
A trusted source for defence
For defence organisations, this comprehensive suite of cybersecurity services will enable them to maximise the protection they provide by selecting the type of support they require at any stage. For example, as military and defence agencies install new solutions and hire more people to counter cyberattacks, they can benefit from training based on real-world scenarios – this can either be provided at the new Centre or remotely.
External expertise that is based on real-world experience across countries and in different types of organisation is also vital for national and international defence agencies. The Transinne security team will provide the full range of consulting services to improve the security posture of defence and other critical infrastructure organisations, covering processes, procedures, systems, solutions and training requirements. This will be supported by security engineering capabilities.
The new Centre will also act as an information sharing and analysis centre (ISAC). When cyberattacks are successful, many entities – especially commercial ones – are understandably reluctant to share information about the attack, which reduces the ability of other organisations to build up their security posture against similar attacks. There is therefore huge value in an unbiased, highly experienced organisation, such as the new Centre, acting as an ISAC, collecting and analysing information that can be used by defence and other critical infrastructures to strengthen their position.
Finally, the Centre at Transinne will provide managed SOC services. Defence organisations and large companies typically develop, maintain and operate their own SOCs, but there are times when additional SOC services are needed or when an external SOC operated by a third party may be preferred. This may be the case in the context of multinational defence projects, for example, or where expertise in a specific industry, such as space, is required.
Focal point for cybersecurity services
Resilience requires thorough preparation and speedy response. At a time when national agencies, including defence, and critical infrastructure are subject to constant cyberattacks, it is vital to have unbiased, trustworthy sources of cyber information and support. In future, having one place to provide answers and all relevant services will be increasingly attractive.
[i] Cybersecurity Ventures, 2020