MODERN WORKING IN PUBLIC ADADMINISTRATION 100,000 - SECUNET
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The secunet Customer Magazine 2 | 2019
100,000 SINA
WORKSTATIONS S
DELIVERED
Modern
Working
in Public
Ad
Administration
× 100,000
On the way to the secure cloud Telematics in healthcare
secustack offers cloud computing for organisations Next, please: now it’s the turn of hospitals
with very strict security requirements
Content
Military-grade information security
9 on the go: secure remote access at
a NATO IT infrastructure
National
Integrated border control application IGA 2.0 –
4 Digitalisation in Administration:
fit for the border control of the future
Finally Combined: E-Files and Classified Information
6 Integrated Border Control Application IGA 2.0:
Fit for the Border Control of the Future 6
8 PKI at the Federal Employment Office:
Trust in cheque card format
International
9 Secure Remote Access at a NATO IT Infrastructure:
Military-Grade Information Security on the Go
Science
12 Software Innovation Campus Paderborn:
“We are Researching the Software Innovations
of the Future”
Technologies & Solutions
14 100,000 SINA Workstations S Delivered:
Modern Working in Public Administration × 100,000
18 Encrypted Video Communication not only with
elicopters: Exclusive Live Transmission from
H
Several Kilometres Up
22 Telematics in Healthcare: Now it’s the Turn of Hospitals
24 Data Security in Cloud Computing: Joint Venture secustack
for Secure Data Processing in the Cloud
26 Building Automation: How to Secure a Smart Building News in Brief
29 German Federal Police: Mobile Document Checks 30 Another Record Year for it-sa
via a Smartphone App
Service
31 Dates – January to June 2020
31 Imprint
2 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019
Editorial
Editorial
Dear Readers,
even though, strictly speaking, the current decade includes the year 2020: we are already at
the end of the “2010s”, as they’re commonly known. For the IT security industry in general,
and secunet in particular, this past decade has been a time of change and growth.
High-level IT security technologies, which were originally designed for highly specialised niche
markets, have become widely prevalent. An example: around ten years ago the forerunner
to the later SINA Workstation S had just been approved by the German Federal Office for
Information Security. Today, this crypto client is the stand-
ard workplace in numerous regional and federal authorities,
and has modernised and digitalised work processes in
public administration thanks to its mobility and flexibility. In
our cover story we trace this development and show the
diverse range of possible applications SINA Workstation
offers in its different forms today.
A second example: the secunet eID PKI suite, our
construction kit for public key infrastructures and a further
cornerstone of our product portfolio, only left the secunet
development unit in 2010. Today, solutions based on this
suite can not only be found in their original deployment
sphere of biometrics and identity checks, but also in
industry and energy supply.
There is no end in sight for this evolution. Advancing
digitalisation and connection require more and more areas
of the state, economy and society needing protection to
be equipped with high-performance IT security technology.
Public administration, security and defence authorities
have made excellent progress in this respect. Again and
again, there are exciting new projects here, as the articles
about secure e-files and SINA installations in military
helicopters show.
The changes will be even bigger in sectors that have a lot of catching up to do. This includes
industry first and foremost. Securing connected machines in production facilities is a signifi-
cant challenge for the operators. Today, there are already solutions available to address this
challenge. In the article in this edition of secuview on building automation we outline another
topic with considerable potential with respect to IT security.
Artificial intelligence, 5G, autonomous driving – the 2020s are likewise going to be shaped by
topics relevant to IT security. They are bound to be no less fascinating.
I hope you enjoy reading our magazine. Have a great 2020!
Axel Deininger
3
National
DIGITALISATION IN ADMINISTRATION
Finally Combined: E-Files and
Classified Information
The transition to electronic files (‘e-files’) in the German
Government’s ministries and federal authorities will be
completed over the next few Public administration, too, is to benefit from confidentiality of the information contained
years. One challenge has the potential offered by digitalisation. To within the files needs to be ensured in order
so far remained unresolved, achieve this, in 2013 the German e-Gov- to guarantee that citizens’ personal data is
ernment law was passed. This requires the protected. Secondly, the content needs to
however: until now, normal majority of federal authorities to convert their be available at all times in order to facilitate
e-files and classified informa- previously paper-based files to electronic seamless administrative processes – ul-
tion have had to be managed solutions – the aim is paperless adminis- timately the e-file is expected to become a
tration. This transformation is already in full cornerstone of efficient administration centred
separately, which has led in swing: the so-called “E-Akte Bund” (federal around citizens. Thirdly, the integrity of the
particular to additional costs e-file) is currently being tested in various e-file is highly significant in making adminis-
and media disruptions where ministries and authorities through a series of trative processes transparent – here the issue
pilot projects. The forerunner of the initiative is at stake is nothing less than the rule of law in
information has only been the Ministry for Justice, which is expected to German authorities.
classified at a later point in have completed the majority of the conversion These requirements apply to an even larger
its life cycle. How can this by the start of 2020. In other ministries and extent at a particular area of record keeping:
authorities the process will take place over the handling classified information (in German
obstacle be overcome without next few years and is expected to continue “Verschlusssachen”, VS). Information that
jeopardising the confidentiality until 2024. it is in the public interest to keep secret is
of the classified information? Germany’s “Länder” (federal states) are at classified according to one of four secrecy
a similar point: they are also required to im- classification levels – depending on the
A joint solution from Materna plement e-files, and North-Rhine Westphalia level of protection required: RESTRICTED,
and secunet has established (NRW), for example, which brought in the CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET or TOP SECRET.
the interoperability of e-files NRW e-Government law, is anticipated to Authority employees who work with classified
complete the introduction of e-files by 2022 information are assigned the corresponding
and classified information, with the assistance of Materna Information & protection grade, which indicates which kind
and thus marks another step Communications SE and Ceyoniq Technology of documents they are authorised to view.
on the journey towards the GmbH. This is also referred to as security clearance.
From CONFIDENTIAL level upwards indi-
digitalisation of administration. Confidentiality, availability, integrity viduals must undergo a security check prior
Even more than in other digitalisation pro- to being authorised. Even then, if someone
jects information security plays a significant is authorised to a particular security clear-
role in the introduction of e-files: firstly, the ance level, the principle of a “need-to-know
E-file solution SINA client
RESTRICTED
SECRET RESTRICTED
Thanks to the joint solution created
E-file client “Open” Secured
by Materna and secunet, e-files can processing processing
now be transferred to the secured E-file server
collaboration area of SINA Workflow at
the point of being classified.
4 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019
National
basis” still applies: the individual should
only be granted access if this is objectively
necessary – and not before, nor to a greater
extent than is necessary. In addition it must be
possible to prove in a legally robust way which
individual has viewed and processed which
classified data and when. This is stipulated in
the Federal Government’s Classified Informa-
tion Directive (Verschlusssachenanweisung,
VSA) and in the VSAs set out by the German
federal states.
Standard for confidential digital
information
Today, classified information can generally be
stored, processed and transmitted digitally.
So far, however, it has only been possible
to do this separately from e-files. Many fed-
eral and regional authorities use the Secure
Inter-Network Architecture (SINA), which
secunet developed on behalf of the German
Federal Office for Information Security (BSI),
for processing classified information. Cryp-
tographic mechanisms are used that ensure
the confidentiality and integrity of the data at
all times.
With the verification procedure also re-
quired by the VSA it is, however, still a com-
mon but very laborious practice to revert to
paper-based documentation – or to special
solutions that are not connected to the rest
of the infrastructure. SINA Workflow arose to
rectify this failing. The solution ensures that
every piece of information in the system con-
tains legally robust records of any processing
or administrative steps that have been carried Avoiding additional costs and Due to the German e-Government
out. SINA Workflow also implements the media disruptions law, in most federal authorities
paper-based files will soon be a
“need-to-know” principle digitally by docu- Materna and secunet have now put forward
thing of the past. But with regard to
menting users’ statements of intent relating a solution that avoids the extra work of du- digitalising classified information,
to specific information for the avoidance of plicated documentation administration: SINA special measures have to be taken.
doubt. SINA Workflow is executed technically Workflow and the e-file nscale from Ceyoniq
as an integrated system of secure workplaces can be integrated thanks to a new interface
and special servers with integrated electronic that enables seamless transmission of a
registry of classified information and central normal administrative file through to classified
network storage. status.
The secured distribution concept can also In practical terms this happens as follows: processed in accordance with the VSA and,
be used across different authorities and fed- an electronic file is classified at a particular for example, joint underwriting can be effected
eral states. For instance, it thereby enables point in time. The new interface transfers it by using this security environment.
different security authorities who work with to SINA Workflow, adhering to standards for Authorities that utilise SINA Workflow can in
sensitive data to collaborate because the the electronic exchange and singling out of future not only avoid recourse to paper when
access permissions for processing classified official records such as XDOMEA. The classi- handling classified information and collaborate
e-files through SINA Workflow are imple- fied e-file is subsequently no longer available across institutions and federal states; they can
mented in accordance with the regulations. in the system for normal e-files, but is only also benefit from the fact that interoperability
Since up to now there has not been an available from the repository of classified infor- with e-files leads to another hurdle to the
interface between SINA Workflow and the mation – in an encrypted form and protected digitalisation of public administration being
systems for processing normal, non-classified from unauthorised access. Here, the “need- removed.
e-files, the two file types have been managed to-know” principle applies. The handling and
separately. Files that were only classified at a transmission are regulated in an audit-proof Norbert Müller
norbert.mueller@secunet.com
later point in their life cycle therefore had to be way that ensures tracking and verifiability.
created again. The classified electronic documents can be
5
National
INTEGRATED BORDER CONTROL APPLICATION: IGA 2.0
Fit for the Border Control of the Future
International travel is ever increasing; at the same time,
terrorism and organised crime are raising expectations from the
public and politicians regard- For members of the Schengen area crossing In addition to the existing complexity,
ing the quality of the checks the EU’s external borders at busy German further requirements for stationary border
at Schengen external borders. airports handling large numbers of passen- control are already on the horizon: following
gers has been faster and easier since 2014: the resolution by the EU Parliament, the EU’s
Despite the extensive regu- The EasyPASS border control system has biometric Entry / Exit System (EES) is due to
latory provisions, IT systems automated the process of matching the be implemented by 2022. This will eliminate
can help to limit waiting times person to the electronic identity document, the previous stamping procedure for pas-
specifically the passport or ID card. Passen- sengers from third countries and instead
at border checkpoints. The gers complete the border control process by will establish an electronic register. These
complexity of the IT systems passing through automated border control passengers will then be digitally registered
must remain manageable for systems – the secunet easygates – virtually with four fingerprints and a facial image dur-
autonomously. This results in a much faster ing border control at the Schengen external
officials, however, to allow the border check and shorter waiting times. border. Through automatic checks can then
systems to provide beneficial later be determined, whether a traveller has
support. The integrated border Greater efficiency needed exceeded the maximum duration of a short
Manual border control at stationary border stay (90 days within 180 days) for example.
control application (IGA) 2.0 is control counters was still a laborious process,
an important step forward in however – and therefore time-consuming for
Read more about the planned Euro-
this respect, and has already both officials and passengers: when checking pean Entry / Exit System in the special
people, the officials had to manually send re-
been used at over 1,000 Ger- quests to several central registers and search report in secuview 1 / 2019:
man border control counters. databases that were not connected to each www.secunet.com/en/secuview
It combines IT systems that other. Names, dates of birth and document
numbers were queried individually in each
were previously separate, system – from the visa database, VIS, to the Compulsory biometrics from 2022
delivering a genuine INPOL search database. Having this variety With the introduction of the Entry / Exit Sys-
efficiency gain. of applications is not only inconvenient; but tem, border control officials will need to add
also error-prone. biometric data collection and maintenance
in accordance with EES provisions to their
existing border control responsibilities such
as verifying documents and questioning and
checking people. Without the supporting
technology and further optimised processes it
will not be possible to take on these additional
tasks – at least not without the existing border
control processes taking longer.
As a first step towards a supporting sys-
tem to compensate respective efforts, the
German Federal Police had developed the
integrated border control application (IGA) 1.0:
this application brought together all registers
and databases relevant at that point in time.
However, the solution could not, or could only
with difficulty be extended to include further
border control procedures and registers,
such as the Entry / Exit System, databases
for airline passenger data (Passenger Name
6 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019
National
Records, PNR), or other police workflow sys- checking procedure will be more efficient, of the system through internal surveys and
tems such as mission control centre systems, since officials will be able to concentrate on pilot phases. The results of these influenced
process management systems, border control the more relevant exceptions. the subsequent planning and development
records, EasyPASS or kiosk systems. Alongside those currently in existence, new, work. The design of a graphic user interface
additional systems can be linked in the future: that provides optimal support to the work of
IGA 2.0: link between different such as the planned EES and – currently – the border control officials also played a key role.
IT systems PNR passenger data system. Here, too, user requirements and wishes were
This was the starting point for IGA 2.0. The Overall, IGA 2.0 acts as a central link be- taken into consideration. The roll-out across
new application did not have to be redevel- tween existing IT systems and border officials. Germany was completed at the end of Octo-
oped from scratch by any means. Rather, Furthermore, it ensures seamless information ber 2019; since then, IGA 2.0 has contributed
secunet bocoa was already available as a flow between the federal authorities involved – to making controls at the EU’s external bor-
modular solution, and the German Federal i. e. the German Federal Police, the Federal ders future-proof and efficient.
Police already had experience using it, e. g. Office of Administration and the Federal Office
for mobile police searches and in EES pilot for Information Security. The solution currently Eyck Warich
eyck.warich@secunet.com
projects. handles up to 185,000 manual border con-
IGA 2.0 conveniently brings together the trols at German airports – per day.
results of visual and electronic document
checks, the results from the background Staff can concentrate on core
systems and analysis of biometric data, and policing duties
displays them in a manageable way for the Thanks to IGA border control officials are re-
border control officials. Through appropriate lieved of time-consuming routine tasks such
filtering and visualisation of relevant discrep- as operating a variety of dedicated technical
ancies or inconsistencies the officials can systems and manually evaluating data. The
comprehend and evaluate the checking time gained with the collection of data can be
procedure at a glance. If required, they can used for plausibility and document checks,
analyse the relevant details in greater depth. further raising the security standard.
Furthermore, they do not have to enter the The human factor plays an important part
data manually several times over, and ideally in the introduction and roll-out: the German
won’t have to enter it manually at all. The Federal Police evaluated the acceptance
IGA 2.0 relieves
border control
officials – as
pictured here at
Hamburg Airport –
of time-consuming
routine tasks.
7
National
PKI AT THE FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT OFFICE
Trust in Cheque Card Format
The German Federal Employment Office (BA), The trust centre is responsible for issuing Which other features can you map
one of the largest authorities in Germany, and administrating digital certificates. These through the PKI?
operates a public key infrastructure (PKI) that are applied to the BA personnel ID cards, for Employees can use the personnel ID cards
forms the background solution to the multi- instance. Employees use these personnel ID not only to register at PC workstations, but
functional personnel ID cards belonging to BA cards for authorisation at their PC worksta- also at applications by means of Single
employees. secuview caught up with Holger tions, for instance. In order to generate and Sign-On. Employees can also add qualified
Scheetz, Head of the trust centre at the BA, distribute the certificates we operate a central signatures to documents using their personnel
about the authority’s experiences with PKI. public key infrastructure (PKI) in the trust ID cards, as well as encrypt or decrypt emails.
centre. This solution consists of various com- In addition, entry to the service buildings and
Mr Scheetz, where is the trust centre ponents such as a certification authority as employment-related time-keeping is con-
located within the BA’s organisational well as registration authorities for applying for trolled via the personnel ID cards. The solution
structure? and issuing new certificates and personnel ID therefore gives employees of the BA and the
Holger Scheetz: The trust centre fits within cards, which are regularly audited with regard job centres everyday access to central secu-
the BA’s provider of trust services (VDA), to compliance with the requirements of the rity functions.
which is anchored within the BA’s IT sys- eIDAS Regulation. All in all, this ensures that
tems house. This internal IT service provider the certificates in use are always trustworthy. The PKI has been deployed in its current
operates one of the largest IT landscapes in form since 2014 and, since then, has
Germany and has approximately 170,000 PC What originally triggered the PKI solution? undergone continuous updating. What
workstations. These workstations belong to The BA is one of the largest authorities in Ger- practical insights have you gathered
the BA itself, as well as to joint facilities with many. Adapting to the growing and changing using it?
municipal institutions, including job centres. demands of the job market, the BA increas- First of all, the solution and the updates car-
ingly implements internet-based applications ried out are transparent and easy for users
What is the trust centre’s core area of anchored in the objectives of the BundOnline to apply – this aspect alone helps to keep
responsibility? initiative. Social data are transmitted as part support and administrative workloads at man-
of many of these business processes. In order ageable levels. The current solution, which se-
to comply with the protection requirements cunet successfully designed for us five years
of these data the corresponding IT security ago, has a modular structure and is stable to
measures had to be taken. This challenge run. The interfaces provisioned allowed us to
Holger Scheetz has worked in the was taken up with the deployment of cryp- implement some enhancements. We have
BA’s IT systems house since 2004. tographic processes within an intelligent been working constructively together with the
During this time here he has worked solution combined with a smartcard. This experts at secunet for around 15 years now.
in many areas of IT, including being necessitated building a PKI.
part of the project group that built the Do you envisage enhancements at
BA’s PKI. Since September 2010 he present?
has led the trust Due to the service life of the solution some
centre and its IN INTERVIEW product updates are forthcoming. We are cur-
operational team. rently also carrying out a review of the solution
with regard to amended legal and operational
requirements. This is bound to result in further
action being required for the future.
Head office of the German
Federal Employment Office
in Nuremberg
8 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019
International
A Boeing E-3A (AWACS) aircraft at
the NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen
SECURE REMOTE ACCESS AT A NATO IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Military-Grade Information Security
on the Go
At the NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen which operates the
Boeing E-3A Component Sentry known as the AWACS aircraft,
staff members rely on a SINA The NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen is the secuview: Lt Col Kammer, what was the
solution that allows them to main operating base of the NATO Boeing initial CIS challenge the NAEW & C Force
access classified information E-3A Component Sentry, one of two opera- had to face?
tional elements of the NAEW & C Force. It is Lt Col Kammer: Nowadays operational
remotely. secuview spoke with located on German territory, adjacent to the advantage derives from the ability to collect,
Lt. Col Hans-Peter Kammer German-Dutch border. Originally built and process, and disseminate an uninterrupted
who is heading the CIS operated by the British Royal Air Force after flow of information. In 2018, we were looking
World War II, the base was handed over to for a ‚secure remote access‘ capability to
Plans & Policy Branch (FHCP) the German Air Force in 1968. In 1980, NATO enable such information flow at the NATO
of the NATO Airborne started its E-3A Component operations at the RESTRICTED classification level and issued
Early Warning & Control Air Base Geilenkirchen. Today, approximately a statement for a need. The requirement was
2,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 meant to facilitate remotely situated person-
(NAEW & C) Force. NATO member nations work there. nel, mainly during deployment or duty travel,
The CIS Plans & Policy Branch (FHCP) is with access to various network resources and
responsible for the development of NAEW & C services such as mission planning tools / data,
Force’s strategic communication and informa- the PILS application (Programme Integrated
tion systems (CIS) plans, as well as the devel- Logistics System), and other mission essential
opment and operational deployment policies information.
and orders covering the NAEW & C Force CIS.
9
International
Approximately 2,000 military and
civilian personnel from 16 NATO
member nations work at the
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen.
with one guest system in the internal security
network and simultaneously surf the Internet
with another system – without running the
risk of compromising your own network with
malware.
Access to connected devices and inter-
faces detected by a guest system is carried
out under the control of the SINA security
operating system. All hard disk access and
network connections are automatically en-
crypted by SINA. Users can only access the
encrypted data with a PIN-protected SINA
ID token which contains the configuration
What kind of system did you have in mind? including logistics and technical support data and security associations for the SINA
All in all, the proposed system was sup- personnel, deployed mission crew and other Workstation. It also serves as secure stor-
posed to enable users to securely access types of personnel who have to travel tem- age for cryptographic keys and certificates.
the NATO RESTRICTED network when porarily for duty as well as personnel at the As a VPN gateway, the SINA L3 Box is a
they are physically outside their respective MSEC (Mission Systems Engineering Centre). key component of the central IT infrastructure.
NATO environments. Specifically, the system The data exchange between the SINA com-
needed to provide a secure encrypted Virtual What was the solution you ultimately ponents is securely transmitted via encrypted
Private Network (VPN) for transmitting NATO deployed? VPN tunnels.
RESTRICTED data over an unclassified In February 2019 we made the decision to
network. We also looked for state-of-the-art migrate to a SINA (Secure Inter-Network
multi-domain, multi-tenancy workstations and Architecture) solution that allows for a ‚secure
secure access control mechanisms including remote access‘ capability. This proven, multi-
user tokens. Also, we wanted the infrastruc- domain, multi-tenancy solution, developed
ture to provide our system administrators with by secunet on behalf of the German Federal
full administration capability for the clients, Office for Information Security (BSI), included
the capability for issuing and re-issuing the the deployment of 30 SINA Workstations S
tokens for users as well as the ability to re- (crypto clients in a laptop format), with a back
new (refresh) and upgrade the installed base end consisting of SINA L3 Box S devices
periodically. (IPsec-secured VPN gateways) as well as a
The desired system also needed to have designated SINA Management solution.
accreditation in accordance with the NATO
security regulations and policies, be accred- What were the reasons you chose a
ited to NATO RESTRICTED use and be listed SINA solution?
on the NATO Information Assurance Product The SINA Workstation runs so-called guest
Catalogue (NIAPC) to ensure compliance. systems such as Windows and their appli-
Furthermore, the capability needed to sup- cations in a virtualised environment. Parallel
port different user types: there are key leader- operation of several isolated guest systems,
ship users at the NAEW & CF Headquarters, which can also be assigned to different se-
users at the NAEW & CF E3A Component curity domains, makes it possible to work
10 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019International
SINA Management is used centrally for Could you give us a brief indication of
system administration, remote configuration the next steps?
and SINA software updates for all SINA L3 Given the successful introduction and deploy-
Boxes in the network. The configuration ment of the SINA capability at the NATO Air
updates include network configurations and Base in 2019, the NAEW & C Force is looking
security associations. Integrated Public Key to launch Phase 2 in 2020 and expand the
Infrastructure (PKI) with the associated user initial ‘secure remote access’ capability to
management supports critical administrative more personnel on- and off-site.
processes involving SINA L3 Box smart
cards. This specifically includes customisa- Jerome Kühnert
jerome.kuehnert@international.
tion, generation and updating of keys and
secunet.com
cryptographic parameters, and adminis-
tration of the associated PINs and PUKs. A
SINA administrator can grant or revoke rights
and change the configuration from a remote
location. IN INTERVIEW
Lt Col Hans-Peter Kammer was born on 13 May 1961 in
Wuerselen close to Aachen. After graduating from High School Lt Col Hans-Peter Kammer
in 1981 he joined the German Armed Forces as a conscript. In Head CIS Plans & Policy Branch,
1982 he began his career as a non-commissioned officer and NATO Airborne Early Warning &
platoon leader of a Signals Squadron stationed in Cologne. In Control Force
1991 he began studies in the field of electrical engineering and
commissioned in 1994. He has served in different positions as
a member of the NAEW & C Force since 1999. Lt Col Kammer is
married and has two grown-up children.
A Geilenkirchen-based Boeing
E-3A aircraft, commonly known as
AWACS, in full flight
11Science
SOFTWARE INNOVATION CAMPUS PADERBORN
“We are Researching the Software
Innovations of the Future”
Since March 2019 secunet has been a member of the
Software Innovation Campus Paderborn, or SICP for short.
Collaboration between The Software Innovation Campus Paderborn Digital innovations as a product of
science and industry at the (SICP) is an interdisciplinary research and interdisciplinary collaborations
University of Paderborn innovation association where businesses In the five competence areas of the SICP –
and science jointly explore and put digital Cyber-Physical Systems, Digital Business,
has led to the creation of innovations into action. The SICP develops Digital Security, Smart Systems and Software
a place for research and solutions to brand new kinds of challenges in Engineering – around 30 working groups from
innovation, knowledge digital society, but also implements real-world the faculties for Electrical Engineering, Com-
concepts and systems efficiently, securely puter Science and Mathematics, Economics
transfer and h uman resources and in a scalable way. “With the construc- and Cultural Studies at the University of Pa-
development. tion of the new Zukunftsmeile 2 building on derborn are developing multidisciplinary new
Fürstenallee in Paderborn, in close proximity concepts, methods, technologies and tools
to the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic for large distributed and intelligent systems,
Systems Design IEM and the University of secure wireless communication, agile and
Paderborn Heinz Nixdorf Institute, we are people-centric development of interactive
realising a research campus where we will and socio-technical systems, digital business
be able to develop digital innovations in a models, data-driven decisions, intelligent cus-
particularly effective and agile way through tomer management and adaptive business
the close interlinking of science and industry,” processes. “We always view digital innova-
says Dr Stefan Sauer, Managing Director of tions as a close interlocking of organisation
the SICP and Manager of the Software Engi- and IT: digital transformation can only be
neering competence area. “We see the close successful if we develop software and sys-
collaboration between science and industry tems on the basis of the application context,
as a crucial factor for success in turning re- transform organisational structures effectively,
search results into marketable innovations,” and empower people to create and utilise
Sauer adds. digital innovations,” explains Christoph Plass,
spokesman of the SICP.
The SICP steering committee
(left to right): Holger Funke (secunet
Security Networks AG), Josef Tillmann
(S&N Invent GmbH), Christoph Plass
(UNITY AG), Prof. Gregor Engels
(University of Paderborn), Dr Stefan
Sauer (University of Paderborn),
Jörg Wehling (Atos Information
Technology GmbH), Prof. Holger Karl
(University of Paderborn)
12 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019Science
“Digital Security” at the SICP is researching measures such as secure IT the German Federal Office for Information
In the era of the digital transformation, In- architectures, progressive cryptographic pro- Security (BSI). The aim of the SICP fellowship
dustry 4.0 and the Internet of Things, the cedures and digital identities and developing is to further develop this relationship, carry
security aspect in particular is one of the core joint solutions. These topics are supported out joint projects, bachelor and master the-
challenges for our modern information society. by multidisciplinary expertise in topics like ses, and attract highly trained students and
“In our area of competence we are therefore agile and hybrid software development meth- graduates to secunet.
investigating methods for how security can ods, static and dynamic program analysis, You can find more information at
be integrated more extensively even at the or software quality assurance and testing. www.sicp.de.
design stage, and how it can be guaranteed
for the entire life cycle. Our goal is to make the secunet is a member of the SICP Dr Stefan Sauer, SICP
sauer@sicp.de
concept of ‘digital security’ understandable, Since March 2019 secunet Security Networks
sustainable and demonstrable,” says Prof. AG has been a member of the SICP and, as Holger Funke, secunet
Eric Bodden, Director of the Digital Security one of the leading providers of IT security for holger.funke@secunet.com
competence area. businesses and authorities, has been supple-
Distributed systems are increasingly used, menting the SICP Digital Security competence
e. g. in cloud computing or in service-oriented area in particular. “We are delighted to have
or micro-service architectures. The associated an extremely capable partner at our side in
distributed computing and storage of data in secunet, who also regularly supports us at
virtual environments calls for more data com- the Paderborn Day of IT Security, which we
munication on the one hand; and the use of have staged for 14 years,” says Dr Simon
external providers on the other. “In this situ- Oberthür. “Thanks to its many experts, high
ation, security vulnerabilities can easily arise degree of specialist and methodological
from the use of complex systems and the expertise, together with its broad panoply of
constant connectivity. The fundamental aims innovative ideas, we see the SICP as an ideal
of IT security for us are, therefore, maintaining forum for exchange and discussion,” says
information security and protecting privacy Holger Funke, Principal at secunet Security
rights,” states Dr Simon Oberthür, Manager Networks AG. The fellowship is thus building
of the competence area and scientist at the on a long-standing, trusting relationship and
University of Paderborn. To this end, the SICP joint activities and project plans, including for
Zukunftsmeile 2: The SICP will be housed
in this new building as of next year.
Simulation (c) Matern Architekten,
Goldbeck GmbH
13Technologies & Solutions
100,000 SINA WORKSTATIONS S DELIVERED
Modern Working in
Public Administration × 100,000
The digital transformation does not stop at classified informa-
tion and other sensitive data. On behalf of the German Federal
Office for Information Security “The SINA Secure Inter-Network Architecture can, for instance, work in a classified network
(BSI), secunet developed a is one example of a successful public-private and, at the same time, surf the (unsecured)
solution that would offer the partnership,” BSI President Arne Schönbohm internet. In addition they have access to their
stated in October 2019 at the world’s largest familiar work environment (e. g. MS Windows)
requisite security and, at the trade show for IT security, it-sa in Nuremberg. at all times, without jeopardising the security
same time, be user-friendly: Axel Deininger, secunet’s CEO, met Schön- of the data in the classified networks with
the SINA Workstation. The bohm to mark a special occasion: 100,000 which they work concurrently. Two-factor au-
SINA Workstations S delivered. The cryp- thentication and hard drive encryption prevent
cryptographic client, which tographic clients secure workstations within a unauthorised parties from gaining access to
was originally conceived as number of authorities in Germany and Europe, the sensitive data.
a special solution for specific including in many federal ministries. Thanks
to their mobility and flexibility they have rev- Confidential information from
purposes, has since estab- olutionised work flows in authorities, where RESTRICTED to SECRET
lished itself as the standard handling sensitive or classified documents is As is the case with other SINA components,
PC in public administration, part of everyday responsibilities. Today, de- the SINA Workstation is available in a range
spite the stringent security requirements, their of different basic models for disparate se-
where it facilitates modern, employees can fulfil their responsibilities just curity requirements: in principle, the SINA
mobile working. In autumn as independently when working from home Workstation S (for ‘standard’) is approved for
2019 secunet announced or while out and about as employees in the RESTRICTED classification level; the SINA
private sector can. The key phrase is “new Workstation E (‘extended’) for up to CONFI-
a milestone. The success work”. The security of the sensitive informa- DENTIAL; and the SINA Workstation H (‘high’)
story continues, however: tion is guaranteed at all times. And develop- for up to SECRET level. In accordance with
the solution is continually ment is ongoing: “We will continually adapt the security requirements prevalent in the
SINA to meet users’ needs and address their various authorities and institutions the SINA
being developed and new work scenarios,” says Deininger. Workstation S is primarily used in public ad-
user requirements and ministration, while the SINA Workstation H is
technologies integrated. SINA: a secure environment, used in military and other contexts. The latter
versatile hardware has, for example, become established as the
The portfolio of SINA solutions is multi-layered standard client in the context of the German
and always offers the right product for the Federal Armed Forces’ HaFIS programme
different requirements. At its core SINA builds (harmonisation of management information
a secure environment with sophisticated systems).
encryption technology that serves to transmit Concurrently with this, the SINA Worksta-
sensitive and classified information over po- tion is available in various form factors, e. g. as
tentially unsecured networks like the internet. a desktop, laptop or tablet. The SINA Terminal
IPsec-secured Virtual Private Networks (VPN) falls into an entirely separate category. This
are used to achieve this. thin client only displays graphic data and
The SINA Workstation functions as the emits audio signals; furthermore it accepts
client in these secure networks. It offers the mouse and keyboard input. The actual pro-
advantage that several guest systems of cessing of classified information takes place
differing secrecy levels that are sealed off on remote terminal servers.
from each other can be run in parallel on one The SINA Workstations E and H are, in ad-
device. This is achieved through virtualisation dition, available in ultra-robust versions that
technology. The users can easily move be- remain reliably usable even in unfavourable
tween the guest systems by just a mouse physical conditions: they are resistant to heat,
click, without having to use different devices cold, dust, vibrations and humidity.
to access different security domains. They
14 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019Technologies & Solutions
Virtualisation: at the sharp end of
technological evolution The success principle of the SINA
The project concept for SINA originally came
about through the call for secure communi-
Workstation is based on client virtualisation.
cation in connection with the move of large secunet is driving this technology forward
parts of the German Federal Government
from Bonn to Berlin. In this context, the Ber- significantly with SINA Workstation, like
lin-Bonn Information Network (IVBB) was set
up to connect the highest-level federal author-
cloud computing is driving forward server
ities. In addition, there was a general need for virtualisation.
suitable encryption for classified information
on an internet protocol level and, together Armin Wappenschmidt, Head of Network & Client Security,
with this, a deployment prospect for secure Public Authorities Division, secunet
communication via wide area networks. At
the end of the 1990s the BSI therefore drew
up a draft concept for SINA. In December environments. secunet experimented sub- En route to an authority standard
1999 secunet Security Networks AG was sequently with virtualisation technologies When the SINA Workstation was first brought
commissioned by the BSI to develop the SINA and ultimately developed the concept for the to life the supposition was that there would
product line. SINA Workstation together with the BSI. A be demand for around 1,500 workstations.
Initially, at the start of the 2000s, secure virtualisation solution from manufacturer In- Today it is clear that the market has evolved
VPN networks were set up with SINA L3 noTek brought about a breakthrough, which rather differently than had been anticipated.
Boxes as VPN gateways and PCs were con- secunet extensively adapted and developed With 100,000 installations of the SINA Work-
nected to them. The next step involved the for SINA – and which continues to be devel- station S alone, the SINA product family has
SINA Terminals, which linked a SINA L3 Box oped. InnoTek later went to the technology become an authority standard.
and a display component. With the increasing provider Sun Microsystems, which was in turn
prevalence of SINA many users were keen to taken over by the Oracle hardware and soft-
have entire PCs (fat clients), with which they ware corporation. The virtualisation solution is
could work directly in their usual Windows marketed under the name VirtualBox.
15Technologies & Solutions
SINA Remote Admin Server. Their successful
implementation proved that SINA was suitable
for mass roll-outs.
guest system 1 guest system 2 guest system 3
Users demand a variety of
wlan hotspot app – MS windows – voiP telephony – applications
open reStriCted reStriCted
The SINA Workstation spread very rapidly
within Germany’s public institutions, which
soon led to a concomitant rise in users’ de-
mands. Users expected that more and more
Sina workstation of the applications that they were reliant on
as part of their day-to-day work should also
be mapped in the SINA Workstation: from the
connection of printers and scanners to USB
support for headsets for audio conferences,
right through to video telephony with Skype
for Business. Implementing these require-
ments within the secure, virtualised SINA
One milestone on this path came in the environment was often challenging, yet these
mid-2010s, when several federal ministries challenges were overcome time and again.
were fully fitted out with SINA Workstations. A further example: since 2015 SINA has
This gave rise to brand new challenges again: been compatible with the biometric middle-
On the occasion of delivering 100,000 previously, the spotlight was purely on secu- ware secunet biomiddle. This enables those
SINA Workstation S representatives from
rity; now the question was also how a mass in specialist roles – such as border control
the BSI and secunet met at it-sa 2019.
From left to right: Dr Günther Welsch, roll-out and the administration of very large officials – to hook up biometrics hardware
Arne Schönbohm (both BSI), SINA installations could be successful without like passport readers and fingerprint scan-
Axel Deininger (secunet), entailing an excessive workload. The answer ners. The SINA Workstation is also used
Dr Gerhard Schabhüser (BSI), lay in automation: the new challenges were successfully in mobile identity control and for
Dr Kai Martius (secunet)
tackled with the SINA Install Server and the registering people.
16 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019Technologies & Solutions
The SINA Workstation is available
in various form factors – the picture
shows a version in a laptop format.
The SINA Workstation presents users with
a range of software applications through its
SINA apps, which were originally developed
in response to requests from individual clients.
These applications can be started as separate
guest systems and fulfil defined tasks. One
example is the SINA WLAN Hotspot app. This
enables users to establish a secure VPN con-
nection even at unsecured public hotspots.
Convenient and secure internet
access
At the top of the list of many office IT users is
convenient internet usage that is as free as
possible of restrictions. Unsecured access to
the internet does, however, represent one of
the biggest gateways for malicious software,
which not only affects the target system, but
which can also jeopardise the confidentiality
of the data. Many users in public authorities
therefore used to have to switch to a separate The option of starting individual Windows In addition to the simple usability of the
PC workstation if they wanted to conduct applications in their own virtualised environ- SINA Workstation, users are also focussed
research on the internet. Other, more conven- ments, which potential malicious code cannot on mobile usage. Tablet solutions are already
ient solutions were always merely a compro- break out of, provides additional security. This available and other mobile form factors will
mise when it came to security aspects. principle underpins special partner solutions follow.
The SINA Workstation opens up an elegant such as Bromium Secure Platform, which can So what does the future of the SINA Work-
way forward here by making a version of the be integrated within the SINA Workstation. station look like? The old contradiction of se-
secunet safe surfer solution available, which The tried and tested external protection of curity and convenience has increasingly fallen
is based on the BSI’s ReCoBS (Remote the SINA environment is thus enhanced by away. The objective is a cryptographic client
Controlled Browser System) architecture. The a further, internal protection mechanism for that can hardly be differentiated from conven-
internet browser is not itself implemented on Windows applications. tional user systems, but that still meets security
the local Windows system requiring protec- requirements from high to highest.
tion, but within a quarantine system that is The future: small, mobile, intuitive
implemented outside of the sensitive network The increasing popularity of the SINA Work- Armin Wappenschmidt
armin.wappenschmidt@secunet.
area – in the case of the SINA Workstation, station is leading to more and more new user
com
as a further virtualised guest system. The groups coming into contact with it. This is
user controls the browser within his Windows one of the reasons that the evolution of SINA
workstation remotely, as it were, and can is moving in the direction of simple, intuitive
thereby work with sensitive data or critical interfaces, which take away the need for spe-
networks, and simultaneously access the cialist training for SINA users. For example,
internet – without the former limitations. Even a new graphical user interface is currently in
functions like uploads and downloads, as progress, which will further improve the user
well as a printer connection are conveniently experience. The aspect of accessibility is also
available thanks to a data lock. on the agenda.
17Technologies & Solutions
ENCRYPTED VIDEO COMMUNICATION NOT ONLY WITH HELICOPTERS
Exclusive Live Transmission from
Several Kilometres Up
Digital communication has featured in military infrastructures
in a big way. The requirements are becoming ever more
exacting: today, airborne In the armed forces increasing demands with continuous network availability irrespective of
platforms such as helicopters, respect to agility and flexibility on deployment the environment infrastructure. Moreover, the
reconnaissance aircraft and have led to a growing need for live video SCP supports terrestrial networks. With both
communication. This enables missions to be types of connection there is the challenge that
drones not only need to be coordinated, supported and led dynamically. the networks available on the deployment
connected to IT systems On a practical deployment, such as on recon- usually only have moderate bandwidth availa-
and, for example, transmit naissance and monitoring missions, HD video ble and have high latency. The SCP therefore
material is streamed live to central command. prepares the video data in such a way that
image data; they also need to Status reports are therefore far more accurate they can be transmitted in high quality despite
deliver high-resolution video and up-to-date. the unfavourable conditions. If necessary, the
footage in real time while on In the area of medical service support the users can decide whether an optimal image
encrypted video and data transmission in real resolution or optimal motion dynamics should
deployment – at RESTRICTED time enable a plethora of different telemed- be achieved when processing – depending on
secrecy level. To achieve this, icine applications. In addition to the trans- the tactical benefit.
several of the German Federal mission of vital data in emergency situations, The SCP is made up of two components:
teleradiology, teleparasitology and telederma- a hardware decoder / encoder and a pro-
Armed Forces’ helicopter tology, it is also possible to provide support cessor unit. The combination of these two
models carry the SCOTTY with a sonographic examination in real time
Communication Platform on via a specialist in the country of origin.
One traditional use case is bi-directional
board, which is fitted with video and speech transmission in the form
SINA encryption technology. of a video conference used as a modern
The high security solution leadership tool. Last but not least, the system
also serves to transmit media reports from the
SINA, which has formed the deployment territory, whether for internal com-
IP cryptographic backbone munication or external reporting purposes.
of the Federal Armed Forces These types of scenario are executed
technically with the assistance of separate
for years on the ground, is computer systems on board of aircrafts or
thereby now tapping into the vehicles. SCOTTY, a company headquar-
vertical dimension too. tered in Austria, produces solutions for this
purpose. The SCOTTY Communication Plat-
form (SCP) enables data, photos, audio and
HD video material to be beamed live from the
air, land and high seas – preferably via sat-
ellite communication, because this ensures
The Sikorsky CH-53 is a medium-
weight transport helicopter that has
been operational on a large number
of the Federal Armed Forces’ foreign
deployments in recent years.
18 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019Technologies & Solutions
Drone
Grob G520 Egrett
CH 53
NH90
H145M
Eagle IV
SCP powered by SINA S in use
SCP in use
in preparation / further deployment options
SINA L3 Box S
elements enables a series of applications,
including bi-directional video communication,
unidirectional video streaming and video re-
cording. The transmission of technically less
challenging information arising through the
deployment, such as audio material or simple
data, is effected over the SCP too.
In order to transmit the information not
only so it is readily available and of sufficiently
high quality, but also so it is tap-proof, one
version of the SCP is equipped with the
SINA cryptographic system. As part of the
“SCOTTY Communication Platform powered
by SINA S”, SINA is now leaving the ground
and boarding the Federal Armed Forces
helicopters on deployments at heights of
up to several kilometres above ground.
The joint solution by SCOTTY and secunet
is approved for the German VS-NUR FÜR
DEN DIENSTGEBRAUCH secrecy level,
as well as for NATO RESTRICTED and EU
RESTRICTED / RESTREINT UE levels interna-
tionally.
19Technologies & Solutions
How is communication protected specif- between the SINA components are securely ensures that only the SINA components af-
ically? The SINA component in the SCP in transmitted in encrypted VPN tunnels. In fected can decrypt the data – even with high
the helicopter functions as an IPsec secured doing this it is immaterial which potentially data throughput, in order to enable applica-
VPN gateway. As a counterpart, one (or more) unsecured network is used for the data tions such as video communication.
SINA L3 Box S is required on the ground transfer – e. g. the internet, or, in the present For the time being, two types of Federal
and integrated within the respective military instance, via satellite-based connections. Armed Forces helicopter models in Germany’s
IT infrastructure there. The data exchanged RESTRICTED level-compliant cryptography air force are flying missions with SCP pow-
ered by SINA on board. One of the two is the
Sikorsky CH-53, a medium-weight transport
helicopter that has been operational on a
large number of foreign deployments in recent
years. For many years the CH-53 has been
the Federal Armed Forces’ beast of burden
The SCP’s in Afghanistan. From transporting troops to
hardware platform connecting flights, transfer of special forces
to the deployment territory through to medical
SCOTTY Group Austria GmbH provides a comprehensive range of com-
munications solutions, specifically tailored to application in defence, civil
protection and surveillance. SCOTTY facilitates audio, video and data
transmission where there is no infrastructure: in the field, on wheeled
vehicles, ships, and in the air.
SCOTTY, founded in 1993, has tremendous experience in providing
solutions for critical applications under challenging circumstances.
The encrypted video and data transmission
in real time enable a plethora of different Armed forces worldwide use SCOTTY equipment and rely on the
telemedicine applications. long-standing experience and know-how to take communication to
(c) SCOTTY remote locations which are difficult to access. SCOTTY products can
be integrated into aircraft, helicopters and vehicles. The transmission of
video recordings in real time to the command centre makes surveillance
operations as well as reconnaissance missions more efficient and allows
rapid action.
20 SECUVIEW – 2 | 2019Technologies & Solutions
The SCP is not only designed
for use in helicopters, but also in
aircraft (such as the Grob G520
Egrett pictured here), land-based
vehicles and ships.
(c) SCOTTY
evacuation: the platform has been used for
many years for a host of missions in this
deployment territory, which is challenging not
only because of the climatic conditions.
A further type of helicopter with SCP
powered by SINA S on board is the new
lightweight multi-purpose Airbus Helicopters
H145M. The scope of application for this
helicopter includes supporting land-based
and maritime special operations, as well as,
in future, fire support, evacuation support and
reconnaissance missions. The German navy is
also planning to implement the SCP powered deployment capabilities are extended. This in
by SINA S: in future, the IT security solution turn leads to new requirements, specifically
will transmit and safeguard video communi- with regard to the quality, availability and con-
cations in the new tactical NH90 Sea Lion fidentiality of the data transmitted. To cover fu-
marine transport helicopters. ture requirements for military IT infrastructure
As a hardware component for aviation, spe- as well, SINA is continually being developed
cial requirements apply to the SCP: ultimately, in close collaboration with the Federal Armed
the solution needs to function securely even Forces.
under extreme conditions, such as those in
play within a plane or helicopter. The standard Dr Michael Sobirey, secunet
michael.sobirey@secunet.com
DO-160G sets out requirements for tolerance
with respect to environmental factors, as Dr Mario Polaschegg,
well as for the electromagnetic compatibility. SCOTTY Group
This includes the temperature range in which M.Polaschegg@scottygroup.com
the system has to function faultlessly, the air
pressure, the resistance in terms of electro-
magnetic radiation as well as, in particular,
the resilience to cope with vibrations and
knocks, which, especially when it comes to
helicopters, can be very extreme. The SCP
passed the test procedure for this standard
successfully.
In principle, the SCP is not only designed
for aviation, but also for land-based vehicles
and ships. The same applies to the product
versions with SINA functionality. There is cur-
rently a project in plan to integrate the system
into land-based vehicles.
IT systems have become integral compo-
nents within overarching military systems,
which alter their capabilities and, in turn,
generate new requirements. This is espe- Dr Michael Sobirey Dr Mario Polaschegg
cially evident in the example of live HD video Head of Defence division, Head of Customization,
communication: where flying platforms secunet SCOTTY Group
are equipped with this functionality their
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