European Regional Development Funding (FEDER)
A way of making Europe

Project Description

This project focuses on the research and development of a new tool called ACSDA (Automated Cyber Security Design Assistant) for designing secure architectures and starting left with secure design in the cloud. The ACSDA project aims to develop a real-time analysis and design solution for infrastructure as code (IaC), targeting platforms like CloudFormation and Terraform. The tool uses inside intelligence to proactively identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities and flaws and proposes countermeasures.

The goal is to prevent vulnerabilities in cloud infrastructures through automated, secure design practices. This initiative is driven by the increasing need for robust cybersecurity measures in the face of sophisticated cyberattacks and the rapid digital transformation of businesses.

Objectives

  • Develop ACSDA: A tool for real-time, automated security design in cloud architectures.
  • Automate Threat Modeling: Integrate security measures early in the design phase to prevent vulnerabilities.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Create an intuitive platform for engineers to identify and mitigate security threats.
  • Industry Impact: Enhance cybersecurity practices, supporting the digital transformation of businesses and public administrations.

Project tasks

  • Automatic import design of CloudFormation and Terraformsome text
    • Import CloudFormation and Terraform architectures to an open architecture format: Open Threat Model (OTM)
    • Convert the OTM model to a visual model
    • Visualization of the visual model as a diagram
    • Development of a threat identification model.
    • Design of threat patterns for cloud architectures.
    • Creation of a scan image.
    • Iterative development of the threat model.
  • Development of IaC testing systemsome text
    • Import of custom policies.
    • IaC testing for security flaws.
    • Update of the model with countermeasures already implemented
    • Creation of an API.
  • Validation and testing tests.some text
    • Testing in real simulation scenarios
    • Collection and measurement of validation success.

Results

The project has achieved all the milestones predicted, including the creation of software prototypes and the generation of design and validation reports. 

The ACSDA tool has been tested and continuously improved, contributing to the security of cloud applications. Results include the detection of new vulnerabilities and the implementation of effective security fixes.

EU Financial Support

This project has received financial support from the European Union, which has been crucial for its development and success. The funding has allowed IriusRisk to invest in research and development, as well as in the continuous improvement of its cybersecurity platform.

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