Press Release, Athens Oct 12, 2021
ERATOSTHENES Announces Cyber Security Framework for IoT Devices
The launch of a €6 million research project, funded by the European Commission is set to provide a first of kind lifetime cyber security framework for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. ERATOSTHENES, which is running from October 2021 until March 2025 is part of the European Commission’s €77 billion Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
The project’s ambition is to provide a solution to the significant rise in cyber security issues centred around the IoT devices. The IoT has increased connectivity and information sharing and is expected to reach almost 75 billion devices by 2025. However, limited security framework around IoT and a lack of trust have resulted in a huge attack surface, and this will only worsen as networks become heterogeneous.<br>Konstantinos Loupos, Head of R&D at Inlecom Innovation and ERATOSTHENES Coordinator , explains:“More than ever, people are opting to add multiple devices and smart technology to their lifes, but the more they add, the more complicated security and privacy become. We must make sure we are putting steps in place to prevent outside threats accessing our data (including personal information) and improve devices’ trust and security compliance.”<br>The project solution will address issues in the security of IoT devices from a lifecycle perspective, i.e. what happens to them after purchase and installation and how their security fairs after multiple years of usage. The project develops a novel distributed, automated, yet privacy-respectful Trust and Identity Management Framework aimed at dynamically and holistically managing the life cycle of IoT devices. The project will provide cybersecurity functions for manufacturers to adopt as certification building blocks in device production and throughout their life cycle.<br>ERATOSTHENES is aligned with and supports activities being executed at the EU level, including the EU Cybersecurity Act, GDPR and the Network Information Security Directive. The outcome will benefit manufacturers, device vendors, end-users, IoT researchers and academic institutions developing cybersecurity systems for modern devices.<br>ERATOSTHENES will provide compelling innovation on recent challenges of IoT security and leverages breakthrough solutions. The solutions will help build a holistic framework for IoT devices, security and privacy and create common trust enforcement mechanics and relevant standards to protect modern devices from threats.
ERATOSTHENES delivers secure management of IoT devices lifecycle through identities, trust and distributed ledgers
ERATOSTHENES aims to solve critical obstacles considering “Security of Things” as core to the future IoT success. The project envisions to develop a decentralized and contextual Trust and Identity Management Framework for resource-restricted IoT environments following a self-sovereign approach. The project intends to enable the automated lifecycle monitoring of the devices, strengthening trust, identities, and resilience in the entire IoT ecosystem, supporting the enforcement of the NIS directive, GDPR, and Cybersecurity Act. Inlecom Innovation is the project coordinator.
Learn more about the project
This project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under GA 101020416. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
