Research services:

• Auditing security in cloud architectures.
• Detect and prevent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in complex networks.
• Early detection of cyber security vulnerabilities.
• Securing complex IT systems through advanced encryption and data protection mechanisms.
• Developing monitoring and anomaly detection solutions for computer networks.
• Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into cyber security to optimize threat detection and response.
• Creating dedicated cybersecurity solutions to protect machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) models against attacks and vulnerabilities.

Research projects:

• OPTIMIZE – Innovative Solution for Optimizing User Productivity through Multi-Modal Activity and Profile Monitoring (2021-2023)
• SOLUTII 25 – SCIPRO System for scanning and mapping IP resources in Romania with the aim of early cyberthreat detection (2024 – 2026)

The project Solutions 25 – SCIPRO aims to develop an information system that must have the capability of active scanning, identification and indexing of specific information belonging to resources and equipment exposed on the Internet, on the Romanian territory. The solution will be developed at hardware and software level and will implement functionalities such as: Web Crawling; Network Crawling; Port Scanning; Banner-Grabbing; Analysis of metadata available on the identified services; Database populated with CVE-type indicators of common vulnerabilities, used for the association of risk factors between them and the scanned information systems; Parallelized scanning component, through multiple instances of the scanning engines; Internet access to the solution will be provided through multiple outlets (multi-homing architecture) and the possibility to change the IP address in order to avoid generating large scanner traffic from a single IP address, which could lead to blacklisting of that address; Scanning will be performed automatically and periodically at defined time increments in order to maintain an up-to-date picture of the resources exposed in the Internet environment; Possibility to start a customized scan on demand by selecting specific IP addresses and ports. The information collected will be used to identify potential cyber threats that could affect the infrastructures indexed by the solution, providing visibility of the attack surface that a cyber attacker could exploit, with the objective of identifying and remediating them. The aim will be to keep a solution-wide record of cyber resources exposed in the Internet environment and associate them with common vulnerabilities by querying a vulnerability database correlated with the services identified on the scanned cyber resources. Statistical and relevant data on the most common points of exposure will also be sought.

Research areas: Data Science, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Data/Text/Graph Mining, Big Data Analytics and Management, Time Series Analysis, Cloud Computing

Services Offered:

Development of intelligent cloud-based applications and services

Adaptive data management algorithm development

Platform and service support for linguistic data processing and interpretation

Decision algorithm development for social media applications

Time series prediction services

A catalog of projects undertaken by the PR608 laboratory:

• 2024-Present: SCAN-NEWS: Smart system for deteCting And mitigatiNg misinformation and fake news in social media, Program: The Academy of Romanian Scientists, AOȘR-TEAMS-III, Project Director: Elena Apostol
• 2024-Pesent: iTracing: Automatic Misinformation Fact-Checking (DAAD 91809005), Project Director: Ciprian Truica
• 2023-Present: StopXocial: Smart system for analyzing and stopping antisocial behavior in online communities, Program: GNAC2023 ARUT ID: 220235447, Project Director: Elena Apostol
• 2023-Present: DEPLATFORM: Intelligent interactive system for detecting the veracity of news published on social platforms (DEPLATFORM, ID: 220235449), Project Director: Ciprian Truica
• 2022-Present: DKG: Distributed Knowledge Graphs (COST Action CA19134). Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica
• 2022-Present: UniDive: Universality, diversity and idiosyncrasy in language technology (COST Action CA21167). Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica
• 2021-Present:TRACTS: Traces as Research Agenda for Climate Change, Technology Studies, and Social Justice (COST Action CA20134). Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica
• 2020-Present: LITHME: Language In The Human-Machine Era (COST Action CA19102). Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica
• 2020-Present: FinAI: Fintech and Artificial Intelligence in Finance – Towards a transparent financial industry (COST Action CA19130). Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica

Past Projects (short list):

• 2023-2024: DECIP: Development of the Institutional Capacities of the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, PFE – MCID, Coordonator H. Necula (final Iunie 2024), Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica
• 2022-2023: AI-based conversational agent for misinformation fact-checking project financed through the OPTIM Research framework (POCU grant no. 62461/03.06.2022, SMIS code 153735). Project: Director Ciprian Truica
• 2022: NORDIS: NORdic observatory for digital media and information DISorders(EU CEF grant number 2394203). Project Members: Ciprian Truica
• 2021: FDI: Developing an innovative mechanism for transforming the implementation processes of the RDI (Research Development and Innovation) projects in the UPB University, Program: CNFIS-FDI-2021-0294, Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica
• 2021: AWAKEN: content-Aware and netWork-Aware faKE News mitigation, DAAD 91809005, Project Director: Ciprian Truica
• 2021: Deep-Learning Anomaly Detection for Human and Automated Users Behavior, DAAD 91809358, Project Director: Elena Apostol
• 2021-2023: TrainRDM – Open Science and Research Data Management Innovative and Distributed Training Programme, Program: Erasmus+ (ID: 020203286), Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica
• 2021-2023: HOLOTRAIN: Interactive V-LEARNING platform, no. 29/221_ap2/07.04.2020. Project Member: Ciprian Truica
• 2020-2022: AI4GENDARED: Improving the Functional Capabilities of the GENDARED Application by using Artificial Intelligence Algorithms, no. 58PTE/2020. Project Member: Ciprian Truica
• 2020-2021: IntAli: Intelligent Agent for Recipe Recommendation Based on Visual Identification of Available Ingredients (subsidiary contract from the NETIO) no. 53/5.09.2016. Project Member: Ciprian Truica
• 2019: Innovative Use of Big Data (Founded through The Danish programs for the Regional Fund and the Social Fund RFM-16-0014). Project Members: Ciprian Truica
• 2019-2023: NexusLinguarum: European network for Web-centred linguistic data science (COST Action CA18209). National Coordinator and Management Committee: Ciprian Truica.
• 2019-2023: ML4Microbiome: Statistical and machine learning techniques in human microbiome studies (COST Action CA18131). National Coordinator and Management Committee: Ciprian Truica.
• 2019-2023: Multi3Gen: Multi-task, Multilingual, Multi-modal Language Generation (COST Action CA18231). Substitute Management Committee Member: Ciprian Truica, Elena Apostol
• 2018-2020: ROBIN: Self-learning cognitive systems for autonomous vehicles, no. 72PCCDI/01.03.2018. Project Member: Ciprian Truica
• 2018-2022: G2Net: A network for Gravitational Waves, Geophysics, and Machine Learning (COST Action CA17137). National Coordinator and Management Committee: Ciprian Truica, Catalin Leordeanu, Substitute Management Committee Member: Elena Apostol
• 2017-2018: Analysis of heterogeneous data in real-time, GEX 2017 no. 24/2017, Project Director: Elena Apostol, Project Members:Ciprian Truica, Catalin Leordeanu
• 2017–2018: ANDESITE: Real-time analysis of heterogeneous data. Research Institute: University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania; Program: GEX # 24/25.09.2017, Project Director: Elena Apostol
• 2015–2019: DataWay – Real-time Data Processing Platform for Smart Cities: Making sense of Big Data. Research Institute: University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania; Project Code PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-2731, Project Member: Elena Apostol
• 2015-2018: Data4Water: Excellence in Smart Data and Services for Supporting Water Management. Research Institute: University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania; H2020-TWINN-2015, Project Member: Elena Apostol
• 2016-2017: Privacy and anonymity for Data Clouds, GEX 2016, no. 16/2016, Project Director: Catalin Leordeanu, Project Members: Elena Apostol, Ciprian Truica
• 2016-2017: Applying machine learning techniques in time series analysis, GEX 2016, no. 09/2016, Project Member: Ciprian Truica
• 2015-2019: cHiPSet: High-Performance Modelling and Simulation for Big Data Applications (COST Action IC1406). Substitute Management Committee Member: Ciprian Truica
• 2014–2017: CLUeFARM – Solutions for Intelligent Farming. Research Institute: University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania; National Program PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4, Project Member: Elena Apostol
• 2013–2014: SideSTEP: Scheduling Methods for Dynamic Distributed Systems: a self-* approach. Research Institute: University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania; Program: PN-II-CT-RO-FR-2012-1-0084, Contract # 718/11.04.2013, Project Member: Elena Apostol
• 2010–2013: ERRIC: Empowering Romanian Research on Intelligent Information Technologies. Research Institute: University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania; FP7-REGPOT-2010-1, ID:264207, Project Member: Elena Apostol
• 2010–2011: DEPSYS- Models and Techniques for Ensuring Reliability, Safety, Availability, and Security for Large Scale Distributed Systems. Research Institute: University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania; National Program PN-II IDEI, Project Member: Elena Apostol
• 2009–2010: GEEA–High-performance multi-core GRID Resource Centre. Research Institute: University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania, Project Member: Elena Apostol