IIT Kanpur, L&T Technology Services sign MoU to promote research in cybersecurity

L&T Technology Services Limited signed a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) to collaborate on research in industrial and infrastructure cybersecurity.

The MoU was signed by Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of LTTS, Dr. Keshab Panda and Deputy Director at IIT Kanpur and Padmashri Awardee, Professor Manindra Agarwal in the premises of IIT Kanpur.

According to the MoU, LTTS and IIT Kanpur will together set-up a Center of Excellence (CoE) in the IIT Kanpur campus and conduct research in the areas of Honeypot (network-attached system set up to entrap cyberattacks and study hacking attempts), intrusion detection systems, malware analysis, blockchain, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing and provide cybersecurity awareness and training programs. The MoU will also give 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 Government of India-funded one-of-a-kind cybersecurity research center, which was developed to work on solutions and technologies to protect India’s Strategic and Critical Utility Infrastructure.

Dr. Keshab Panda, CEO and Managing Director, L&T Technology Services said: “LTTS’ partnership with IIT Kanpur will open 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”.

Prof. Sandeep K. Shukla, Joint Coordinator of the C3i Center and Head of the Computer Science & Engineering Department at IIT Kanpur said: “Cyberattacks across the globe have affected millions of IT and OT 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 cybersecurity research expertise of C3i Center will help counter such cyberattacks. LTT boasts of a well-rounded portfolio comprising of - Automotive Cybersecurity Consulting, Threat Modeling, Continuous Threat Monitoring & Security Updates Patching among others. C3i Center has been in the forefront of vulnerability assessment and penetration testing with more than 8 CVEs published, building and utilizing industrial-scale cybersecurity test-bed for OT, Honeypots, malware analysis and intrusion detection research. This partnership will strengthen the security ecosystem in the country. The company’s large pool of experienced architects and engineers along with IIT’s research talent will have the capability to change the current cybersecurity landscape.”