TNO and NetDialog join forces on cyber security

TNO and NetDialog have joined forces on cyber security. The research institute and the Dutch software development company see opportunities to better map the growing complexity of security issues. By doing research together, they aim to achieve a higher level of digital resilience for society in general and business in particular.

Many large, internationally operating firms are already using NetDialog software. This software, called NetX, monitors the performance of networks and applications throughout the world. “While the focus is on performance monitoring, the market shows an ever-increasing interest in security monitoring, in part because of the growing dependence on digital systems. Businesses just want to be safe”, says Tim Rühl, CTO at NetDialog.

Performance data produced by NetX form the basis of the research. “We look at these data through a statistical lens and then we start searching for anomalies, like a cardiologist does with an ECG", explains Erik Meeuwissen of TNO. “We map patterns to models to pinpoint anomalies”, adds fellow scientist Pieter Venemans.

Smoky Mountains

TNO deploys a proven model with self-learning algorithms, the so-called Smoky Mountains, for the research. This model can determine if data sets are within expected limits, also known as anomaly detection technology. If data sets consistently exceed limits, there may be a security issue, like a failure or a DDoS attack.

NetDialog and TNO expect that their research will produce information which may be used, for instance, in monitoring software as an additional line of defense, next to firewalls and virus scanners. The first research results are expected sometime in 2019.