STOP-IT · Project

Cybersecurity Platform That Protects Water Utilities from Physical and Digital Attacks

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine your city's water supply has the same kind of security risks as a bank — hackers trying to break into control systems, and intruders trying to tamper with pipes and pumps. This project brought together 4 major European water utilities and 34 partners to build a complete security toolkit: smart sensors that spot contamination, computer vision that detects trespassers, blockchain that protects sensor data from tampering, and anomaly detection that flags when something in the control system is behaving strangely. They tested the whole platform in real operational environments at water companies in Spain, Germany, Israel, and Norway.

By the numbers

consortium partners across 8 countries

industry partners in the consortium

front-runner water utilities used for demonstration

follower utilities for knowledge transfer and uptake

62%

industry ratio in the consortium

total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Water utilities face growing cyber-physical security threats — from hackers targeting SCADA systems to physical intrusion at treatment plants and contamination of supply networks. Most utilities lack integrated tools that cover both digital and physical attack vectors across all levels of their operations, from strategic planning down to real-time incident response.

The solution

What was built

An integrated software platform combining multiple security modules: cyber threat detection services, secure wireless sensor communications, context-aware anomaly detection for SCADA systems, blockchain-based sensor data protection, computer vision for detecting unauthorized human presence, and water contamination detection algorithms. The platform was validated operationally with training materials and best practice guidelines for adoption.

Audience

Who needs this

Municipal and regional water utilities upgrading their cybersecurity postureSCADA/ICS security vendors looking for water-sector-specific modulesCritical infrastructure operators in energy or gas seeking transferable security toolsWater technology integrators building comprehensive utility management platformsInsurance companies assessing cyber risk for water infrastructure clients

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Water Utilities

enterprise

Target: Municipal or regional water supply companies

If you are a water utility managing critical supply infrastructure — this project developed an integrated cyber-physical security platform tested at 4 major European utilities including Berliner Wasserbetriebe and Aigües de Barcelona. It combines anomaly detection for SCADA systems, secure sensor communications, and real-time contamination monitoring to protect your operations from both cyber attacks and physical intrusions.

Industrial Cybersecurity

mid-size

Target: SCADA and ICS security solution providers

If you are a cybersecurity firm specializing in industrial control systems — this project built fault-tolerant control strategies for SCADA-integrated sensors and blockchain-based data protection for high-volume real-time sensor streams. With 21 industry partners involved in development and 25 deliverables including a validated operational platform, these modules can be integrated into your existing security product suite.

Critical Infrastructure Management

enterprise

Target: Energy, gas, or wastewater infrastructure operators

If you operate critical infrastructure beyond water — such as gas networks or wastewater treatment — this project's risk management tools cover prevention, detection, response, and mitigation across strategic, tactical, and operational levels. The platform was validated in a fully operational scenario with quantitative metrics and qualitative user feedback, making it adaptable to other utility sectors.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this security platform?

The project does not publish per-unit licensing or implementation costs. As an Innovation Action with 34 consortium partners including 21 industry players, the platform was designed for commercial viability. Contact the consortium for pricing on specific modules.

Can this scale to large water networks serving millions of people?

Yes — the platform was demonstrated at 4 major utilities including Berliner Wasserbetriebe (serving 3.7M people) and Aigües de Barcelona. The front-runner/follower approach with 8 utilities specifically tested knowledge transfer and scalability to different operational contexts.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

With 21 industry partners and 5 SMEs in the consortium, IP is distributed across multiple technology providers. Individual modules — such as the blockchain data protection, computer vision detection, or anomaly detection — likely have separate licensing arrangements through their respective developers.

Does this meet current cybersecurity regulations for critical infrastructure?

The project specifically addresses water CI protection and includes support for certification and standardization as stated in its objectives. It was developed in alignment with the EU's critical infrastructure protection priorities under topic CIP-01-2016-2017.

How long would integration take with our existing SCADA systems?

The platform includes fault-tolerant control strategies specifically designed for SCADA-integrated sensors. Based on available project data, the modular architecture allows utilities to adopt individual components rather than requiring full platform replacement. Training and knowledge transfer materials were developed as part of the 25 deliverables.

What concrete technologies were validated?

The operational validation covered cyber threat incident services, secure wireless sensor communications, context-aware anomaly detection, blockchain-based sensor data protection, authorization engines, computer vision for irregular human detection, and water contamination detection algorithms. All were tested in a simulated operational environment with quantitative metrics.

Is there ongoing support or a user community?

The project created communities of practice for water systems protection and hands-on training materials. It also leveraged the EU water technology platform's multi-partner network, which provides an ongoing ecosystem for support and knowledge exchange beyond the project's end in October 2021.

Consortium

Who built it

With 34 partners across 8 countries and a 62% industry ratio, this is one of the more commercially oriented research consortia you'll see. The 21 industry partners — including 5 SMEs and major water utilities like Aigües de Barcelona, Berliner Wasserbetriebe, MEKOROT, and Oslo VAV — signal that this was built for real-world deployment, not just academic papers. SINTEF AS from Norway coordinates, bringing strong applied research credibility. The 4 front-runner plus 4 follower utility pairing shows the consortium was designed around technology transfer from day one, which is a strong indicator that the outputs are practical and field-tested.

SINTEF ASCoordinator · NO
BERGEN KOMMUNEparticipant · NO
KWR WATER BVparticipant · NL
OSLO KOMMUNEparticipant · NO
RISA SICHERHEITSANALYSEN GMBHparticipant · DE
AIGUES DE BARCELONA, EMPRESA METROPOLITANA DE GESTIO DEL CICLE INTEGRAL DE L'AIGUA SAparticipant · ES
PNO INNOVATION SLparticipant · ES
VLAAMSE MAATSCHAPPIJ VOOR WATERVOORZIENINGparticipant · BE
STIFTELSEN SINTEFparticipant · NO
IWW HOLDING GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBHparticipant · DE
PNO CONSULTANTS BVthirdparty · NL
ATOS SPAIN SAparticipant · ES
MNEMONIC ASparticipant · NO
FUNDACION CENTRO ANDALUZ DE INVESTIGACIONES DEL AGUAthirdparty · ES
PNO INNOVATION SRLthirdparty · IT
MEKOROT WATER COMPANY LIMITEDparticipant · IL
WORLDSENSING SLparticipant · ES
CETAQUA, CENTRO TECNOLOGICO DEL AGUA, FUNDACION PRIVADAparticipant · ES
WATER EUROPEparticipant · BE
TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYparticipant · IL
FUNDACIO EURECATparticipant · ES
ATOS IT SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES IBERIA SLthirdparty · ES
EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTONparticipant · EL
PNO INNOVATIONparticipant · BE
PNO INNOVATIEADVIES BVthirdparty · NL
BERLINER WASSERBETRIEBEparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

SINTEF AS (Norway) — a major Scandinavian applied research institute. Their water infrastructure team led this consortium.

Order a report on this consortium See SINTEF AS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the STOP-IT team about their cyber-physical security platform for water infrastructure? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the right technical contacts within the consortium.

Order a report on this topic More in Digital & ICT