IEGs provide cross domain information system security

By U.S. Marine Cpl. Jenn Eagelman, Combined Endeavor 2008 Public Affairs

BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- Communication interoperability is the mission at Combined Endeavor 2008 and finding new solutions to share information at the right classification level, at the right time and to the right partners is one of this year's objectives. 

While all CE 08 participating nations need to have access to information pertaining specifically to the NATO and coalition operations they support, they still need to maintain their national security.

Cross domain information sharing gives participating nations the ability to share information using various mediums, including web and e-mail.

Information which needs to be exchanged between nations can vary from unclassified to top secret. Countries that are close allies may want to share classified information with each other and only unclassified information with other nations. They  are generating and testing solutions to increase security and make this possible at CE 08.

"The Information Exchange Gateway(IEG) gives participating countries the opportunity to exchange data in a safe and secure manner," said Maj. Russ Manning, the information systems chief with the Headquarters 1st Signal Brigade of the British Army.

Anyone trying to send or receive information through the IEG has to go through a firewall and an Intrusion Detection System, according to Manning. The old system had information exchange ‘islands' that had to be set up for each country or set of countries to pass data securely, which was very time consuming and not completely secure. The new system being tested gives countries the chance to list who has acceptance to exchange information, through the IEG via web or email, from one location with them.

"Each country can create kind of a bouncer list for each type of data exchange medium on the IEG," Manning explained. "Let's say that the U.S. has classified information to give to the U.K. via email, but they only are on the U.K.'s web list to send and receive classified data from the U.K. The email would be blocked and sent back because they are not on the U.K.'s ‘bouncer list' to send emails. This gives the countries much more control over who has access to their data."

If possible all countries participating CE 09 will be using this system, said Maj. Laurent Porracchia, an information assurance co-chairman with the French Air Force.

"Once all of the countries see how easy and safe and easy it is to use this system the will use it as well," Porracchia said. "The main goal for this is interoperability and the sharing of information. This is the best and most secure way to exchange data."

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