ICT Security & Dependability Research beyond 2010: Final strategy: Deliverable 3.3 SecurIST

This deliverable is the key result of the SecurIST Project Work Package 3 – ICT Security &
Dependability Research strategy beyond 2010 – whose ultimate purpose is to create a clear European
level strategy to drive ICT Security and Dependability research beyond 2010. Its focus is on medium
(up to 3 years) and long-term objectives (~3-10 years).
The document develops the context of the research strategy, setting its objectives, laying out clear
objectives backed by detailed content and identifies instruments capable of implementing this strategy.
It elaborates upon the Strategic Research Agenda for ICT Security & Dependability Research beyond
2010 facilitating the transition to FP7.
Considerable time and effort has gone into the formation of the Security Task Force (STF) and
Advisory Board (AB) in order to reach these goals, this deliverable concentrates on the outputs of
these bodies and uses as a basis for its findings the following valuable sources:
• The briefings and outcome reports from the thematic areas
• The technology and business watch reports
• The considered opinions and recommendations of the SecurIST Advisory Board
• The roadmaps developed under call 8 of FP5 and input from FP6 projects
• The outputs of consultation exercises {one to one contacts, networking sessions, discussion
workshops – WP2 and WP5)
• Foresight and vision documents (both European and International).
The elaboration and consensus of the key challenges from the different constituencies in a large
number of workshops and key events has been a major contributing factor to the contents of this
report. The work has been updated considerably since D3.1 Initial Strategy, with the inclusion of three
important events, Integration workshop of new Unit D4 projects to the STF, the Joint SecurIST
Mobile and Wireless Workshop on Security and Dependability held in March 2006 and May 2006,
respectively, and the EU, US Summit on Cyber Trust, Dependability and Security held in November
2006. It was also updated with the final work of the SecurIST Advisory Board.
The main body of the document comprises the higher level strategic view and outputs of the project.
The more detailed analysis from FP5, FP6, STF, the AB, and other relevant initiatives is contained in
the Annexes. The collective medium- and longer-term background scenario for this report is of
increasing complexity, size, and scope of an interconnected digital world, with, on the one hand,
increasing heterogeneity and dynamics, and on the other hand, growing convergences and reliance on
critical mono-cultures. At the far end of the picture is a possible vision of quantum communication
and computing, nano-engineering, and organic components that may call for totally different
perspectives. As size and complexity of this digital world grow, so too does our dependency on it for
all aspects of personal and public, social and economic activity. This scenario provides an escalating
risk of, possibly avalanching, breakdown due to engineering failure or malicious action.
There is, therefore, an even greater need to concentrate attention and effort on the security and dependability aspects and factors in the design and implementation of components and systems, their inter-relationships, and their deployment and usage.
Many of the findings and recommendations of this deliverable call for continuing effort in already established fields – cryptography, trusted components and systems – that provide underlying techniques and technologies. More novel approaches are called for in, for instance, the relationships between the human user and the digital world, with responsibilities and rights moving from central
command and control towards the individual, as the boundaries between technical and operational domains become increasingly fuzzy. Simultaneously, the requirements for increased personal privacy
and anonymity must be balanced by the needs of society as a whole for appropriate accountability.