On February 5, 2025, the CHESS Cyber-Security Excellence Hub hosted a matchmaking event in Brno, Czech Republic, bringing CHESS partners, CTOs, CISOs, security architects, companies, and students together. The event facilitated discussions on emerging cybersecurity challenges, with researchers presenting their latest research works in the domain of cybersecurity, blockchain, post-quantum cryptography, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The CHESS partners introduced five key challenge areas, highlighting innovative solutions and research outcomes.
In the Internet of Secure Things (IoST) session, Raimundas Matulevicius from the University of Tartu presented the FISP framework, which integrates people, organizations, and security measures into a structured privacy management process. Lukáš Daubner from Masaryk University introduced the FREAS tool, designed to help develop forensic-ready software and improve security incident investigations. Under Security Certification, Vashek Matyáš from Masaryk University showcased sec-certs, a tool that analyzes dependencies between certified security products and vulnerabilities. Mari Seeba from the University of Tartu presented F4SLE, a self-assessment framework for evaluating an institution’s cybersecurity posture. Liina Kamm from Cybernetica discussed new security targets under the European Common Criteria scheme, focusing on secure multiparty computation (MPC) and trusted execution environments (TEE).
The Security Preservation in Blockchain session featured Petr Svenda from Masaryk University presenting SCRUTINY, a toolkit for analyzing cryptographic products like smartcards and TPMs. Antonin Dufka from Masaryk University introduced threshold cryptographic multiparty signatures, improving key protection and supporting zero-trust principles. Mubashar Iqbal from the University of Tartu shared insights on DECEPTWIN, a proactive security framework using deception-based digital twins and blockchain. In Post-Quantum Cryptography, Petr Muzikant from Cybernetica discussed lessons learned from post-quantum transition exercises, while Jan Hajný from Brno University of Technology introduced hardware encryptors based on FPGA programmable network cards. Lastly, in the Human-Centric Aspects of Cybersecurity session, Jan Vykopal from Masaryk University presented the INJECT Exercise Platform, designed to improve cybersecurity response training, and Katka Galanská from Masaryk University emphasized the importance of clear, actionable penetration testing reports.
The CHESS Cyber-Security Excellence Hub matchmaking event in Brno highlighted the critical role of collaboration between academic institutions and industry leaders in addressing modern cybersecurity challenges. The event facilitated the exchange of cutting-edge research, real-world applications, and innovative solutions in fields such as IoT, blockchain, post-quantum cryptography, cybersecurity certification, and human-centric aspects of cybersecurity by bringing together researchers, security professionals, and technology experts.
