.jpg)
In order to be able to resist major cyber attacks, EU intends to equip itself with a cyber shield, including six SOCs (Security Operations Centers) which may detect malicious behavior in a few hours using supercomputers, AI and a cyber army. As the European Commissioner Thierry Breton announced at the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC)
These measures will be set out in the new Cyber Solidarity Act, which will be presented on April 18. The first three major SOCs will be deployed this year, prior to the vote on the new regulation.
The detection of malicious attacks will thus be entrusted to a European network of six or seven SOCs (Cyber Security Operations Centers), also planned by the European Commission's "Cyber Solidarity Act".
These SOCs will be equipped with supercomputers and artificial intelligence systems and will operate on the model of the Galileo satellite system.
Our ambition is to create a European cyber shield to better detect attacks before they occur. Today, it takes an average of 190 days from the start of the spread of malware to the detection. We want to dramatically reduce this time to a few hours. said Thierry Breton, in charge of the Internal Market and Digital.
In addition, a "cyber reserve" will be set up, with thousands of public and private service providers, on a volontary basis, to support the defense effort in case of an attack.
A new Cyber Skill Academy will also be created to respond to training issues.
The new regulation foresees a partnership between Member States to strengthen the resilience of the European Union's critical infrastructures (airports, energy plants, gas pipelines, electricity networks, Internet cables, etc.) by using attack scenarios and penetration tests to better detect vulnerabilities.
In the event of a major attack, a "cyber emergency mechanism" will be set up, including immediate information exchange, joint crisis management and mutual assistance.
The investment will reach "more than 1 billion euros, two thirds funded by Europe.
The balance will be supplied by the European member states.
Finally, the EU will adopt a doctrine providing a dissuasive capacity and a policy of active and direct sanctions. The new regulation will thus encourage the involved countries to take offensive action as soon as an attack has been identified.
"As a result of the war in Ukraine, cyberattacks jumped 140% last year in Europe.
In this context, mutualizing and coordinating our forces at the European level is becoming more necessary than ever, and even more because the threat is going to spread" says Thierry Breton.
For reference, the European Union has already developed a legislative arsenal, such as the "Cyber Resilience Act" unveiled at the end of last year, which sets common rules for IoT, along with the NIS 2 directive, scheduled for 2024, and that requires companies to meet new security obligations.