An AI-Powered Cybersecurity Solution for Industrial Systems
 
Throughout my university studies, I wanted to go beyond theoretical knowledge. I was looking for a productive, practical area of work where I could apply what I had learned to real-world problems. The foundation I gained in the Software Engineering department led me to focus particularly on cybersecurity. Both the technical depth of this field and its ongoing efforts to combat emerging threats greatly appealed to me.
 
Driven by this interest, I launched a project that qualified for funding under the TÜBİTAK 2209-A Research Projects Support Programme for University Students. My work focused on demonstrating how vulnerable industrial control systems are to cyberattacks and developing a system that could provide a solution in this area.
 
As part of my project, I worked with Siemens S7-1200 PLC devices to simulate attacks such as Denial-of-Service (DoS), Replay, Man-in-the-Middle, and Start-Stop attacks. To detect these attacks, I designed a system that monitors network traffic, logs data, and analyses it using AI-based algorithms. The system I developed can classify data, identify attack patterns, and provide infrastructure for real-time response. I successfully completed the project documentation process in December 2024. However, technical development, testing, and the integration of more advanced algorithms are still actively ongoing. In particular, the custom scripts and visualisation modules I developed in Python have strengthened the system’s real-time analysis capabilities.
 
The guidance of my academic advisor, Assistant Professor Serkan Gönen, was invaluable throughout this process. His advice on both methodology selection and analytical techniques gave me the opportunity to develop a more rigorous scientific approach.
 
This project helped me improve not only my technical skills but also a range of personal competencies, including time management, research discipline, problem-solving, and patience. Moving forward, I aim to develop this project further and create highly secure system solutions that can be deployed in real-world settings.