CyberSecDome XR Cybersecurity Demo at IRISA
Yesterday, the CyberSecDome project presented its work during a special visit of the Jeunes IHEDN at the CNRS UMR IRISA laboratory in Rennes.
The CyberSecDome gathered researchers, cybersecurity experts, and strategic stakeholders around one key challenge: protecting increasingly interconnected digital infrastructures. The session took place within the IRISA environment and highlighted the activities of the Chaire Cybersécurité des Infrastructures Critiques (CNI).
A Strong Cybersecurity Presence Within IRISA
The session opened with an introduction by Olivier Barais, Director of IRISA. He presented the laboratory, its high quality research activities, and the continuously increasing importance of cybersecurity within the one of France’s biggest labs.
His presentation also highlighted the strong position of CyberSecDome inside the IRISA ecosystem. It is one of only 44 European projects currently hosted at IRISA. CyberSecDome stands out as one of the flagship cybersecurity initiatives. In parallel, the Chaire Cybersécurité des Infrastructures Critiques (Cyber CNI) remains one of only eight chairs within the IRISA structure.
The Chair continues to build a distinct interdisciplinary identity focused on:
- operational cybersecurity,
- critical infrastructure resilience,
- human-centered cyber defense,
- immersive technologies for cyber operations.
CyberSecDome: Combining AI and XR for Cyber Defense
At the center of the presentation stood the CyberSecDome vision: combining Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality (XR) technologies to transform cybersecurity operations.
CyberSecDome is a Horizon Europe project that aims to improve the resilience, security, and privacy of complex digital infrastructures. The project uses AI-driven analysis and immersive visualization technologies to help organizations predict, detect, and respond to cyber threats more efficiently.
The project focuses on three major objectives:
- democratizing AI technologies for cybersecurity prediction and incident detection,
- improving real-time situational awareness through Virtual Reality technologies,
- strengthening collaboration and decision-making between cybersecurity stakeholders.
Advanced Technologies for Real-Time Cybersecurity
CyberSecDome develops advanced VR and AI technologies that support:
- real-time threat analysis,
- incident investigation,
- dynamic risk assessment,
- operational visualization,
- privacy-aware information sharing,
- coordinated cyber incident response.
The project brings together 15 partners from 10 countries with a total investment of approximately €6.5 million over three years:
- MAGGIOLI SPA
- TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
- AIRBUS CYBERSECURITY SAS
- ATHENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT S.A.
- EIT DIGITAL
- ORGANISMOS TILEPIKOINONION TIS ELLADOS OTE AE
- INSTITUT MINES-TELECOM (IMT Atlantique)
- LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITET
- AEGIS IT RESEARCH GMBH
- SECURITY LABS CONSULTING LIMITED
- EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO TILEPIKONONIAKON SYSTIMATON
- CYBERALYTICS LIMITED
- IOTAM INTERNET OF THINGS APPLICATIONS AND MULTI LAYER DEVELOPMENT LTD
CyberSecDome also benefits from demanding operational pilot environments through:
- OTE (Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation),
- AIA (Athens International Airport).
These pilots allow the consortium to validate next-generation cybersecurity technologies under realistic operational conditions.
Live Demonstrations and Interactive Discussions
During the event, Marc-Oliver Pahl introduced the project architecture, operational context, and research vision. He explained how immersive interfaces and AI-driven analytics can reduce cognitive overload for cybersecurity experts.
Development engineer Fabien Eyssartier then demonstrated the immersive cybersecurity platform and its XR interaction capabilities. Participants directly tested the interfaces afterwards. The demonstrations generated highly positive feedback and many engaging discussions about the future of cyber defense operations.
One major motivation behind the project is the growing complexity of modern digital ecosystems. Connected infrastructures now produce huge volumes of information, alerts, and operational pressure. CyberSecDome addresses this challenge by developing immersive interfaces that reduce mental load and improve operational understanding during cyber incidents.
Beyond Cybersecurity Technologies
The discussions continued after the demonstrations and expanded toward broader cybersecurity and resilience topics. Participants notably exchanged ideas about disinformation and information manipulation research conducted within the Chair. These challenges play an increasingly important role in hybrid threats and societal resilience.
The event was a complete success. It created valuable exchanges between researchers, operational communities, and strategic reflection networks.
Supporting IRISA during this event was both an honor and a pleasure for the CyberSecDome team and the Chaire Cybersécurité des Infrastructures Critiques.
Maintaining strong interactions with the IHEDN community remains highly valuable for the Chair and its partners. We look forward to organizing many future collaborative events together.
CyberSecDome continues to demonstrate how Europe can combine AI, immersive technologies, and operational cybersecurity expertise to build the next generation of cyber defense capabilities.
For more information about the project:
Marc-Oliver is an adjunct professor of Carleton University in Canada. Marc-Oliver’s research focus is on a holistic approach to cybersecurity. He is an experienced teacher and an eLearning pioneer, holding several teaching awards.
Marc-Oliver holds a Diploma from University of Tübingen and a PhD from Technical University of Munich.
Marc-Oliver is Vice President of the German Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) (https://germany.acm.org/). He heads the Future Education activities of the German-French Academy for the Industry of the Future (https://future-industry.org/).
Marc-Oliver’s research focus is on a holistic approach to cybersecurity. He works on security-by-design, anomaly detection, human-in-the-loop, and automation. His goal is making cybersecurity manageable, resulting in highly resilient and reliable systems. Marc-Oliver publishes regularly in the network and service management and security communities.
