Cyient invests in Israeli rail-cybersecurity firm Cylus

Engineering and technology solutions company Cyient Ltd said it has invested in rail cybersecurity solutions provider Cylus Ltd, based in Israel.

The investment, whose value was not disclosed, is a bid to develop smarter and safer mobility solutions for the rail industry. The partnership brings together Hyderabad-based Cyient’s expertise in engineering for rail digitisation and Cylus’ cybersecurity solutions for the rail industry.

Cyient also said that the move enables both the companies to expand their industry-specific cybersecurity value proposition, accelerate the development of modern cybersecurity solutions for rail and jointly address market needs.

Cylus is the developer of CylusOne, a cybersecurity software product that is designed for mainline and urban rail systems. The solution works by detecting cyber threats in the signalling and control networks, both on the trackside as well as onboarding.

“We are excited about investing in Cylus and their world-leading cybersecurity solutions as part of our strategy to develop intelligent mobility solutions for a safer tomorrow,” said Prabhakar Atla, senior vice-president, rail transportation, Cyient.

Atla added that the investment would allow Cyient to leverage the rapid evolution of connected and intelligent rail assets to help the rail industry to design, build and maintain safe assets and secure networks.

Amir Levintal, chief executive and co-founder of Cylus, said that the rail systems of today have become technologically advanced and the threat of cyber-attacks has been steadily growing.

“We have already established strong relationships with key players in the rail industry and are growing our partnerships with leading rail operators. We are moving full steam ahead to scale our team and expand globally,” said Levintal.

Cylus’ founders include veterans from the Elite Technological Unit of the Israel Defense Forces’ Intelligence Corps, along with executives from the railway industry.

Cyient, apart from the rail transportation vertical, works in the domains of aerospace and defence, healthcare, telecommunications, semiconductor, geospatial, industrial, and energy. The company currently employs close to 15,000 workers spread around 20 countries.