The amplía))) Innovation team is proud to announce the progress in the third year of the SecBluRed project, a collective and collaborative effort in the cybersecurity of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Achievements of Year 2

The collaborative work carried out by the consortium during the second year laid the groundwork for the current activities, highlighting:

• Research on Cyberattacks in IIoT: Comprehensive analysis of security breaches and current trends in cyberattacks on IIoT infrastructures, identifying attack vectors and proposing defense methodologies such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems. This work has been fundamental in understanding the current threat landscape and developing effective mitigation strategies.

• Evaluation of IIoT Scenarios: Definition and analysis of five specific IIoT scenarios, assessing their security and proposing improvements. These scenarios ranged from smart meters in industrial environments to occupational safety monitoring systems, providing a comprehensive view of security needs and challenges in different contexts.

• Research on Self-Sovereign Identity and Traceability: Development of self-sovereign identity and reliable traceability mechanisms for IIoT devices, significantly improving security and trust in these systems in collaboration with Gradiant. These models ensure that each device has a unique and verifiable identity, facilitating network management and monitoring.

• UEBA Modeling for Anomaly Detection: Behavioral analysis of devices using various algorithms to build a normal behavior profile, enabling proactive identification of anomalous situations that may pose high cybersecurity risks.

With this work as a foundation, and the tasks being developed collaboratively, the SecBluRed project closed the previous year meeting its objectives in terms of time and scope.

Progress in Year 3

Since the first quarter of 2024, which marks the beginning of Year 3 for the SecBluRed project, significant progress has been made in several key areas:

1. Development of Secure IIoT Systems: Research and design of secure architectures that integrate technologies such as 5G networks, post-quantum algorithms, and self-sovereign identity, ensuring data protection and communication integrity in industrial environments. These advances provide a foundation for companies to maintain operational continuity and protect their most valuable assets from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

2. Advanced Defense Mechanisms: Prototyping of cyber-intelligent wireless nodes that use artificial intelligence to detect and mitigate cyberattacks in real time. These nodes, acting as sentinels on the network, are essential for the security of monitoring and control systems in electrical infrastructures, enabling a rapid and efficient response to any intrusion attempt or attack.

3. Validation of PoCs: Design and development of various PoCs (Proofs of Concept) that simulate real-world applications of the analyzed mechanisms and technologies. These PoCs allow for the investigation, analysis, and validation of the technologies’ functionality and their resilience against potential security breaches. These tests not only confirm the effectiveness of the solutions but also provide valuable data for future improvements and adaptations to be researched during this year.

Next Steps

For the work of this year, the SecBluRed project will continue to improve and implement cybersecurity solutions. The next steps include:

1. Expansion of Security Capabilities: Continue improving and developing defense mechanisms based on artificial intelligence, ensuring their effective integration into IIoT environments. This includes the continuous enhancement of anomaly detection algorithms and the implementation of new data analysis techniques.

2. Prototype Development: Implement and test new prototypes of cybersecurity devices and systems in real environments, validating their effectiveness and making necessary adjustments. These prototypes will be essential to demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of the developed solutions under real operational conditions, as well as to analyze different alternatives.

3. Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer: Strengthen collaboration among participating companies and ensure the transfer of knowledge and technology. This will involve organizing meetings and collaboration sessions to share acquired knowledge and promote the implementation of best security practices, building synergies among the various companies.

4. Cybersecurity Training and Awareness: In the case of amplía))) in particular, all the knowledge gained is shared internally to further enhance efforts in cybersecurity training and awareness, ensuring that all actors and personnel involved are prepared to face emerging threats. This approach includes continuous training of technical staff and raising awareness at all levels of the organization about the importance of cybersecurity.

The ultimate goal of this year is to begin experiments in early 2025, thereby validating the research results and ensuring the robustness of the developed solutions. These experiments will allow us to identify potential areas for improvement and adjust the solutions to maximize their effectiveness and efficiency, while also meeting our project objectives and enhancing our IoT platform OpenGate.

Conclusion

At amplía))), we are very proud to participate in the SecBluRed project and to continue collaborating with the other companies in this third year of the project. We firmly believe that SecBluRed marks a significant milestone in the cybersecurity of the Industrial Internet of Things. With a clear vision and constant commitment, the project is moving towards defining a safer and more resilient future for industrial infrastructures. The achievements reached so far and the solid foundations established in previous years position the project as a leader in the innovation and protection of IIoT systems, ensuring the necessary security and reliability in the current and future industrial environment.