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Data-based analysis for SAFETY and security protection FOR detection, prevention, mitigation and response in trans-modal metro and RAILway networkS

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

Keeping railways safe from cyberattacks

Today’s metros and high-speed railways boast increased connectivity and higher digitalisation, as well as improved comfort and passenger experience. But they are also attractive targets for cyber and physical attacks. Preventive measures should focus on hackers, hacktivists, cybercriminals and terrorists. By focussing on physical-only and cyber-only attacks, as well as combined cyber-physical attacks, the EU-funded SAFETY4RAILS project will develop methods to increase the safety and recovery of track-based intercity railway and intracity metro transportation. Studying rush hour rail transport scenarios will enable the project to provide a holistic approach to the handling of these events. It will analyse the cyber-physical resilience of metro and railway systems and deliver mitigation strategies for an efficient response to ensure reliable transportation also in situations with a high volume of passengers.

Objective

Railways and Metros are safe, efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly mass carriers, and they are becoming even more important means of transportation given the need to address climate change. However, being such critical infrastructures turns metro and railway operators as well as related intermodal transport operators into attractive targets for cyber and/or physical attacks. The SAFETY4RAILS project delivers methods and systems to increase the safety and recovery of track-based inter-city railway and intra-city metro transportation. It addresses both cyber-only attacks (such as impact from WannaCry infections), physical-only attacks (such as the Madrid commuter trains bombing in 2014) and combined cyber-physical attacks, which are important emerging scenarios given increasing IoT infrastructure integration. SAFETY4RAILS concentrates on rush hour rail transport scenarios where many passengers are using metros and railways to commute to work or attend mass events (e.g. large multi-venue sporting events such as the Olympics). When an incident occurs during heavy usage, metro and railway operators must consider many aspects to ensure passenger safety and security, e.g. carry out a threat analysis, maintain situation awareness, establish crisis communication and response, and they have to ensure that mitigation steps are taken and communicated to travellers and other users. SAFETY4RAILS will improve the handling of such events through a holistic approach. It will analyse the cyber-physical resilience of metro and railway systems and deliver mitigation strategies for an efficient response, and, in order to remain secure given ever-changing novel emerging risks, it will facilitate continuous adaptation of the SAFETY4RAILS solution; this will be validated by two rail transport operators and the results will support the re-design of the final prototype.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

H2020-SU-INFRA-2018-2019-2020

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Sub call

H2020-SU-INFRA-2019

Funding Scheme

IA - Innovation action

Coordinator

FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV
Net EU contribution
€ 773 289,24
Address
Hansastrasse 27c
80686 Munchen
Germany

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Region
Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Other funding
€ 0,00

Participants (32)

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Last update: 9 December 2022

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/883532

European Union, 2023