Advanced cybersecurity elements integrated into a solution designed for non-expert users
Barcelona, Spain, May 2020:
The SMESEC (Protecting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises digital technology through an innovative cyber-SECurity framework) consortium has released the first public version of the SMESEC Framework, a unified solution for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) that helps them to be protected against cyberattacks.
The project was a three-year multi-disciplinary innovation action co-funded by the European Commission and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation in the context of Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
“We know that SMEs are the new prey for cybercriminals: they have less protection than big corporations but more data than individual users. Unfortunately, the adoption of measures is still very low in SMEs because cybersecurity is seen as complex and costly, like an expensive and burdensome add-on. During these three years, we have worked to change this perception,” argues Jose Francisco Ruiz, SMESEC project coordinator, from atos Spain.
Advanced cybersecurity tested in real infrastructures
In the last 22 months, Worldsensing has tested the technology developed by SMESEC in a football stadium built in 1939 in Patras, Greece, still in operation.
Worldsensing has monitored the stability of the structure with their IoT technology sending real-time readings every 15 minutes from the stadium and, simultaneously, secured the integrity and confidentiality of the information transmitted.
Real-time visualisation of vibration and temperature data gathered in the Patras stadium by IoT wireless system Loadsensing
Francisco Hernández, EU senior project manager at Worldsensing, explains “the fact that the SMESEC technology has been tested in the same kind of infrastructure where our product Loadsensing is deployed in real life means that we have quickly and smoothly incorporated all the advanced cybersecurity elements from the project into any developments of our product.”
“The SMESEC framework targets specific needs and is priced with the SMEs budget in mind,” Francisco Hernández, EU senior project manager at Worldsensing.
Key improvements for a continuous learning process
Cybersecurity enhancements implemented in Worldsensing include improving the system monitoring and centralised visualisation, and more efficient alerts for anomaly situations. Security learnings have been applied not only in the IoT sensors but also in the gateways and cloud infrastructure.
“All the technical knowledge and tools have enabled us to better protect our IoT technology and, at the same time, to increase internal awareness on the importance of cybersecurity. We are now a more resilient company,” says Olmo Rayón, head of cybersecurity at Worldsensing.
SMESEC’s work also played a significant role in Worldsensing obtaining the ISO 270001 Certification for Information Security Management last year.
SMESEC cybersecurity overview dashboard
In June, SMESEC’s final meeting will take place remotely with EU representatives to officially close the project.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 740787 (SMESEC). This work is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education‚ Research and Innovation (SERI) under contract number 17.00067. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of these funding bodies.