The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has partnered with IDBI Bank to establish the IDBI-IITM Secure Systems Lab (I2SSL), a state-of-the-art cybersecurity laboratory. The lab was inaugurated on Wednesday at the IIT Madras campus by Rakesh Sharma, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of IDBI Bank, alongside Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, and other dignitaries.
The I2SSL will focus on developing and deploying security solutions across crucial sectors such as healthcare, fintech, and aerospace. It aims to create market-ready intellectual properties (IP) in cybersecurity, emphasizing the productization and commercialization of research, particularly for mobile technologies.
With the rapid growth of Internet connectivity and automation, critical sectors like Banking, Finance and Insurance, Transportation, Government, Power and Energy, Telecom, and Strategic and Public Enterprises have become increasingly reliant on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This reliance has led to a significant increase in cyber-attacks on these infrastructures by malicious actors.
The new lab will address cybersecurity in systems used across various industries, including banking, automotive, power, and telecommunications. It will conduct experimental evaluations, assessment exercises, vulnerability research, and the development of test cases and hardening guidelines. This initiative aims to help enterprise systems manage cybersecurity risks in real-time.
“This initiative is a testament to IDBI Bank’s commitment to proactively combating cyber threats and ensuring the security of data and information. We are optimistic that through such initiatives, we can together enhance our ability to anticipate, identify, and neutralize potential threats, building a more secure environment for all,” said Rakesh Sharma.
Prof. V. Kamakoti emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating, “The finance sector, being a critical information infrastructure that forms the foundation of the economy of our country, is facing an increasing number of cybersecurity challenges on a day-to-day basis. It is very important to continuously keep studying the threat landscape and come out with effective proactive protection mechanisms. This joint effort between IIT Madras and IDBI is very timely, and we aspire to comprehensively address the security challenge.”
The I2SSL at IIT Madras plans to ingeniously design systems for critical applications such as hardware firewalls, point-of-sale devices, and mobile banking. Security will be achieved using memory-safe languages, tagged architectures that provide fine-grained access control, memory encryption, and an indigenously developed Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
In the field of cryptography, researchers will focus on developing hardware accelerators for crypto-primitives, including symmetric and asymmetric-key cryptography, as well as post-quantum cryptography. This initiative represents a significant step forward in enhancing cybersecurity measures and protecting critical infrastructure from evolving cyber threats.
