Cybersecurity: innovating in digital resilience

Complementary market role

What challenges and questions relating to cyber resilience do organisations have, what cyber threats can we expect in future and what knowledge, tools and methods must we develop to make ourselves more cyber resilient now and in the future? These are the topics that TNO is addressing together with trade and industry. At TNO some 100 people in all work on cyber security. This is unique and makes TNO the independent expertise centre for applied knowledge of cyber security. As a research institution, TNO has a complementary role in the market alongside the providers of cyber security products and  services.

Cyber security innovation

High-value knowledge – in the field of, for example, cryptology, anomaly detection, the role of people in combination with technology, new forms of transactions, network technologies, predictive analysis, artificial intelligence and organisational aspects – gives rise regularly new technologies, innovative tools and new methods that commercialised in various ways. TNO serves different types of customer: managed security service providers (MSSPs), large companies with their own cyber security environment and suppliers of cyber security services and products.

Cooperation within the financial world

Cyber security is vitally important in the financial sector. In 2014 a number of parties in this sector, including the three major Dutch banks, decided to carry out joint research under the programme leadership of TNO. “And that is unique. Nowhere in the world will you find a collaboration of this nature between such large parties in the same sector, who are highly competitive in the market, but who in the field of cyber security undertake joint research in a trusted environment and share their findings. Moreover, it is exceptional that not only TNO but also the participants themselves are providing research capacity, and that produces highly interesting insights and results,” says Dimitri Hehanussa, business developer Cyber security ICT.

Cyber security propositions

Within the Cyber security roadmap we are focusing on a number of propositions that enable us to serve both the demand side of cyber security solutions and the supply side:

• Security monitoring and detection: An example is the research into innovative solutions for detecting attacks. This involves the use of anomaly detection technology. This can cut the time to detection, and thus reduce the damage.
• Automated security: Because the number of cyber attacks is increasing and the attacks are becoming smarter, while qualified security analysts are scarce, we think it important that we develop solutions for (semi)automated security processes.
• Transaction Security: Digital transactions involving value (not only money but also personal data, public transport tickets, shares) will soon take a leap forward due to the implementation of new technologies, such as blockchain technology. The security aspects of this are the subject of continued research. For example, the advent of the quantum computer will have an impact on transaction security and encryption methods.
• Research into the human side of cyber security provides insights into the valuable intervention methods aimed at ICT users. We also focus on the people who work in cyber- security centres; how can they work more efficiently and how can we optimise their tools to maximise the tool-user fit.

To stand still is to move backwards

Does your company already see cyber security as a precondition, not as a necessary evil? You would do well to get started on it because to stand still is to move backwards. Would you like to know more about what we are doing in the field of cyber security or to collaborate with us? Read more below or get in touch with us.

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• Security at machine speed