Research reports Cyberspace and Cyber & Intelligence Analytics
The research reports Cyberspace and Cyber & Intelligence Analytics from armasuisse Science and Technology (S+T) provided insights into current developments in the area of cyber defence and intelligence-based data analysis. Dr. Bernhard Tellenbach and Dr. Gérôme Bovet from the Cyber-Defence Campus showed how new technologies aim to strengthen digital security in Switzerland.
Andrea Thäler, specialist area Cyber Security and Data Science, competence sector armasuisse Science and Technology
The two research reports are part of the long-term commitment of the DDPS and armasuisse to strengthen cyber resilience. The presented projects are still partially under development and represent research results that are not necessarily ready for use, but still provide key stimuli for the orientation of future procurements and strategies.
As part of the annual research report from armasuisse Science and Technology, Dr. Bernhard Tellenbach and Dr. Gérôme Bovet presented the latest findings from their research programmes on 25 June 2025. Both programmes aim to understand the opportunities and risks of current and future key technologies in the respective areas as well as to find, test and harness new approaches for strengthening operative capabilities.
Dr. Tellenbach’s programme “Cyberspace” deals with specific technologies for cyber defence. This includes, for example, the prioritisation of troubleshooting – also known as debugging – in software. If an exploit can be generated fully automatically for an error, this error must be rectified with priority – a technology with a high level of relevance for understanding risks in military infrastructures. Other focal points concentrate on vulnerability research in smart buildings, in the protection of wide area networks and in the understanding of the human factor. The activities are in close contact with real test environments. In “Locked Shields”, the largest cyber exercise worldwide, the Swiss team and the Cyber-Defence Campus tested, for example, novel protective mechanisms and systems.
The research programme “Cyber & Intelligence Analytics” headed by Dr. Bovet is dedicated to the data-driven aspects of cyber defence. The main focus was on the question of how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used appropriately and securely in the cyber and intelligence environments. On the one hand, this concerns opportunities, such as the early identification of manipulation operations, phishing or malware activities. On the other hand, the risks are also analysed: LLM hallucinations, prompt injections and backdoors in open source models show how vulnerable AI is, even to deception attacks. One goal of the research work is therefore to develop robust, trustworthy AI systems and to enable their use in a security-critical environment.
Both research programmes do not just supply valuable foundations for future procurements by the DDPS, but are also effective beyond the Federal Administration – be it through tools for verifying the security of AI models, cooperation with international partners or through the systematic integration of AI in the creation of operational pictures.
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