European Network and Information Security Agency of ENISA

2020: The European regulator issued the report on pro-active detection of incidents

European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) published in May, 2020 the report^[1] and the accompanying repository, information devoted to measures and sources which can help experts in security, IT-operators and critical infrastructure in the European Union countries beforehand to detect incidents of network security. The document is directed to assessment of methods, tools, actions and sources of information for pro-active detection of incidents^[2].

Anticipatory (pro-active) detection is an advance detection of harmful actions using the internal instruments of monitoring or external sources providing data on incidents.

"A project objective is providing the complete list of all available methods, tools, actions and sources of information for pro-active detection of incidents of network security which are already used or can be used by groups of reaction in Europe. In the running report available methods, tools, actions and sources of information for pro-active detection of network incidents", the report says. are estimated.

ENISA started this project for the purpose of improvement of process of detection of incidents of network security in EU countries by the way:

• Providing list of available measures and sources of information;
• Determinations of the best practices;
• Recommendations of the possible directions of development.

In the report the analysis of development of pro-active detection of incidents in EU countries is submitted to the period from 2011 to 2019. One of project objectives also is the research of the new areas capable to improve operational cooperation and information exchange. A project deliverable are three reports and the repository placed on GitHub.

2017

Transformation of ENISA into the all-European center of cyber security

In September, 2017 it became known of plans of the European Union to broaden the state and to increase financing to Information Security Agency of ENISA, having turned it into the all-European center for protection of a cyberspace of Europe. 

The budget - to 23 million euros a year is going to increase staff from 84 to 125 people. As noted in material of Euronews, ENISA will be engaged including "active defense". It can mean response cyber attacks in case of attempt at network security of the European Union countries. ^[3]

The uniform center of cyber security is created in Europe

The European Commissioner for digital economy Maria Gabriel reminded of danger which is constituted by cyber attacks:

Today they [hackers] can get our economy, influence our private life, interfere with our democracy, – quote Euronews of a word of Gabrielle. – Therefore it is important to take specific steps forward, to develop the general approach, to improve coordination to give to confidence in the security to citizens and the industry of member states.

In the last several weeks in the EU intesivny discussions about creation of the permanent all-European agency of cyber security which will be engaged in collective defense of the European cyberspace are conducted. 

The ENISA agency was created in 2004; its full functioning began on September 1, 2005. Unlike all other agencies of the European Union, ENISA has no permanent mandate, - its powers and the budget are subject to regular revision though in recent years allocations, as a rule, grew. Now it is about creation of the permanent European agency on cyber security which will provide protection of the European networks.

In Europe reasonably are afraid that cyber attacks can pose a threat of life and to human health, and not just machines. Considering regularity of cyber attacks to the European enterprises and the organizations of all sizes including relating to critical infrastructure, creation of the all-European agency look very timely. According to the estimates of European Commission, last year in the EU occurred on average in day of 4 thousand attacks of encoders racketeers, 80% of the European companies experienced at least one violation of cyber security.

To the updated agency it is also going to assign functions on the organization and holding the all-European cyberexercises. ENISA several times gave support to such exercises, and will do it on a permanent basis now. Operational dissemination of data on a status of information infrastructure of the EU and creation of the all-European certificates for the entrusted networks and devices of Internet of Things in different spheres, from power to transport will also become a task of the agency.

Creation of the similar organization is a consequence of the fact that the number of cyberthreats constantly grows — Oleg Galushkin, the information security expert of SEC Consult Services company believes. – Also their potential disruptiveness grows. Successful cyber attack to the enterprise of critical infrastructure can lead to the effects comparable to large terrorist attack today. Prevention of similar – the general task as state, so the private sector.

The president of the European Commission Juncker suggested to create the European agency of cyber defense

The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker suggested to create the European agency of cyber defense which will protect EU countries and the European companies from information threats in September, 2017. The offer was read within the plenary session of European Parliament in Strasbourg, RIA Novosti reports.

The head of European Commission said about insufficient security of EU member states from cyberthreats during the speech. Cyber attacks can represent for democracy and stability big threat, than guns and tanks as in Network there is no concept of frontiers, he noted.

According to Juncker, only for last year in EU countries more than 4 thousand cyber attacks were recorded. About 80% of the European companies faced different cyberthreats. At the moment the European Commission looks for solutions of problems with cyber security.

See Also

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