In the 21st century, security and the electromagnetic spectrum have acquired enormous strategic importance for society. In particular, the wireless infrastructure that supports services such as mobile networks and GPS is especially critical. However, the prices of standard radio technology are now so low that access to it is no longer restricted to governments and network operators. It is affordable for individuals, which opens the door for them to act as malicious intruders. More frequent and sophisticated threats from such infiltrations can lead to chaos and are among the most serious challenges facing society. Unauthorized transmissions could jeopardize the operation of networks used for air traffic control, policing, and emergency and security services, for example. The SOCRATES project will develop a security system to protect the electromagnetic environment and the services and users that depend on it.
Dr. Domenico Giustiniano, research associate professor at IMDEA Networks and coordinator of SOCRATES, shares his vision for the project: “SOCRATES will create a precise, autonomous, fast, and secure system based on a novel and disruptive Internet of Things architecture. By detecting and locating unusual RF signals and their source, it will be able to identify intruders in the electromagnetic spectrum, identifying physical layer characteristics and geographic location, before a threat can escalate.”
The researcher describes the institute's contribution to the project: “IMDEA Networks will lead the research on the quality of spectrum sensors in an open, collaborative system (a challenge due to the enormous amount of data processed by the system), and on the distributed localization of emitters (complicated by the lack of synchronization between spectrum sensors) – two areas in which we have extensive experience.”
The SOCRATES solution will need to be adapted for real-world implementations. Giustiniano explains how this will be achieved: “We plan to test the SOCRATES system under controlled and realistic conditions, operating in both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. The real-world experiments will demonstrate the system's ability to detect the waveforms and wireless technologies of adversaries who are misusing wireless resources. We will also demonstrate how the physical location of an intruder can be quickly identified. Adopting an agile approach, we will build, demonstrate, and showcase the first prototypes throughout the project's evolution.”
By providing the ability to detect, identify, and locate potential threats to the security of electromagnetic infrastructure, SOCRATES (Large Scale Collaborative Detection and Location of Threats in the Electromagnetic Space, Grant G5461) represents a significant step toward ensuring that society is prepared to respond effectively. SOCRATES will protect economic and social structures from those who seek to harm them.
ABEDI drives the future of industrial cybersecurity and embedded software
Developing new knowledge and technologies applicable to the advanced protection of industrial systems is the main objective of ABEDI, a Hazitek project funded by SPRI and the Basque Government, which will contribute to laying the foundations for the future of industrial cybersecurity.
The initiative, which...
