Restricted zones. Anticipating vulnerabilities with an analysis tool

In a global, globalized and highly competitive context, economic intelligence involves collecting, analyzing, developing, disseminating and protecting strategic economic information or knowledge, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of a State, an organization or a research establishment, thereby raising awareness among all operators of the impact of disseminating information and knowledge.

Why implement a safety management system?

The reduction of risks affects laboratory safety, and is one of the major challenges facing many laboratories in order to protect their know-how and remain competitive at national and international level. In addition to a standards-based approach, continuous improvement in safety performance requires in-depth technical and regulatory knowledge of the hazards and risks faced by the laboratory. Structuring its safety management system therefore requires the laboratory to carry out a complete analysis of its knowledge production processes, and can have a major impact on its organization and reputation. The nation's scientific and technical potential is made up of all the tangible and intangible assets specific to scientific activity and technological development. Its protection was reformed in 2012, and covers sensitive or strategic knowledge, know-how and technologies within research establishments, the misappropriation or capture of which could :

• harm the nation's economic interests;

• strengthen foreign military arsenals or weaken the nation's defense capabilities;

• contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction ;

• be used for terrorist purposes.

Misappropriation and capture are punishable under criminal law, and are essentially based around ZRRs, with physical and logical access control to laboratories.

However, part of the French scientific community is critical of these procedures:

• the low level of protection they provide, due to the fact that their systems are ill-suited to the risks, as highlighted in the open letter "De la PPST des laboratoires publics de recherche en informatique et de l'inanité des ZRR comme solution à un vrai problème" by Jean-Marc Jézéquel, Director of IRISA;

• the considerable inconvenience they cause to research centers;

• uniform application of all constraints without regard to specific features ;

• insufficient consultation with the security services, particularly when it comes to ZRR classification and refusal to recruit.

The result,...