Early Insights from Dealio’s CyberFort Pilot

In this post, we carry forward our ongoing blog series exploring recent developments in cybersecurity, with particular emphasis on the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the EU-funded CyberFort project. Before diving into what comes next, it is worth briefly recapping the key elements that frame our work: (i) the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) establishes a unified, lifecycle-oriented approach to cybersecurity in Europe; (ii) Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a cornerstone for protecting sensitive data flows in FinTech environments; and (iii) pilot studies are essential for validating solutions under real-world conditions and establishing confidence in their effectiveness. Building on this solid foundation, we have now moved beyond planning and design. Specifically, we have entered the execution phase of the core of our pilot, marking a significant step forward. In the following updates, we will share insights and lessons learned as the pilot progresses and delivers tangible results. 

CyberFort Platform Deployment: Enabling the Pilots 

The CyberFort platform has now been made internally available to all project partners, marking a major milestone in the journey toward full pilot execution. With this access, we have begun using the platform according to our carefully designed plans, putting our preparations into practice. While this represents a significant step forward, we recognize that the process is not linear—our journey involves multiple routes, and iterations as we continue to learn and adapt. However, we believe it is valuable to keep our audience informed and engaged. Sharing updates allows us to highlight progress, insights, and lessons learned along the way.  

Early Findings 

Our first findings are summarized below, although they may be further enriched as this exploration continues. To begin with, the platform offers clear benefits across multiple roles, ranging from risk analysts to software architects and developers. We have also observed that there are aspects which might otherwise go unnoticed, a valuable insight even when the associated risk is very low. Overall, the platform can be regarded as a game changer, as it significantly enhances processes that traditionally rely on substantial human intervention. Furthermore, we have noticed that the platform can also serve as an effective training toolkit, supporting knowledge building and awareness across teams. Last but not least, we consistently acknowledge the indispensable role of human intelligence, as the platform's results should always be further assessed and interpreted by experts. 

Opportunities: Looking Ahead 

So far, we have identified a number of opportunities. The first relates to connecting technical analysis with the legal content embedded in the platform. This brings together different worlds, and while establishing common ground is not trivial, the resulting benefits can be exponential. In addition, and quite interestingly, platform users have clearly indicated that this is not a tool to be used sporadically or on an ad-hoc basis; on the contrary, it is well suited for frequent and regular use. Furthermore, the underlying technical analysis results are not only highly useful but also enable the definition of new metrics and more advanced analytics in general. This is just the beginning; the journey certainly continues. 

Stay Connected and Get Involved 

As the CYBERFORT project continues to evolve, we invite you to follow along for updates on Dealio's pilot study and key insights from other sector-specific pilots. For this purpose, we warmly encourage you to check the project website regularly. To receive more frequent updates, please follow the project on LinkedIn. 

If you are active in the FinTech ecosystem and would like to participate in or learn more about our pilot, we would be glad to hear from you. Your collaboration has the potential to make a real impact.