On November 19, 2024, National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) met in Limassol, Cyprus, for a workshop that centred on the development of a Security Intelligence Hub for Research and Education (R&E). Organised under the auspices of the GÉANT GN5-1 project, the event focused on enhancing collaboration among NRENs to improve cybersecurity through shared threat intelligence.
Roderick Mooi, Information Security Officer at GÉANT, kicked off the workshop by highlighting the need for a centralised platform to address the growing threat landscape. This platform, powered by the MISP threat sharing platform, will facilitate the sharing of actionable threat data, such as Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), enabling NRENs to collaborate more effectively and strengthen collective defences against threats such as ransomware, phishing, crypto mining and more.
The primary goal of the R&E Security Intelligence Hub is to centralise threat intelligence sharing, reduce duplication of effort, and provide verified, actionable data. Key benefits include improving resource efficiency, offering early warnings of potential threats, and serving as a central point of contact for cybersecurity within the R&E community.
The workshop featured presentations from NREN representatives, including SURF (Netherlands), DeIC (Denmark), PSNC (Poland), Switch (Switzerland), HEAnet (Ireland), Jisc (UK), CESNET (Czechia), IUCC (Israel), SUNET (Sweden), CYNET (Cyprus), MARNET/UKIM (North Macedonia), and GÉANT, who shared their experiences in threat intelligence management, vulnerability management, and collaborative security efforts.
Key discussions revolved around the challenges of evaluating threat intelligence feeds, securely sharing data, and ensuring legal compliance in cross-border information exchange. Participants also explored the tools and infrastructure needed to optimise the Security Intelligence Hub’s effectiveness.
The event concluded with a strong emphasis on collaboration and shared responsibility. The next steps will involve further development of the hub, with the goal of expanding participation and strengthening cybersecurity across NRENs.
The next Cyber Threat Intelligence meeting on this initiative, and more, will take place at GÉANT Security Days 2025 in Prague.
For more information on the R&E Security Intelligence Hub, the white paper M8.2, published under the GN5-1 project milestones, is available here. Happy reading!
