NATO Refreshes Cyber Security Technology to Protect its Networks

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) has completed a project to refresh key technologies used to protect NATO's networks. The NATO Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), run by the NCI Agency, collaborated with industry partners to replace equipment at the NCSC Security Operations Centre. The project team completed the upgrade in late December 2021 and the full service is now live, supporting the continuous monitoring of NATO's networks for threats.

"These technology upgrades are instrumental to maintaining our ability to defend and protect NATO's networks. Through the implementation of the Capability Package 120 (CP120) Programme, we ensure the effectiveness of the cyber security services delivered by NCSC in an ever-changing cyber threat landscape," said Fred Jordan, Head of the Cyber Security Programme Delivery branch of the NCI Agency.

In this project, the Agency upgraded the central management of two systems that work together to help the NCSC monitor NATO networks for threats and flag important issues. The Network Intrusion Protection/Detection System (NIPS) uses pattern recognition to alert the Agency to unusual traffic on NATO's networks, whilst Full Packet Capture (FPC) continuously records all network activity and is a primary source of information in support of incident response activities. 

"Through incredible efforts and despite aggressive timeframes, the Agency team with industry partners Cisco, RSA and EuroOne, not only delivered the project on budget and on time, but also produced an accompanying training and knowledge transfer programme which will benefit the rest of the CP120 Programme," said Miles Knight, Principal Project Manager.

The next stage of the project is to replace equipment at 22 additional NATO sites, and a competition to identify an industry partner is already underway. The Agency expects to award the next contract in the second quarter of 2022.