Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Security
  • /
  • First pan-European cyber analysis centre becomes operational

Security

First pan-European cyber analysis centre becomes operational

The first pan-European virtual centre for real-time dynamic cyber risk management has reached full operational capability.

Image copyright Shutterstock

The centre has been developed by Leonardo for DG Connect, the European Commission's directorate for digital policies.

The centre processes and analyses terabytes of data from sources including websites, social media, media, databases, and the deep/dark web. This is underpinned by a knowledge base consisting of more than five million ‘Indicators of Compromise’, digital traces of computer incidents that are managed each year by Leonardo via the company's supercomputing infrastructure - capable of up to five million billion operations per second.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT

Using this information, the centre produces sectoral threat scenarios (e.g. related to finance, energy, health or transport), for DG Connect. This allows the European Commission to continuously monitor the level of cyber attack risk against European digital infrastructure, highlighting possible threat actors, likely modes of attack, potential targets and their vulnerabilities. This makes it possible to dynamically calculate the impact of potential attacks on critical infrastructure and services of strategic interest, supporting greater European cyber resilience.

Research by Leonardo analysts has found that the most widespread offensive cyber techniques (Ransomware, DDoS, Wipers, Phishing and disinformation campaigns) increased by an average of 180% in 2022 compared to 2021, making cyber resilience an ever-pressing requirement. At the same time, a side effect of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has seen Europe become more of a target of hybrid threats, which combine multiple techniques and different actors. These can cause serious repercussions, sometimes to national security.

The virtual centre is part of the EUR 18 million project entrusted to the industrial consortium of Leonardo and Indra by DG Connect (Directorate General for Communication Networks, Content and Technologies). The road map for the project includes the establishment of a physical centre in Brussels, that will enable the Commission to work directly on the cyber threat. The physical infrastructure will also be supported by Leonardo's Regional Centre in Brussels, part of the company's Global Security Operation Centre.

Advertisement
DSEI 2025

With a distributed architecture based at a head office in Chieti, Italy and incorporating other operational centres in Italy, the UK, Europe and the Middle East, Leonardo’s Global Security Operations Centre manages over 137,000 cybersecurity events per second.

To ensure full risk awareness and improve Europe's response to cyber crises, the centre will be interoperable with all entities at a European level that are responsible for cyber threat analysis.

 

Advertisement
General Atomics LB
Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

Aerospace Defence Security Space

Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

4 July 2025

Serco has appointed Keith Williams to the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chair designate.

Boeing appoints Stephen Parker as CEO of BDS

Defence Security Space

Boeing appoints Stephen Parker as CEO of BDS

3 July 2025

Boeing has appointed Stephen (Steve) Parker as president and chief executive officer of its Defense, Space & Security (BDS) business, effective immediately.

Lancashire aims at advancing cyber-enabled defence and security

Defence Security Events

Lancashire aims at advancing cyber-enabled defence and security

3 July 2025

Over 200 senior business leaders, investors, policymakers and academics from across the UK gathered this week at the Lancashire Cyber Festival to discuss Lancashire’s opportunity to become a global leader in cyber-enabled defence and security.

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

Aerospace Defence Security

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

3 July 2025

Airframe Designs has aligned its material systems with the US National Centre for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) which works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry partners to support its existing testing processes.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT
Bernd Kögel to spearhead launch of DSEI Germany

Defence Security Events

Bernd Kögel to spearhead launch of DSEI Germany

3 July 2025

Clarion Events Defence and Security has announced the appointment of Colonel (ret) Bernd Kögel as Managing Director of DSEI Germany, effective 1st October 2025.

Siemens and NVIDIA team to drive AI in advanced manufacturing

Aerospace Defence Security

Siemens and NVIDIA team to drive AI in advanced manufacturing

2 July 2025

Siemens and NVIDIA are expanding their partnership to accelerate the next era of industrial AI and digitalisation, towards enabling the factory of the future.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT