The Japanese visualize ICT threats in three dimensions in real time

A Japanese organization has developed a system to visualize data traffic within organizations in real time. In this way threats can be detected. The system, Daedalus, is offered free of charge to educational institutions.

The NICT presented the Daedalus system at a trade fair in Tokyo, according to a video report by DigInfo. The system is able to map traffic from different networks in real time and visualize it in three dimensions. This would allow network administrators to see where strange activities are occurring in the network.

For example, in the video, the director of the NICT shows how a warning is displayed if packets are sent from an IP address to an unused IP address; a sign that a virus is trying to spread itself.

Daedalus, a reference to a mythical figure, is also able to warn users if their PC is being misused for spreading viruses. In that case, notifications can also be sent automatically to the ICT department. It is obvious that those users have to install a client for this.

The NICT currently uses the system to monitor 190,000 IP addresses in Japan. Educational institutions can use the package for free; the Japanese company Clwit is going to offer it commercially. It is unknown whether a non-Japanese-language variant has already been developed.