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DRDC Network Security specialists design security
into defence communication systems from the
ground up; something civilian network designers
may have to consider doing in the future
Photo courtesy of: Defence R&D Canada
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Securing the FutureProud Parent to the Internet, Defence Science Continues to Anticipate its Evolution
If you think that you have a tough environment in which to maintain your Internet services, consider the challenge now being faced by Canadian military units deployed in Afghanistan in potentially hostile environments.
These units have communication requirements very similar to those faced by your organization everyday, except that their systems must have:
- the capability to be deployed and torn down quickly;
- built-in redundancy, to protect them against the risk of network failure; and
- security technology designed into them as if people's lives depended on it, which of course they do.
It is the job of the Network Information Operations Section of Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) to identify the nature of these challenges, and to find the solutions required to keep our forces communicating effectively and securely."The challenges faced by our troops in the field are an extreme version of what could be facing civilian security organizations, during events like the recent Rolling Stones concert in Toronto." says Mazda Salmanian, leader of DRDC's Secure Mobile Networking group. The work done at DRDC is specifically targeted towards keeping Canadian troops safe. At the same time, DRDC promotes a dual use policy for their R&D programs and actively seeks out opportunities to use what they have learned to benefit civilian agencies whenever possible. |
If you think that you have a tough environment in which to maintain your Internet services, consider the challenge now being faced by Canadian military units deployed in Afghanistan in potentially hostile environments.
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Lynne Genik, a Defence Scientist working in Mr. Salmanian's group, points out that, "Security is often built into civilian networks as an afterthought. It has to be the reverse in military systems. Security must be of utmost concern from the ground up". When it comes to commercial systems, colleague Dr. Peter Mason notes that, "Civilian organizations should not underestimate the importance of security or overestimate the strength of the built-in security features which come with their commercial systems. For example, wireless systems used for applications like inventory management could leave an opening for the theft of valuable inventory data or malicious damage to inventory software, if not properly monitored and administered."
Efforts to improve the military's ability to deploy secure networks rapidly could have benefits down the road for resource companies who need to deploy systems quickly in remote and rugged environments, such as in the case of the battle against the Kelowna fires.
For civilian organizations the importance of security is not as well defined and therefore less emphasized by their vendors and support staff. However, as we advance the process of restructuring communities, health services, and corporate operations around the use of the Internet, we will all need to start thinking more like the scientists at DRDC, and begin to design networks as if people lives depended on them.
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