Simulation, Detection, and Mitigation of Cyber Threats Endangering Critical Infrastructure
KYPO cyber range is a unique virtual environment suitable for researching and developing methods of protection against attacks on critical information infrastructures. Scalability, flexibility and effectivity belong among the fundamental characteristics of the environment. The special settings of the KYPO laboratory offer an opportunity to realize complex security trainings.
Motivation
Quality researches and training focused on the protection of cyberinfrastructures have to be held only in the specialized virtual environment. KYPO Cyber range allows our CSIRT-MU team to work on researching new security methods, potential threats and their consequences. Besides that, we organize training for security teams and students. In long terms, we contribute to raising cybersafety standards in the Czechia and in the world.
Technology and specifics
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A complex environment suitable for variation and repetition
Each environment contains huge computer networks including ongoing applications and services. Realistic conditions offer plenty of possibilities for researching and developing forensic methods. We also prepare interactive training for security specialists (for example administrators´ training or security training, in which a few security teams cooperate together). -
Cloud infrastructure allows scaling the size of experiments
Cloud computing resources are catered by CERIT Scientific Cloud and MetaCentrum, the biggest Czech virtual organization for the academic community provides cloud computing capacity. -
KYPO cyber range supports variability of operational systems
Different types of OS are available in the laboratory, for example, Linux, Windows, Android. We try to maximize the degree of machine´s configurability and network topology. We are able to connect all devices to the internet the same as we can make them offline and isolated. -
Collection of information about machines and network traffic in the environment happens automatically
Each environment contains built-in measuring infrastructures with a predefined set of measurement variables and a possibility to widen them. Visualisation of all the actions and events ongoing in the computer network and in concrete machines help show the whole procedure complexly. This is possible to do at any time of the action in the concrete environment.
Achievements
KYPO cyber range team was rewarded with a Price of the Minister of the Interior for the extraordinary results in the security research area.
Since 2015, the environment of the KYPO cyber range is also accessible in the laboratory in the CERIT Science Park at the Masaryk University. We use the laboratory as a researching and educational environment. We regularly organize security training led by experts from our team. CSIRT-MU cooperates with other partners, for example, we help NCISA with the realization of the Cyber Czech security training.
Further information
The project was financially supported by Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic within the Security Research Program of the Czech Republic 2010-2015. At the beginning of 2016, project Simulation, detection and suppression of cybernetic threats to critical infrastructure followed, again supported by Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic within the Security Research Program 2015-2018 of the Czech Republic.
