{"id":178294,"date":"2025-06-20T15:51:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/?p=178294"},"modified":"2025-06-20T15:53:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:53:00","slug":"cybersecuritys-quantum-leap-a-field-full-of-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/cybersecuritys-quantum-leap-a-field-full-of-opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"Cybersecurity\u2019s quantum leap: A field full of opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"

The article was published on June 18 in FoundME<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liina Kamm, Senior Researcher at Cybernetica, and Marion Lepmets, CEO of SoftComply, shed light on the hottest current topics in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Startups have several advantages over industry giants, and keeping these in mind, it\u2019s definitely worth applying to the Cyber Accelerator by July 13.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we be sure that novel cybersecurity solutions don\u2019t actually increase data protection risks? How do we balance their security with practical benefits? Amid this rapid development\u2014who\u2019s steering the ship? And how can startups compete with major players?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Liina Kamm, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Information Security at Cybernetica, the rapid development and increasing accessibility of AI tools has created both exciting opportunities and new problems. \u201cThe more powerful AI becomes, the more we trust it\u2014and the more it can help us. But we must still keep a clear mind and critically assess whether the outputs, suggestions, and decisions are logical and justified,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are now a lot of new tasks specifically related to AI risk management,\u201d Kamm points out. \u201cThe more complex the system and the more critical the tasks, the more detailed and well-thought-out the risk management must be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many companies today claim that their services are powered by AI, but it\u2019s hard to evaluate whether it\u2019s truly a learning system or just a set of automated algorithms. If it is<\/em> a learning system, how can we ensure that it evolves at a reasonable pace and doesn\u2019t become overly autonomous?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another big dilemma is balancing data processing with security. Complex AI-powered language models, such as Phishbite, can detect patterns and spot even the smallest behavioral changes to help protect businesses from cyberattacks. However, such AI-based solutions often require processing sensitive data in the cloud, which raises concerns about data security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kamm lists key risk areas as data quality, data accessibility, bias, and user education. \u201cThe quality of an AI model is highly dependent on data quality\u2014volume, bias, and accuracy all play a major role,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy accessibility, I mean whether intellectual property and individual rights and privacy are protected. For instance, there is far less Estonian-language content than in globally dominant languages,\u201d she adds. \u201cThere are many types of bias\u2014from historical to algorithmic\u2014and unfortunately, all of them affect AI systems. So AI still can\u2019t make decisions on its own; it needs decision support. But even that can be risky, since humans also make mistakes, and if AI provides a plausible justification, it may be difficult to make an objective decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This leads to the last\u2014and arguably most important\u2014topic: educating people. \u201cThe more people understand how AI systems work, what risks and biases exist, the easier it is for them to use the results and make decisions based on them,\u201d says Kamm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to know how to ask the right questions in the right way\u2014that\u2019s when you\u2019re most likely to get good and consistent answers from AI,\u201d she confirms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Liina Kamm (photo by Eiko Lainj\u00e4rv)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Team of SoftComply<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Control is critical<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Marion Lepmets, founder and CEO of SoftComply, which develops risk and document management applications, we all consume an enormous amount of software and services daily. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe any of us truly has full control over our own data,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SoftComply builds applications for risk and document management specifically aimed at manufacturers of medical devices and other safety-critical products. Their clients include NASA, Formula 1 Racing, Rheinmetall, and major U.S. medical firms like ThermoFischer and Dentsply Sirona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lepmets stresses that today, cybersecurity must be a top priority for any product whose safe usage is critical and that includes significant software components or is entirely software-based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one hand, there\u2019s still no clear standard for how much of a role AI should play in safety-critical products or how it should be evaluated. On the other hand, increasing regulations\u2014especially in the EU\u2014are slowing down time-to-market for new products, Lepmets points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Startups have several advantages<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Compared to big players like Microsoft, Palo Alto, and CrowdStrike, smaller companies may seem overshadowed. However, the cybersecurity market holds a place for everyone\u2014there are plenty of areas where startups can become strong competitors through targeted research, niche focus, and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Kamm, startups can more easily integrate AI into their systems, products, and services. \u201cThey\u2019re not burdened by legacy systems, so they can create standout and cutting-edge solutions. But it\u2019s crucial to analyze where the data flows\u2014does it, for example, leave Europe?\u2014and at least assess the key risks to inform customers of potential threats,\u201d she advises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One great way for startups to break into the cybersecurity and AI space is to join an accelerator. The Cyber Accelerator, organized by the Tehnopol Startup Incubator and the Estonian Information System Authority (RIA), is designed specifically to support early-stage cybersecurity startups and spin-offs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SoftComply received valuable support from the Cyber Accelerator. Previously focused on product risk management from a safety perspective, they expanded into cybersecurity capabilities thanks to the accelerator program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI development has been powerful, but incorporating it into safety-critical product development is very complex and tightly regulated\u2014it imposes additional demands on companies, so they must thoroughly assess whether AI is truly worth pursuing,\u201d Lepmets explains. \u201cDuring the accelerator, we were able to focus specifically on how to help our users manage cybersecurity risks better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She adds that startups\u2019 key advantage is flexibility, allowing them to quickly respond to market changes and develop new ideas fast. \u201cOur strength is definitely our adaptability and speed. For us, it\u2019s not unusual to turn a new idea into a product within weeks\u2014and that gives customers the sense that they are truly being heard,\u201d says Lepmets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SoftComply has participated in several accelerators, but they particularly appreciated the Cyber Accelerator\u2019s style and unique features. \u201cIts practical focus was impressive\u2014strong expert mentors and engaging interactive workshops where experience and know-how were shared,\u201d says Lepmets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accelerator program kicking off this fall offers selected teams \u20ac60,000 in funding, field-specific mentoring, and training that helps bring innovative cybersecurity solutions to market faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, the accelerator is focused on solutions that address and mitigate cybersecurity threats emerging alongside digitalization\u2014for example, process automation, AI applications, countering social engineering, quantum-proof cryptography, or cybersecurity in the space sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The application deadline is July 13<\/strong>. Apply HERE<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The article was published on June 18 in FoundME. Liina Kamm, Senior Researcher at Cybernetica, and Marion Lepmets, CEO of SoftComply, shed light on the hottest current topics in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Startups have several advantages over industry giants, and keeping these in mind, it\u2019s definitely worth applying to the Cyber Accelerator by July […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":158021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[182,196,200],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-178294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-startup-incubator","category-digital-technologies","category-artificial-intelligence"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178294"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178297,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178294\/revisions\/178297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tehnopol.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}