We are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the PROCRUSTES Final Conference on managing cyber-physical risks in urban water systems, organised and hosted by NTUA on the 9th of June.
The Final Conference, held at the premises of NTUA, brought together representatives of the supporting water utilities across Greece, academia, and cyber-security experts from abroad, for an interactive and engaging event on bolstering cyber-physical security in the water sector. The event served as a platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and innovation in safeguarding critical water infrastructures, with the invaluable help of the two distinguished invited speakers, whose talks sparked engaging discussions among the attendees, shedding light on emerging challenges and potential solutions.
At her opening speech, Dr. Marianthi Theocharidou, Cybersecurity Expert at the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) raised awareness over the emerging threat landscape, the Agency’s findings from past incidents and the rising trends against the European water sector. Most importantly, Dr. Marianthi Theocharidou informed the utilities’ representatives on the latest NIS2 Directive, the role of ENISA, and the willingness of the Agency to support a water-focused collaborations and sectorial analysis.
The outcomes of the research efforts were thoroughly presented by prof. Christos Makropoulos, Scientific Responsible of PROCRUSTES, who highlighted the novelties of the PROCRUSTES platform and the capabilities it offers, among others, in supporting informed decision-making for resilient water services, the standardization of risk assessment procedures as well as supporting the strategic (re-) designing of urban water systems for the digital era. The NTUA research team also performed a live demonstration of the final software solutions specifically designed to enhance resilience of urban water systems against cyber-physical risks. Participants had the opportunity to witness a series of practical applications through the PROCRUSTES Platform, which showcased its potential in providing crucial information over potential threats, identifying weak and critical points in the system, and allowing the attendees to explore actionable strategies and innovative approaches for managing cyber-physical risks in their utilities.
The PROCRUSTES Final Conference also had the honour to host the invited speech of Dr. Rita Maria Ugarelli, Professor at NTNU and Chief Scientist in Sintef Community, as an expert in management of water and sewer infrastructure and member of the expert group of the European Commission (DG-HOME) with focus on the implementation of the new EC Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive and the NIS2. In her speech, Dr. Rita Ugarelli presented the latest advancements in the topic, funding opportunities for the organisations and invited the Greek utilities to support the re-launch of a Water ISAC to bring together industry operators with the same goals and interests and creating a trusted environment. This invitation was greeted by both the NTUA and ENISA’s representative, highlighting the importance of such a community in boosting cyber-resilience and awareness of the sector and building sector-centred tools and products, such as guidelines and threat analysis reports.
The collaborative environment fostered during the conference facilitated fruitful networking among the participants, strengthening the collective commitment to protect critical water infrastructures. "We are proud to have organized such a successful and impactful event," said Prof. Christos Makropoulos. "By bringing together cyber-security experts, water utility representatives, and academia, we have not only shared knowledge but also created a platform for ongoing collaboration in addressing water sector’s challenges. We believe that the outcomes of this conference will play a crucial role in enhancing the resilience of water utilities in Greece and abroad – as real-world implementations of the PROCRUSTES platform are planned to kick-off soon."
The conference concluded with participants leaving with newfound knowledge, innovative solutions, and an expanded network of professionals dedicated to safeguarding water infrastructure from cyber threats. NTUA and the research team extends its sincere appreciation to all the participants and speakers for their invaluable contributions, which made the event a resounding success and to the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) for the funding opportunity that resulted to new and innovative solutions for the enhancement of water sector’s resilience.
