TalTech Cybersecurity Research Group

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TalTech Cybersecurity Research Group

TalTech Centre for Digital Forensics and Cyber Security works towards enhancement the competence and ability of Estonian computer security field through education, research and development. We strive towards becoming the best cyber security masters and doctoral studies institution in the Baltics and Nordic countries.

27/05/2026

🚨🧠CYBER ALERT: THESIS DEFENCE SEASON HAS ENTERED THE CHAT🧠🚨

Somewhere inside TalTech IT-teaduskond, a very specific kind of chaos is about to begin:

📅 1–3 June
🎓 Master’s in Cybersecurity Thesis Defences
⚠️ Level: “systems are safe, but our nerves are not”

This is not just another academic milestone... this is the moment where two (or more) years of late nights all converge into a single point of truth:
✨the defence room✨

To every student stepping into that room:

You are not starting this journey here - you are finishing it at the point it has been building toward for two years. Every assignment, lab, and thesis iteration has been a build-up, even the frustrating ones that felt like detours at the time.

So, as you face the questions, the follow-ups, and the inevitable “can you clarify your methodology?”, remember: you already did the hardest part. You built something real, defended it against uncertainty, and made it through the process that got you here.

Good luck to everyone defending! May your arguments be clear, your systems stable, and your nerves only slightly unencrypted.

And most importantly: trust the work you’ve already done.

Schedule and Links: https://taltech.ee/en/events/masters-thesis-defence-cybersecurity-spring-semester-20252026

19/05/2026

🚨 Tööstusettevõtte suurim küberrisk ei pruugi olla andmeleke, vaid seiskunud tootmine, põlevad seadmed või ohtu sattunud inimesed.

TalTech IT-teaduskond nooremteaduri Shaymaa Mamdouh Khalili sõnul ei piisa tööstuses enam tavalisest IT-turbest. Nutikad tehased, mikrovõrgud ja ühendatud süsteemid loovad uusi võimalusi… aga ka uusi haavatavusi.

💡 Miks võib 15-minutiline tootmispaus olla parem kui nädalatepikkune seisak?

💡 Mis vahe on riskihindamisel ja ohumudeldamisel - ning miks see vahe võib päästa terve süsteemi?

💡 Kuidas saavad ülikoolid ja ettevõtted koos luua reaalselt toimivaid küberturbelahendusi?

„Kui võimalik kahju on piisavalt suur, ei saa selle ebatõenäosus ohuhinnangut madaldada.“

See lugu avab, miks küberturve on muutunud tööstuse ellujäämise küsimuseks, ja miks teaduse ning ettevõtete koostöö pole enam lihtsalt „hea mõte“, vaid hädavajadus.

🔗 Loe edasi ja vaata, kuidas Eesti teadlased aitavad ehitada vastupidavamat tööstust.

https://trialoog.taltech.ee/kuberturvalisus-meie-aja-hadavajadus/

13/05/2026

And in true Eurovision spirit - you know what’s Too Epic to Be True? Last week’s TalTech - Tallinna Tehnikaülikool Innovation Festival. ✨

This year gave us a chance to talk about some topics that are becoming harder to ignore: AI, cybersecurity, trust, and how we make sense of information online.

Our team contributed with two talks and a panel discussion, and the conversations continued well after the sessions ended, which is usually a good sign.

If you missed it, the full recording is available on YouTube 🎥

⏱️ 58:53: Küberturve tehisintellekti ajastul
Rain Ottis on cybersecurity in the age of AI.

⏱️ 3:02:35: Bu****it Asymmetry: AI muddies the waters, but generated content is not the problem
Matthew Sorell on AI-generated content, misinformation, and why the technology itself may not be the core issue.

🎙️ Panel discussion: Trust, like a strategic value
with Liisa Past, Kristjan Krips, Lauri Luht, and Rain Ottis discussing trust as a strategic value across cybersecurity, communication, and government.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14g8-xkSKTc

Thanks to everyone who joined the discussions, asked questions, and helped make the event genuinely interesting

It'll be just as epic next year - see you in 2027!

06/05/2026

Let’s step away from the computers for a second 💻➡️🍦

When TalTech - Tallinna Tehnikaülikool dropped an ice cream, we did what any self-respecting group of researchers would do: we immediately turned it into… our very own type of research. Obviously.

Celebrating April birthdays in the team = perfect excuse for a live “production taste test” 🎂🚀

Production results (a.k.a. break room validation):

✔️ Taste: solid
✔️ Sweetness: well-balanced (no overload detected)
✔️ Bonus feature: pleasant tangy kick
✔️ Bugs: none found (QA approved)
✔️ User feedback: 100% approval rate (review process suspiciously efficient 👀)

As in cybersecurity, the rule still stands: even the most secure system fails if users don’t enjoy it. So if something is going to work, it has to be understandable, usable, and actually fit into human behavior, not just theory.

Turns out usability matters… especially in dessert engineering 🍦

Deployed. Approved. Consumed in record time.

Big thanks to the amazing researchers who made our summer a little sweeter - definitely a seasonal favorite 😄

If you haven't had the chance to do it yet - the weather is getting warmer, go grab yourself a cone and enjoy!

29/04/2026

🚀✨ Tallinn just got a little closer to the stars…

On April 23, the TalTech Space Centre flung its doors back open after a serious glow-up. And let’s just say, it may be small, but it’s mighty. Think less “warehouse of rockets” and more “compact brain hub plotting humanity’s next orbital moves.”

Freshly upgraded, the centre is now packed with new opportunities for students and researchers alike… basically a playground for anyone who’s ever looked up at the night sky and thought, “Yeah, I want in on that.”

At the reopening, TalTech rector Tiit Land and space centre lead Adrian Venables made one thing clear: this isn’t just about shiny tech. It’s about Estonia stepping confidently into the fast-moving space arena and saying, “We belong here.”

And honestly, the timing couldn’t be more cosmic. Ever since NATO declared space an operational domain in 2019, the stakes have gone from “stargazing” to “strategic.” Satellites run our daily lives, and yes - people are trying to mess with them. Rude!

But here’s the fun part: Estonia, with its cyber-savvy reputation, is perfectly positioned to become one of Europe’s cool kids in space cybersecurity. Think: defending satellites, protecting space data, and making sure your GPS doesn’t suddenly decide you’re in the middle of the ocean.

Meanwhile, TalTech’s cyber crew is already deep in it - working on securing satellites, communication networks, and all the invisible infrastructure we rely on (it's all good, until Wi-Fi drops and society briefly collapses).

Actual projects currently in orbit (well… almost):

– mapping which satellite communications are encrypted

– building cybersecurity exercises for Estonia’s space cyber range

– securing the upcoming ESTCUBE-3 satellite (casual, right?)

And it doesn’t stop there. You know us, when we go in - We. Go. In.

Collaborations stretch from Florida to Malta to (soon) Australia - because Tallinn is networking… globally. Literally.

So yeah... while the centre itself may not be huge, its ambition is fully intergalactic.

🛸 Small space. Huge brainwaves. Zero gravity, maximum potential.

📸Maksim Usmanov & Ülle Ainsoo

27/04/2026

Firewalls up, coffee levels critical, and keyboards working overtime... has officially wrapped! ☕💻

A huge thank you to NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) for once again throwing our students into the mix of one of the world’s biggest cyber defence exercises.

This year was no small feat:
🌍 4,000+ participants from 41 nations
🛡️ 16 multinational teams
⚡ 8,000 real-time cyberattacks (yes, really)

All while juggling national-level decision-making, international law, digital forensics, and strategic communications… no pressure, right?

Massive congratulations to the top teams:
🛡️ Latvia, Singapore
🛡️ Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland
🛡️ France, Sweden

We’re proud, slightly sleep-deprived, and already looking forward to doing it all over again at 🚀

20/04/2026

🚨 What are you doing on May 6… and will it still matter if trust keeps eroding?

Sounds dramatic? Maybe. But in today’s digital world, trust is quietly becoming one of our most vulnerable assets.

🔐Cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and code anymore, it’s about trust. And right now... trust is under attack.

We’re living in a hybrid threat reality where it’s not only systems getting hacked... it’s narratives, perceptions, and even the way decisions are made. So here’s the real challenge: how do we protect something as intangible (and fragile) as trust in a digital world?

💡Let’s figure it out together.

Join us at Innovation Festival 2026 on May 6 at TalTech, where cybersecurity meets AI, policy, and strategic communication in a conversation that goes way beyond the technical.

What’s in it for you?

• a deep dive into information warfare and AI-powered influence (yes, it’s as wild as it sounds)
• real talk on attribution, digital evidence, and why truth is getting harder to pin down
• fresh perspectives on how communication can make, or break, security
• meaningful exchanges with researchers, thinkers, and practitioners across disciplines

Furthermore, you’ll get to connect with TalTech teams working on AI, trustworthy systems, cyber defence, and more... because solving today’s challenges takes more than just one angle.

🎤 Featuring speakers like Carl Miller, Pekka Kallioniemi, Tanel Tammet, Liisa Past, and even some from our group, like Rain Ottis and Matthew Sorell

But that's not it! So many experts in one place - don't miss out.

So, don't forget:
📅 May 6, 2026
📍 TalTech, Tallinn
👉 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐛 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐧!
https://taltech.ee/innovatsioonifestival-2026

Come for the insights. Stay for the conversations that might just change how you see the future of cybersecurity.

15/04/2026

An evening of IT, Engineering… and maximum curiosity overload 😮⚡

At TalTech’s IT and Engineering Master’s Info Session, future students peeped into the world of our Cybersecurity Master’s, where a simple “hello” quickly turned into “wait, explain that again??”, and casual chats with our team evolved into full-on deep dives into threats, systems, careers, and everything in between.

Spoiler: there were questions. Many questions. Possibly more questions than answers (in a good way).
Also, the occasional synchronized 😮 reaction across the table when things got real.

As our student representative put it:
"Cybersecurity is not only about security of cyberspace. First and foremost it is about people, cooperation and understanding of others' needs and worries."

Big shoutout to the TalTech IT-teaduskond Marketing Department for organizing the whole thing and basically engineering a very successful curiosity explosion 💥

If you’ve ever found yourself asking “but how does it actually work?” - congrats, you already fit in!

🚀 Admissions are still open, come see what a Master's degree can do for you

International: https://taltech.ee/en/masters-programmes/cybersecurity

Estonian: https://taltech.ee/sisseastuja/magistrioppe-erialad/kuberturve

13/04/2026

🎓 Still ungraduated? Your degree isn’t gone - but your time might be running out.

Still officially a student… but life took you in a different direction for a bit? Consider this your friendly nudge (and open invitation) to come back and finish what you started 🎓

We know an MSc doesn’t happen in a vacuum... life shows up: work, family, relationships, health, and everything in between. If your studies were paused, you’re definitely not alone. But the good news is… your degree is still waiting for you.

If you began under the old curriculum (IVCM09), you can still return and complete your MSc:

✨ You have up to 4 attempts remaining
📅 You can finish until Spring 2028
🚪 After that, the joint MSc with UT will be officially closed

So if you’re still in student status (externs, we're also looking at you!), this is your moment to jump back in. No pressure - just a reminder that the door is still open (for now).

💬 And if this isn’t you - but you know a friend, colleague, or former classmate who started and hasn’t finished - send this post their way or tag them below. You might be the reason they finally cross the finish line.

We’d love to see you (or them!) back 💛

19/01/2026

Winter School, Chapter Two: Agents, Incidents, and a Proper Grand Finale 🚀📖

The final week arrived quietly... and then immediately refused to stay quiet.

We dove straight into the world of cyber-physical systems with Shaymaa, where bits meet atoms and nothing is ever just digital* 🔧💻. From there, Sille guided us through incident handling, open source intelligence, and threat intelligence 🕵️‍♀️🔍 a reminder that the clues are always out there, if you know how (and where) to look.

Next came an introduction to digital forensics with Pavel 🧬💾. Traces were followed, systems interrogated, and suddenly nothing felt truly invisible anymore.

We then heard from Elif, who talked about the history of space and military actions in space 🛰️ and the final lecture came from Risto, who wrapped things up with a practical look into the world of a Security Operations Center ( ) 📊🚨, neatly tying together many of the threads from the past two weeks.

Somewhere in between all of this, we also managed a study visit to e-Estonia 🇪🇪✨ because no Winter School here is complete without seeing a digital society in action.

The weekend brought a short side quest: many students crossed the bay to Helsinki 🇫🇮⛴️. Finland was great, they said - but Estonia won in the end… because it wasn't as cold as our neighbours 🥶😉.

To keep energy levels up, some lecturers came armed with sweets 🍬 and local Estonian kohuke 🍫 - a strategic move that was highly appreciated and very effective.

Between lectures, the battles never stopped. Snowballs flew outside ❄️⚔️, mini-footballs rolled inside ⚽, and competitive spirits remained strong no matter the temperature.

And then came the finale!

When it was time for students to demonstrate what they had learned over these past two weeks, they delivered presentations 🎤👏 that were sharp, thoughtful - and fun! They even dared to include the Winter School staff in their slides, proving that learning and humour can, in fact, coexist.

And just like that, this chapter's closed.

Brains full 🧠, energy spent, friendships formed 🤝, and memories made - from cyber incidents to snowball skirmishes.

The end…

Address

Tallinn

Website

https://www.taltech.ee/cybercentre

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