#SafeSecLab

The TÜV AUSTRIA Research Lab for Safety and Security in Industry (#SafeSecLab) is a joint venture between TÜV AUSTRIA and TU Wien, aimed at effectively transferring research results into industrial practice with the involvement of industry stakeholders.

Principal Investigators at CYSEC:

Tanja Zseby
Tanja Zseby
network security
Wolfgang Kastner
Wolfgang Kastner
safety and security in automation

#SafeSecLab is dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by the digital transformation in industry, including automation, discrete manufacturing, and process engineering. Operational Technology (OT) faces growing risks from both intentional attacks and unintentional compromises. The increasing interconnection of industrial systems through the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and the integration of OT with Information Technology (IT) systems, which is necessary to streamline industrial processes, further amplifies these risks. Potential security breaches can directly affect the safety of operations and the well-being of employees.

Existing IT security measures can only be partially adapted to OT environments, creating an urgent demand for new methods, procedures, and tools. In response, TÜV AUSTRIA and TU Wien have launched a 5-year doctoral college, #SafeSecLab, aimed at developing innovative solutions to these challenges. The lab comprises nine PhD projects, with shared supervision from TU Wien faculty and TÜV AUSTRIA experts.

The lab focuses on creating integrated safety and security tools that support the entire industrial lifecycle—from design to operations and reconfiguration. These tools are developed and evaluated using real-world industrial use cases. Special emphasis is placed on modeling and simulation techniques, including the use of digital twins. Additionally, the lab is advancing methods for Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), integrated threat modeling for vulnerability analysis, architecture modeling, and (semi-automatic) test and verification processes.

#SafeSecLab benefits from the expertise of more than 30 faculty members and experts from TÜV AUSTRIA. The interdisciplinary research team spans fields such as computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and safety & security. Research and development activities take place in the cutting-edge Pilot Factory Industry 4.0 and other state-of-the-art labs at TU Wien and TÜV AUSTRIA.