The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has collaborated with IDBI Bank to establish the ‘IDBI – IITM Secure Systems Lab’ (I2SSL), a state-of-the-art cybersecurity laboratory aimed at developing and deploying security solutions across crucial sectors such as healthcare, fintech, and aerospace.
The I2SSL was inaugurated by Rakesh Sharma, Managing Director and CEO of IDBI Bank, in the presence of Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, along with other distinguished guests including Shri Saumya Chaudhuri, CGM, IDBI Bank; Shri Manjunath Pai, CGM and Zonal Head of Chennai Zone, IDBI Bank; Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras; Dr. Chester Rebeiro, Principal Investigator of I2SSL, IIT Madras; Kaviraj Nair, CEO, Office of Institutional Advancement, IIT Madras; and numerous faculty members, researchers, and students.
With the increasing reliance on Internet connectivity and automation, critical sectors such as banking, finance, insurance, transportation, government, power, energy, telecom, and strategic public enterprises face heightened risks from cyber-attacks. The I2SSL aims to address these vulnerabilities by focusing on cybersecurity solutions for systems in industries including banking, automotive, power, and telecommunications.
The lab will engage in experimental evaluation and assessment exercises, develop test cases, conduct vulnerability research, and devise hardening guidelines to help enterprises manage cybersecurity risks in real time. Additionally, it will focus on creating market-ready IPs, productizing, and commercializing research work, especially in mobile technologies.
Rakesh Sharma said, “We are delighted to partner with IITM for setting up the cybersecurity laboratory. This initiative is a testament to IDBI Bank’s commitment to proactively combating cyber threats and ensuring data and information security. We are optimistic that through such initiatives, we can enhance our ability to anticipate, identify, and neutralize potential threats, building a more secure environment for all.”
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, faces an increasing number of cybersecurity challenges daily. It is crucial to continuously study the threat landscape and develop effective proactive protection mechanisms. This joint effort between IIT Madras and IDBI is very timely, and we aspire to address the security challenge comprehensively.”
The I2SSL will work on Secure Systems Engineering, designing and implementing solutions that address security concerns from a holistic end-to-end perspective. This includes fundamental theoretical problems, practical system building, exploiting leakages, and mounting implementation-based attacks. The lab will also foster cybersecurity thinking in undergraduates through online programs, capture-the-flag (CTF) events, hackathons, and projects.
Key initiatives at the I2SSL include designing secure systems for applications such as hardware firewalls, point-of-sale devices, and mobile banking, employing memory-safe languages, tagged architectures for fine-grained access control, memory encryption, and developing Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs). The lab will also create an AI-based malware analysis forum and develop tools for automated security evaluation, aiming to discover zero-day vulnerabilities and other security threats, particularly in mobile applications.
In cryptography, researchers will work on hardware accelerators for crypto-primitives, including symmetric and asymmetric-key cryptography and post-quantum cryptography, ensuring implementations meet cryptography standards and are side-channel resistant. These accelerators will be integrated into TPMs to establish a root of trust for computing across multiple sectors, including banking, finance, automotive, and defence.
The I2SSL at IIT Madras represents a significant step forward in securing critical infrastructure and advancing the field of cybersecurity through innovative research and development.
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