In today’s hyperconnected world, the Computing Continuum (CC)—spanning IoT devices, edge computing, and cloud infrastructure—presents both unprecedented opportunities and complex cybersecurity challenges. The CyberNEMO project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, is tackling this head-on with an end-to-end cybersecurity approach that integrates risk analysis, ethics and regulatory governance and compliance.

The recently published deliverable D1.1 outlines the threat and ethics assessment conducted across four critical sectors:

• Smart energy and water infrastructures

• Secure media content supply chains

• Healthcare systems

• Smart farming and logistics

Each of the four trials serves as a living lab to validate CyberNEMO’s technologies:

• Smart meters and EV charging stations are protected against ransomware and data breaches using Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA) and AI-based anomaly detection.

• Media content is securely produced and distributed using microservices, encryption, and federated learning.

• Hospitals defend against insider threats and phishing attacks while ensuring personal and confidential data sharing in compliance with GDPR and other relevant regulations.

• Smart farming systems use drones, IoT sensors, and blockchain to ensure traceability and cybersecurity in the olive oil supply chain

These trials demonstrate the scalability and adaptability of CyberNEMO across diverse sectors and regulatory environments

Using the MITRE ATT&CK framework, the project identified 44 unique threat types and over 100 functional and non-functional requirements, as well as 23 ethics and regulatory concerns and corresponding requirements. These threats and challenges range from credential theft and ransomware to data manipulation, ethics of AI and denial-of-service attacks.

At the heart of CyberNEMO is a meta-operating system (meta-OS) that orchestrates secure interactions across the CC. This system integrates:

• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Every device, user, and service is treated as untrusted by default.

• Federated Machine Learning (FML): Enables decentralized threat detection without compromising data privacy.

• Secure Access Service Edge (SASE): Ensures secure connectivity across heterogeneous networks.

• Digital Twins and Blockchain: Provide traceability, auditability, and resilience in supply chains 

This architecture is designed to be ethics-by-conception, modular, scalable, and interoperable, supporting a wide range of use cases and regulatory contexts

CyberNEMO is not just about technology, it’s about building a secure, ethical, and resilient digital future.

You can explore the official project page on the EU CORDIS portal or follow updates from the coordinating partner Synelixis 

CyberNEMO has commenced the interaction with AIOTI (Alliance for AI, IoT and Edge Continuum Innovation). The project has provided introductory information, including planned and developed use cases, to be featured in AIOTI’s standardization reports. These reports are circulated within the AIOTI community, the European Commission, and key Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) such as ETSI, ISO/IEC, ITU-T, 3GPP, and IEEE.

CyberNEMO’s contributions offer insights into the landscape of research challenges and ongoing standardization efforts, at the intersection of AI, IoT, and edge computing. AIOTI’s mission is to lead and bridge innovation in these domains, supporting European deployment and fostering global cooperation, while safeguarding European values. More information about AIOTI and its standardization resources is available at: https://aioti.eu/resources-standardisation/

The initial positioning information refers to key research challenges, such as:

• Zero Trust and Identity Management in dynamic IoT, edge and cloud environments
• Runtime Threat Detection and Self-Healing Architectures
• Secure and Privacy-Preserving AI at the Edge
• Tailored Security for Constrained IoT Devices
• Secure AI/ML Model Lifecycle at the Edge

In addition, CyberNEMO has outlined its expected activities in monitoring and collaborating with standardization bodies and initiatives, especially in the fields of AI-driven security, trusted edge computing, resilience, and cyber threat intelligence (CTI) sharing. This engagement will be supported by the active involvement of project partners participating in these organizations.

By: SYN

As digital technologies become more deeply embedded in our cities, the need to protect critical infrastructures, such as electricity grids and water systems, from cyber threats is more urgent than ever. In the CyberNEMO project, Trial 2, coordinated by ASM Terni, addresses this challenge through a real-world deployment in a multi-utility environment.

This trial evaluates how advanced cybersecurity solutions can protect smart energy and water systems from coordinated cyberattacks. From securing smart meters and EV charging infrastructure to protecting photovoltaic (PV) plants, power quality analyzers, and water pumps, Trial 2 replicates realistic threat scenarios with critical implications.

What makes this trial particularly relevant is its focus on:
• Cross-domain impact assessment, exploring how cyberattacks on the electricity network could disrupt water systems.
• Real-time monitoring, using data from PMUs, PQAs, and firewall logs to detect anomalies and simulate coordinated threats.
• Privacy-by-design, ensuring sensitive data collected via smart meters or firewalls remains anonymized and protected under GDPR.

All collected datasets are structured, validated, and governed under a strict data management framework, supporting both technical research and ethical responsibility. ASM’s infrastructure enables a practical and scalable setup, serving as a living testbed for advancing Europe’s digital resilience.

By ASM