CBG - Cyber@Ben Gurion University

What CBG - Cyber@Ben Gurion University does

Cyber@BGU is a university-affiliated cybersecurity, big data analytics, and AI applied research center at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, operating from the Advanced Technologies Park in Beer Sheva (Israel's designated "Cyber Capital"). It functions as a shared research platform rather than a commercial product vendor, coordinating multiple specialized centers and labs: the Cyber Security Research Center (joint with Israel National Cyber Bureau and Deutsche Telekom), the Fujitsu Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Israel (CCoE IL), the Lenovo Cybersecurity Innovation Center (LCIC), the Center for Computational Criminology with Israel Police, and the Cyber@BGU–Dojo by BullGuard IoT Security Research Lab. The center also runs MSc and PhD programs in cybersecurity, helping to feed its research pipeline.

The organization's core technical work spans offensive and defensive security research, with a documented specialization in air-gap covert channel techniques (COVID-bit, SATAn, ETHERLED, Glowworm), IoT and embedded-device security, AI-based intrusion detection (Kitsune), adversarial machine learning (adversarial makeup attacks, CT-GAN medical image tampering), and applied cryptographic side-channel attacks (video-based power LED key recovery). Underlying infrastructure is an academic research stack rather than a commercial SaaS platform, with deliverables flowing through publications, joint IP, and technology transfer via BGN Technologies, which has spun out over 100 startups from BGU research.

From a business model standpoint, Cyber@BGU is funded through grants and multi-year corporate research partnerships rather than commercial product sales. Documented revenue streams include an $2M grant from Royal Bank of Canada (2018), $6M from the U.S.-Israel Energy Center consortium (2021), and undisclosed multi-million-dollar investments from Fujitsu, Lenovo, Amdocs, Deutsche Telekom, Dojo by BullGuard, and the Israel National Cyber Bureau. Commercialization occurs indirectly through technology transfer to partner product lines (e.g., Lenovo's ThinkShield portfolio, Dojo's IoT security platform) and via BGN Technologies' startup formation, rather than through direct sales. The center's customer base is concentrated among government (Israel Police, U.S. Department of Energy), financial services (Royal Bank of Canada), and large multinational technology firms.

Name

CBG - Cyber@Ben Gurion University

Legal name

Cyber@BGU

Website

https://cyber.bgu.ac.il

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cyber@BGU is a Ben-Gurion University cybersecurity, big data, and AI research center in Beer Sheva, Israel, running joint research labs with Fujitsu, Lenovo, Israel Police, and other partners on offensive, defensive, and AI-security topics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Cyber Defense & Information Security (National Security) (BPAIAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Penetration Testing, Red Team & Ethical Hacking (EDAOAIAH), Digital Forensics & Malware Analysis (EDAOAIAJ), Fraud, Cybercrime Investigations & Brand/Dark Web Monitoring (BPAKAHAO)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity research
• Air-gap security attacks
• IoT security analysis
• AI cyber defense
• Big data analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Beer Sheva

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research grants and government funding: Funding from Israeli government agencies including the Israel National Cyber Bureau and participation in national initiatives to promote Beer Sheva as Israel's Cyber Capital.
2. Industry partnership research funding: Multi-year comprehensive joint research agreements with companies like Fujitsu, Lenovo, and others who invest in research collaboration.
3. Royal Bank of Canada partnership: $2 million investment from Royal Bank of Canada to develop protection methods for AI and machine learning techniques.
4. U.S.-Israel Energy Center funding: Participation in consortium receiving $6 million funding for cybersecurity solutions in the energy sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cyber@BGU is a university-based applied research center within Ben-Gurion University of the Negev that conducts fundamental and applied research in cybersecurity, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence. The center operates multiple specialized research units (Cyber Security Research Center, Fujitsu CCoE IL, Lenovo LCIC, Center for Computational Criminology, Dojo-BullGuard IoT Lab) in collaboration with multinational corporations and government agencies, and offers graduate-level academic programs (MSc and PhD) in cybersecurity.

Product overview

Cyber@BGU is a university-based cybersecurity, big data analytics, and AI applied research center at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. It operates as a multi-faceted research organization encompassing multiple specialized research centers (Cyber Security Research Center, Fujitsu CCoE IL, Lenovo LCIC, Center for Computational Criminology, Dojo-BullGuard IoT Lab), academic degree programs (MSc and PhD in cybersecurity), and collaborative research platforms. The organization conducts fundamental and applied research rather than commercial product development, with focus areas including IoT security, malware analysis, AI-based cyber defense, network security, adversarial AI, machine learning, deep learning, fraud detection, and big data analysis for cybersecurity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cyber Security Research Center: Joint initiative with Israel National Cyber Bureau and Telekom Innovation Laboratories focusing on cybersecurity research
• Fujitsu Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Israel (CCoE IL)
• Lenovo Cybersecurity Innovation Center (LCIC)

Products and services

• Cyber Security Research Center A research service center focused on cybersecurity research including IoT security, malware analysis, network security, adversarial AI, and machine learning-based defense, offered to industry and government partners.
• MSc Degree in Cyber Space Security Master of Science graduate degree program in cybersecurity, providing advanced coursework and research training for students.
• Ph.D. Degree in the Domain of Cybersecurity Doctoral degree program in cybersecurity providing advanced research training and dissertation opportunities for candidates pursuing academic and industry research careers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research demonstrations have shown facial recognition bypass rates of up to 98% in digital experiments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Fujitsu LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Three-year comprehensive joint research agreement establishing Fujitsu Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Israel (CCoE IL) with approximately 20 researchers including Prof. Yuval Elovici and Prof. Asaf Shabtai. Focuses on developing technologies for safe AI and machine learning applications and improving trustworthiness and security of AI-based systems.
• LenovocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Lenovo Cybersecurity Innovation Center (LCIC) established with BGU focusing on zero-trust architecture innovation in hardware and below-OS security. Serves as hub for next-generation security solutions with attestation lab and briefing center. Solutions incorporated into Lenovo's ThinkShield security portfolio.
• U.S.-Israel Energy CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Consortium including BGU received $6 million funding for cybersecurity solutions in the energy sector. Total U.S.-Israel Energy Center investment reached $67.2 million.
• Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019International partnership for student internships and research collaborations. SUTD students conduct internships at Cyber@BGU. Partnership established as part of SUTD's international programs with Israeli universities.
• Dojo by BullGuardmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2018Strategic partnership to develop advanced technologies for automated IoT threat detection using AI and machine learning. Research lab established at Cyber@BGU with focus on threat detection and privacy issues created by IoT devices. Part of Dojo Intelligent IoT Security Platform for Communication Service Providers.
• Israel PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2018Joint initiative launching Center for Computational Criminology at BGU's Advanced Technologies Park. Development of advanced cyber, big data and AI tools for crime prediction and prevention. Israel Police Cyber Unit collaborating with BGU cybersecurity experts.
• AmdocsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Joint Amdocs-BGU Research Laboratory launched to cultivate cooperation in AI and machine learning research. Partnership between Amdocs and Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering.
• Israel National Cyber BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner in Cyber Security Research Center initiative supporting national cybersecurity efforts and initiatives to promote Beer Sheva as Israel's Cyber Capital.
• Telekom Innovation Laboratories (Deutsche Telekom)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership as part of Deutsche Telekom's innovation network. Collaboration through Telekom Innovation Laboratories supporting cybersecurity research and development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MITRE Corporation: Large, federally funded R&D center operating ATT&CK, CVE, and a broad cybersecurity portfolio. A larger incumbent in the same space with overlapping research outputs but a much wider mission and government sponsorship base.
• RAND Corporation: Global policy think tank with substantial cybersecurity, AI, and national-security research programs. Broader incumbent with comparable government- and policy-oriented research outputs and similar funding mix.

Direct peers

• MIT Lincoln Laboratory: Federally funded research and development center with deep cybersecurity, AI, and systems-security programs. Comparable to Cyber@BGU in operating model as a research-intensive, government-and-industry-funded lab with applied security outputs.
• SRI International: Independent, non-profit research institute running large government- and industry-sponsored cybersecurity and AI programs. Comparable to Cyber@BGU as a multi-program security research lab funded by partners rather than product sales.
• Carnegie Mellon CyLab: University-affiliated cybersecurity research center at Carnegie Mellon with industry partnerships and government funding, comparable in mission and structure to Cyber@BGU. Both operate shared research platforms spanning IoT, network, and AI security.
• Georgia Tech Institute for Information Security & Privacy (IISP): University-coordinated cybersecurity research hub with industry affiliates and government-funded projects. Similar in operating model to Cyber@BGU's shared research platform serving corporate and government sponsors.
• Stanford Internet Observatory / CISAC: Stanford's centers for cybersecurity and international security research. Peer in the university cybersecurity research category, with comparable policy-and-technology overlap and industry engagement.
• Technion Cyber Security Research Center: Israeli university cybersecurity research center at the Technion with similar academic-industry-government collaborations. Direct domestic peer competing for the same Israeli cyber talent pool and industry partnerships.
• Tel Aviv University Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center: Israeli university cybersecurity research center with cross-disciplinary AI, cryptology, and policy work. Closest direct domestic peer to Cyber@BGU in terms of research breadth and Israeli industry/government partnerships.
• CERT Coordination Center (Carnegie Mellon): University-housed cybersecurity research and coordination center focused on vulnerability analysis, incident response, and applied security research. Direct peer in mission and operating structure to Cyber@BGU's applied security labs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cyberlabsbgu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cybersecuritylabsbengurion7859
• Facebookfacebook.com/cyberlabsbgu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbg-cyber-ben-gurion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CBG - Cyber@Ben Gurion University