First cybersecurity lab for robotics
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A Spanish startup is to set up a cybersecurity lab dedicated to robotics which is say will be the first in the world.
The lab is part of an undisclosed investment deal between Alias Robotics and Spanish telecoms operator Telefónica. Alias has so far raised €750,000 for the development of its Robot Immune System (RIS) to protect robot systems from cyberattack.
Over the last year the team at Alias has detected more than a thousand vulnerabilities in different robots, many of them completely new and undiscovered that manufacturers were unaware of. Last week, Alias demonstrated RIS working with Kaspersky Industrial CyberSecurity to successfully prevent attacks on OT networks with robots, harden control stations and protect robot endpoints from being compromised
The investment was led by Wayra, Telefónica’s innovation hub, and will be integrated into the portfolio of Telefónica Tech Ventures, a new investment vehicle for cyber security startups.
Alias is to set up the cybersecurity lab in Munich next year along with ElevenPaths, Telefónica Tech’s cybersecurity company which is also based in Madrid.
“Current-day robotics is extremely vulnerable and insecure, just as PCs were 20 years ago, and this is a major problem that has to be resolved,” said Endika Gil-Uriarte, CEO of of Alias.
“The digitisation of the industry will lead to unprecedented growth and levels of efficiency. Considerable growth is forecast in the use of automatons or robots to automate and streamline processes and personalise the customer experience,” said Pedro Pablo Pérez, CEO of ElevenPaths, which in 2018 acquired Spanish malware specialist Dinoflux Labs. “Companies that understand the importance of investing in cybersecurity in this sector, as we do by investing in Alias Robotics, will be able to make a difference in the market.
The lab in Munich will also act as a meeting point for stakeholders interested in learning more about how to protect the existing weaknesses in robots and serve as a showroom for sessions with customers.
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The World Economic Forum has recently forecasted that there will be one robot for every industrial worker in the world by 2025 and cyberprotection will be key.
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