The Secure Energy Systems (SES) group is a research group affiliated with the IAI Institute and is funded and supported by the program Engineering Digital Futures within the Helmholtz Association's Research Field INFORMATION. The research is based on and contributes to the Security Lab Energy (SecLabE) as part of the KASTEL Security Research Labs. The SES group focuses on advancing cybersecurity and privacy measures within energy-related domains.

Energy systems are evolving to become increasingly advanced, interconnected, and complex, and are simultaneously emerging as primary targets for a wide range of threats. Concurrently, advancements in cybersecurity, information security, and artificial intelligence (AI) are redefining the methodologies employed in both offensive and defensive approaches to the critical infrastructure, specifically energy systems. The SES group works at this critical intersection, addressing both fundamental and applied research, while actively engaging in the design, analysis, and protection of energy systems against current and emerging cyber threats.

KASTEL Security Research Labs is recognized as one of the leading international research institutions in interdisciplinary research on cybersecurity and data protection in complex systems, facilitating the integration of findings into industry, societal applications, and government initiatives. KASTEL's research program focuses on quantifying cybersecurity and privacy measures while promoting collaboration across the domains of research, education, and innovation.

Security Lab Energy (SecLabE) is a laboratory facility at the IAI institute dedicated to conducting experiments on defense mechanisms across various cyberattack scenarios related to energy systems. The SecLabE laboratory collaborates closely with both industrial and academic partners, including the Energy Lab .

Current Research Directions/Topics

The SES group's research scope covers a wide range of cybersecurity topics within energy systems, including ML/AI cybersecurity, OT/grid failures, IT/network security, risk management, and applied cryptography. The SES group remains dedicated to researching security and privacy challenges in energy systems, including smart grids (SGs), substation automation systems (SAS), advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and distributed energy resources (DER), through collaborative and coordinated efforts.

• Research Direction 1: Cybersecurity for Energy Systems – IT/OT Focus
• Research Direction 2: Cyber-Physical Security for Energy Systems
• Research Direction 3: GenAI Cybersecurity for Energy Systems
• Research Direction 4: Event Correlation and Risk Management for Energy Systems
• Research Direction 5: Applied Cryptography for Energy Systems

 Note: Previously known as “Energy Lab 2.0”, the current name from 2024 is “Energy Lab”.