NGI Assure State of the Art Reports

Introduction

The NGI Assure project has contributed to the advancement of the State of the Art in internet technologies, particularly in areas related to security, privacy, and decentralization. It supported over 150 grantee projects delivering Free and Open Source Software – FOSS – which has a recognised role in developing a secure and transparent digital European ecosystem. Through these FOSS projects, NGI Assure has supported the creation of reusable building blocks that are freely accessible, ensuring that tech communities benefit of – and can contribute to – a trustworthy internet and IT ecosystems.

A particular focus in NGI Assure has been on technologies that ensure trust, security, and transparency in this digital ecosystem. The project supported a wide range of projects aimed to create a resilient, user-friendly, and decentralized internet. This report summarizes the leading-edge technologies and methodologies that have emerged from the program.

The NGI Assure Booklet and the NGI Impact study

The booklet, available for download as part of this report, goes into comprehensive detail about all the projects granted under the NGI Assure. Each project is documented, showcasing the technological advancements and innovations they develop.

Given the relevance of these projects in shaping the future of the internet, the booklet serves as a resource for stakeholders interested in the development of secure, decentralized, and privacy-respecting digital infrastructures.

Download full booklet here

Additionally, we also provide here a link to the NGI Final study report Benchmarking the impact of the next generation internet initiative. This report provides quantitative and qualitative insights into the NGI portfolio’s performance and technological building blocks (including several examples from NGI Assure). It therefore constitutes a complementary resource for State of the Art of NGI (and NGI Assure) including initiatives linked (via the NGI programme), to the project.

Download the Final Study Report

Key State of the Art technologies and domains

Here we highlight some of the NGI Assure projects relating them to the core State of the Art technologies/domains they are adddressing. The booklet and report above provide more in-depth descriptions.

1. Post-Quantum Cryptography
   • KEMTLS: An alternative method for adding authentication to the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, designed to be resilient against quantum computer attacks. This involves using Key Encapsulation Mechanisms (KEMs) instead of traditional signatures, which is more efficient in terms of communication and computation.
2. Decentralized and Secure Communication
   • GNUnet Messenger API: A secure, decentralized messaging service using the Confidential Ad-hoc Decentralized End-to-End Transport (CADET). It ensures privacy by encrypting communication and not relying on central servers.
   • Briar Desktop: A peer-to-peer messaging application that operates offline, ensuring privacy and security in communications without reliance on centralized servers.
3. Distributed and Collaborative Systems
   • Earthstar: A decentralized tool for building offline-first, shared data storage systems. It allows users to have full control over their data and how it is shared or synchronized across devices.
   • Choreographic Programming: A new method for building distributed systems that are deadlock-free and compliant with application-level protocols, using a new programming language embedded in Clojure.
4. Data Security and Integrity
   • ERIS (Encoding for Robust Immutable Storage): A system for encrypting and addressing data content independently of its physical storage location, making it more secure and resilient to tampering.
   • FOSS Code Supply Chain Assurance: A project aimed at mitigating supply chain attacks by verifying the integrity of open-source packages and detecting malicious modifications.
5. Privacy-Enhancing Technologies
   • Katzen (Katzenpost Mixnet): An instant messaging application that uses mixnet technology to anonymize user communication patterns, protecting against network-level surveillance.
   • CryptPad Auth: Enhancements to the CryptPad collaboration platform, adding multi-factor authentication and integration with identity provider services like LDAP or SSO for better data protection.
6. Open Hardware and Reconfigurable Computing
   • Kintex-nextpnr: An open-source toolchain for Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), allowing for high-performance, customizable digital circuit designs.
7. Identity and Access Management
   • Keyoxide:/Keyoxide Mobile: An open-source service and mobile client for managing decentralized cryptographic identities, providing a user-friendly interface for verifying information about people and creating ones own Keyoxide profiles.