Digital systems, data volumes and the threat of cyberattacks are constantly evolving and increasing, and data flow monitoring is reaching its limits. The objective of the CAIDAN project is therefore to develop a hybrid signature and attack detection system. The project is based at the Vilshofen Technology Campus, a research location at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (THD). The Institute ProtectIT will provide scientific support over the next three years under the leadership of Professor Michael Heigl. Back in October 2023, we met up in Deggendorf with the research team from the THD and project partners VDI/VDE Innovation und Technik GmbH, Trufflepig IT-Forensics GmbH and TG alpha GmbH to lay the foundations for the new project.
Artificial intelligence as a complement to traditional cybersecurity systems
The system uses artificial intelligence to search for anomalies in various data sources. Once CAIDAN has found what it is looking for, it sounds the alarm and the research team can identify complex cyberattacks or impending system failures early on and develop suitable response measures. Traditional attack detection systems (IDS) are often only able to identify known attacks, while AI-based methods are able to detect the latest versions – this often leads to false alarms, however. Our joint project team plans to create a clear and indisputable classification of new cyberattacks for automatic transfer to a database. Processing incidents and facilitating development of suitable response measures are further key components of the project.
Intralogistics as a key application area
For us at CIM, participation in the research project is an important step towards further enhancing protection of our customer systems. An AI system for the early detection of cyberattacks significantly reduces the risk of a successful attack. We already provide our customers with an extremely high level of cybersecurity, and hope to offer PROLAG World users even greater protection in future based on the results of the research. Many intralogistics companies are deemed systemically important, making a secure software environment essential. And the need for cybersecurity solutions is only going to grow – even beyond intralogistics – as more and more authorities and companies are receiving a critical infrastructure designation. The ultimate goal of the project is to create an innovative, cost-efficient and effective mix of IT and operational technology monitoring.
