CYRUS – enhanced cybersecurity skills

Activity Leader

“Since we are aware that digital skills vary from person to person and between organisations and sectors, we customise our training to the users’ skills, know-how and needs.”  

Alessia Golfetti

Deep Blue

About the project

CYRUS is an EU project dedicated to helping companies in transport and manufacturing to prepare for, respond to and mitigate cybersecurity threats and attacks. The goal is to enhance employee’s cybersecurity skills for better protection against cybersecurity attacks. 

In this project, eleven partners from nine European countries collaborate to create a personalised training and work-based learning and training assessment methodology for cybersecurity. The project follows a three-step approach:  

• Analyse cybersecurity skills, competencies, training needs and skill gaps, 

• Design and develop short-term training courses,  

• Validate the short-term training courses. 

Challenges

The need for cybersecurity has grown over the last years because our society relies more on technology than in the past. 74% of all breaches include the human element (source: Verizon). As a result, employees at all levels need to be aware and capable of identifying cyber threats to determine the right actions to mitigate them. Since many hindrances prevent training staff effectively, CYRUS proposes a novel training programme to develop a cybersecurity innovation DNA. 

Solutions

The team behind CYRUS project is developing a novel training system that sharpens skills so that people become more vigilant and are able to identify and respond to cyber-attacks. They use innovative methods for training implementation, like virtualisation, dedicated cyber-range simulations in operational settings, and work-based learning that will allow timely and efficient course delivery. This overcomes the current hindrances and raises interest in the awareness programme and good practices. 

Expected results

The CYRUS project aims to train 5 000 people, with the focus on the manufacturing and transport sectors as well as SMEs. They will be able to protect themselves and their companies against cyber attacks and threats by identifying threats and determining the right actions to mitigate them.  

Within the CYRUS project, innovative training implementation and delivery will be employed. This will overcome the organisational and economic limitations that restrain companies from effectively training their staff. 

Participants