L&T, IIT Kanpur collaborate for research in industrial cyber security

Will set up a Center of Excellence at IIT-K campus for research in Honeypot, intrusion detection systems, malware analysis, blockchain, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing

The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) and L&T Technology Services (LTTS) have collaborated to carry out joint research in industrial and infrastructure cyber security.

A multi-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by LTTS CEO and managing director Keshab Panda and IIT Kanpur deputy director Prof Manindra Agarwal in Kanpur to this effect.

They will jointly set up a Center of Excellence (CoE) at the IIT Kanpur campus and conduct research in the areas of Honeypot (network-attached system set up to entrap cyber attacks and study hacking attempts), intrusion detection systems, malware analysis, blockchain, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing and provide cybersecurity awareness and training programs.

The pact also gives LTTS access to IIT Kanpur’s cutting-edge testbed for critical infrastructure.

The CoE will be a part of IIT Kanpur’s C3i Center, a central government funded one-of-a-kind cybersecurity research centre, which was developed to work on solutions and technologies to protect India’s strategic and critical utility infrastructure.

“LTTS is a leader in end-to-end cybersecurity solutions with assets spread over several domains which cater to a global clientele. Our expertise across security analysis, vulnerability assessments, design security architecture and security requirements has been strengthened by our partnership with many of the world’s prestigious educational institutions. LTTS’ partnership with IIT-Kanpur opens a new chapter in defense and industrial cybersecurity and pave the way for the creation of safe, secure and smart solutions for India’s industrial sector,” Panda said.

“Cyber attacks across the globe have affected millions of systems over the past few years leading to operational downtime, logistic failures, and production cycle disruption. LTTS’ deep-rooted and proven technological expertise combined with the cyber security research expertise of C3i Center will help counter such cyber attacks,” head of IIT Kanpur computer and science & engineering department Sandeep K Shukla said.

He said LTTS boasted of a well-rounded portfolio comprising automotive cybersecurity consulting, threat modeling, continuous threat monitoring & security updates patching among others.

“C3i has been in the forefront of vulnerability assessment and penetration testing with more than 8 CVEs published, building and utilising industrial scale cyber security test-bed for OT, Honeypots, malware analysis and intrusion detection research. This partnership will strengthen the security ecosystem in India. The company’s pool of experienced architects and engineers along with IIT’s research talent will have the capability to change the current cybersecurity landscape,” Shukla noted.

LTTS is a listed subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited focused on engineering and R&D (ER&D) services. It offers consultancy, design, development and testing services across the product and process development life cycle. LTTS customers include 69 Fortune 500 companies and 51 of the world’s top ER&D companies, across industrial products, medical devices, transportation, telecom & hi-tech, and the process industries. Headquartered in India, it operates 17 global design centers and 50 innovation labs.