A pioneering, integrated software system to address cybersecurity challenges and enhance the resilience of large, interconnected electricity networks across Europe has been developed by the consortium of the European project COCOON (COoperative Cyber PrOtection for mOderN Power Grids).
COCOON, with a budget of €5.8 million and the participation of 12 partners, is the first European Innovation Action project funded by the Horizon Europe Program, coordinated by the University of Cyprus and the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence. The technologies developed within the project reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7, paving the way for a realistic solution that meets the industrial, regulatory, and legal requirements for protecting interconnected energy infrastructure from cyberattacks.
Over the course of its three-year run, the project partners worked together to develop a comprehensive set of cyber-physical protection tools, including a data-driven Early Warning System for anomaly detection. The system was tested and evaluated at four real-world infrastructure sites in three European countries: in Greece, at energy communities as well as at the Regional Coordination Centre, for cross-border electricity transmission systems in Southeast Europe; in Spain, at an energy distribution system with ancillary services from photovoltaic parks; and in the Netherlands, at a Distribution System Operator substation.
These technological solutions offer:
- Millisecond-speed protection against cyberattacks for Transmission and Distribution System Operators, as well as energy providers.
- Operator alerts in less than 5 seconds, enabling rapid response and decision-making.
- Threat profiling and attack detection accuracy exceeding 98%.
- Real-time information on the origin of cyber-physical threats, delivered within seconds.
- Resilient control routing restoration and system recovery within seconds, even under attack or fault conditions.
COCOON’s cyber-physical protection technologies were showcased at an event held on September 9, 2026, at the University of Cyprus, attended by distinguished speakers, guests, and project partners from Cyprus and abroad. Guests included Mr. Michalis Bletsas, Governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority of Greece; Mr. Marios Pieri, Commissioner at the Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation of the Republic of Cyprus; and Mrs. Vaia Karathodorou, Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Coordination Centre for electricity transmission systems in Southeast Europe.
According to the Project Coordinator, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Cyprus and academic member of the KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence, Dr. Angelos K. Marnerides: “The COCOON project was completed successfully, bringing the technologies we developed to a readiness level that makes them ready for real-world deployment. Their validation across four pilot applications in three European countries demonstrates that we can offer meaningful protection to our energy networks without disturbing their operation. COCOON opens new horizons for further research and collaboration in the field of cyber-physical security for energy infrastructure.”
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101120221.
