SysSec Red Book [PDF]

Preface

After the completion of its second year of operation, the SysSec
Network of Excellence produced this “Red Book of Cybersecurity”
to serve as a Roadmap in the area of Systems Security. To realize
this book, SysSec put together a “Task Force” of top-level young researchers in the area steered by the advice of SysSec WorkPackage Leaders. The Task Force had vibrant consultations (i) with the Working Groups of SysSec, (ii) with the Associated members of SysSec, and (iii) with the broader Systems Security Community. Capturing their feedback in an online questionnaire and in forward-looking “what if” questions, the Task Force was able to distill their knowledge, their concerns, and their vision for the future.

How to Read this Book

Policy Makers may want to focus on Chapter 1 at page 3 which provides a short Executive Summary of the book and on Chapter 14 in page 103 which describes Grand Challenge Research Problems in the area which can be solved only with the collaboration of several Research Organizations and the support of leading funding Agencies. Related work may be found in the second part of the book on page 107, which provides a good
overview of other Research Roadmaps from Europe and from the States.

Young Researchers who are interested in doing a Ph.D. in systems security should read the first part of the book, and especially the final section of each chapter, which describes problems that are appropriate to be solved within the context of a Ph.D. thesis.

Experienced Researchers may want to focus on the first part of the book, which provides an in-depth treatment of various research problems and in Chapter 14 in page 103, which describes Grand Challenge Research Problems in the area.

Journalists may want to focus on sections *.2 and *.3 of the first part, which paints a picture of the average and worst-case consequences of the emerging threats studied.

All should read Chapter 2 on page 7, which lists the identified threats, assets and security domains.