The
European Commission (EC) has asked security firm
Symantec to define a standard to allow national authorities to
exchange information securely.
The messaging standard project will help European Union
countries to establish a framework for sharing information on
security at a national and regional level.
Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks were the most common type of
attack aimed at government and critical infrastructure
organisations, according to a
Symantec report.
John Brigden, senior vice-president of Symantec Europe for the
EMEA region, said, "Safeguarding electronic networks and systems
from possible attack or disruption has become a crucial component
of critical infrastructure protection."
Symantec will work with European national authorities and
computer emergency response teams to review existing standards and
formulate a single regional standard.
The EC has reached agreement on a directive to be introduced
before the end of 2008 that will establish a common approach to the
protection of critical infrastructure.