Press release
The Hague, October 28th 2014
New weapen in the fight against DDoS attacks launched
The Netherlands as of today has a new facility for extremely heavy DDos attacks. The 'Trusted Networks Initiative' makes it possible to close off part of the internet temporarily to wield off the attack, while important websites remain accessible to regular end users.
The initiative will be launched on 28 october 2014 during 'Holland Strikes Back', where a number of thought leaders from the industry present key Dutch innovations against cybercrime. The idea for the 'Trusted Networks Initiative' was developed by NLnet foundation and internet exchange NL-ix, together with the national security cluster The Hague Security Delta, with the aim to reduce the economical damage of these cyber attacks and the amount of disturbance for end users.
The product that we've developed with partners from the financial sector and internet operators, is also an innovation that can be productized internationally, helping to put the Netherlands on the map in the area of cyber security, says Rob de Wijk, general director of The Hague Security Delta.
Trusted Networks Initiative
The 'Trusted Networks Initiative' classifies websites and networks as 'trusted' and helps them to differentiate between 'reliable' and 'less reliable' internet, which allows to close off the less reliable part of the internet in case of an extremely severe DDoS attack.
This project provides an alternative for an 'National Emergency Network', which has been discussed by some but which has not yet led to any results. It is not in violation of the principle of net neutrality because every website can decide on any given moment if a DDoS attack is so harsh that the incoming traffic needs to be limited to a subset of the internet.
"The simplicity of the idea just shines"
Cyber threats by now have become a significant risk to society. Recently The World Economic Forum (WEF) warned against a possible 'cybergeddon' in her annual risk audit, states Rob De Wijk, general director of The Hague Security Delta (HSD). We are therefore proud that as HSD we are one of the founders of such a promising solution to reduce the risks..
The simplicity of the idea just shines: already in mediaval times the draw bridge was pulled up when the enemy was in front of the gates, remarks Marc Gauw, general director of NLnet foundation. The only challenge is in creating the awareness that this kind of solution has to be put in place before an incident takes place, and not after.
As one of the founding partners NL-ix is excited to be the first to offer 'Trusted Routing' through our internet exchange, states Jan Hoogenboom, CEO of NL-ix. In this first fase interested, critical websites can be classified as 'Trusted Network', building up experience with the concept, to subsequently extend the solution to more parties and also internationally.
More info: http://www.trustednetworksinitiative.nl and http://www.hollandstrikesback.nl
