The Information Security Lab (I-SEC) brings together cybersecurity research at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and HEG-Genève, HES-SO. The lab is co-directed by researchers from both institutions and works to make the complex nature of cybersecurity easier to understand, assess and manage.

Our research explores how the implications of current and emerging technologies can be identified, communicated and addressed, with particular emphasis on privacy, risk, security and safety. We are strongly committed to the co-design of solutions with the people and organisations who will ultimately use them.

At UNIGE, I-SEC is connected to the Research Institute for Statistics and Information Science (RISIS), the Computer Science Centre (CUI) and the Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM). Through its collaboration with HEG-Genève, HES-SO, the lab also strengthens the link between academic research, applied cybersecurity and real-world deployment.

Cyberthreat prediction and propagation

We model and simulate cyberthreats in connected and automated systems to identify vulnerabilities, attack paths and propagation mechanisms before they result in operational incidents.

Our work supports proactive risk analysis and the development of effective security and mitigation strategies for CCAM, Internet-of-Vehicles and related digital infrastructures.

Risk perception and human factors

We study how users, operators and other stakeholders perceive, understand and respond to cybersecurity and privacy risks.

This includes the human factors that influence awareness, trust and decision-making, with the aim of translating technically complex risks into information and actions that people can understand and use.

Privacy-friendly behavioural change

We investigate how safer, more efficient and more user-friendly digital and mobility services can encourage appropriate behaviour without compromising privacy.

Our work combines technical safeguards with usability, ethics and user-centred design, while considering the trade-offs between automation, privacy, security and trust.

CCAM security models and ontologies

We develop structured models and ontologies for cooperative, connected and automated mobility to represent systems, actors, data, risks and dependencies in a consistent way.

These models support cybersecurity and privacy analysis across complex smart-mobility ecosystems and help provide a common understanding between technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Secure data interaction in smart mobility

We model how data is generated, exchanged and processed across connected vehicles, infrastructure, cloud services and other smart-city systems.

This allows cybersecurity, privacy, interoperability and data-management risks to be assessed systematically and supports the design of more secure connected and automated mobility environments.

Threat analysis and risk assessment

We develop and refine methods for analysing cybersecurity and privacy risks in connected and automated systems, including automotive, IoT and smart-mobility environments.

Our work includes threat analysis and risk assessment, security and privacy by design, and methods for supporting consistent and scalable risk evaluation across different technologies and levels of automation.

TARA 2.0 for Connected and Automated Vehicles
M. Benyahya, A. Collen, T. Lenard, N. Nijdam. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 26(8), 11864–11878, 2025.
DOI: 10.1109/TITS.2025.3574638

LOKI-2: An Improved Lightweight Cryptographic Key Distribution Protocol for Automotive Systems
T. Lenard, B. Genge, A. Collen, N. A. Nijdam. IEEE ICCP, 187–194, 2024.
DOI: 10.1109/ICCP60212.2023.10398644

Analyses on standards and regulations for connected and automated vehicles: Identifying the certifications roadmap
M. Benyahya, A. Collen, N. A. Nijdam. Transportation Engineering 14, 100205, 2023.
DOI: 10.1016/j.treng.2023.100205

Exploring Trust Modeling and Management Techniques in the Context of Distributed Wireless Networks: A Literature Review
T. Lenard, A. Collen, M. Benyahya, N. A. Nijdam, B. Genge. IEEE Access 11, 106803–106832, 2023.
DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3320945

Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Certification Gaps of Connected and Automated Vehicles
M. Benyahya, A. Collen, N. A. Nijdam. Transportation Research Procedia 72, 783–790, 2023.
DOI: 10.1016/j.trpro.2023.11.468

A Key to Embedded System Security: Locking and Unlocking Secrets with a Trusted Platform Module
T. Lenard, A. Collen, N. A. Nijdam, B. Genge. IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy Workshops, 329–335, 2023.
DOI: 10.1109/EuroSPW59978.2023.00041

Guidance Framework for Developing IoT-Enabled Systems’ Cybersecurity
H. A. Abdulghani, A. Collen, N. A. Nijdam. Sensors 23(8), 4174, 2023.
DOI: 10.3390/s23084174

Symbiotic Analysis of Security Assessment and Penetration Tests Guiding Real L4 Automated City Shuttles
M. Benyahya, P. Bergerat, A. Collen, N. A. Nijdam. Telecom 4(1), 198–218, 2023.
DOI: 10.3390/telecom4010012

An Automotive Reference Testbed with Trusted Security Services
T. Lenard, A. Collen, N. A. Nijdam, B. Genge. Electronics 12(4), 888, 2023.
DOI: 10.3390/electronics12040888