Advancing cybersecurity insights at Cubit Innovation Labs, Italy

Muhammad Iftikhar Umrani, PhD Researcher at Walton Institute, SETU Waterford, joined the Cubit Innovation Lab in Pisa, Italy on a four-week secondment part of the EU DUCA project.

DUCA

Coordinated by Walton Institute at South East Technological University (SETU), the DUCA project – Data Usage Control for Empowering Digital Sovereignty for All Citizens – aims to promote innovative international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary collaboration in research and innovation through exchanging staff and sharing knowledge and ideas. The focus of the project is data sovereignty: transparency and control over the protection, residence, and use of user data. It gives individuals, states, or the EU control over the encryption, privacy, access to data, and how and why this data is processed and used (including monetized) by actors in a value chain. The project aligns well to Iftikhar’s PhD research, funded by Research Ireland’s CONNECT research centre, which investigates the issue of security on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones, by addressing the challenge of AI-enabled Cybersecurity of UAVs in 6G Networks

Cybersecurity challenges

Cubit Innovation Labs is renowned for its expertise in designing and implementing IoT security systems and industrial automation to develop security aware frameworks and test AI-driven cybersecurity models for smart grid and monitoring systems, aligning to both DUCA and Iftikhar’s PhD studies.

During his secondment, Iftikhar collaborated with the team, led by Lorenzo Monti (CTO), to discuss cybersecurity challenges in complex cyber physical systems. He also delivered a seminar titled “Data Insights and Cybersecurity in UAVs and Smart Grids: What, How, and Why?”, which focused on investigating cyber threats like jamming, spoofing, and man-in-the-middle attacks, and explored AI-driven techniques for threat detection and mitigation.

Personal growth

Speaking about his experience in Italy, Iftikhar said “My biggest takeaway was recognizing the importance of collaborative idea-sharing and interdisciplinary approaches in addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in complex cyberphysical systems. I also gained insights into how AI technologies can be integrated into cybersecurity frameworks to ensure resilience and compliance with evolving EU data protection regulations.”

During his 4weeks in Pisa, Iftikhar had some downtime to immerse himself in the Italian city by exploring historic landmarks and learned some Italian phrases which helped to build connections and long-term relationships with the Cubit team.