Hard2bit Cybersecurity · Research & Development
Cybersecurity R&D and applied AI Emerging threats. Measurable response. Defensible evidence.
Threats evolve weekly: new techniques, automation, impersonation and increasingly credible attacks. Our R&D team anticipates these shifts and turns them into operational improvements: controls, detection, response and audit-ready compliance.
- Threat research & intelligence
- Enterprise-grade defensive AI
- Social engineering: evolution & countermeasures
- SecOps automation & continuous improvement
- GRC integration: evidence & governance
Innovation credentials
We are an Innovative SME and build in-house capabilities with a dedicated engineering and research team, supported by our GRC and managed security specialists. We participate in EU-focused initiatives to accelerate transfer into real operations.
Focus
What we do in R&D: from lab to production
The goal isn’t to “try things”. It’s to reduce risk in a provable way. We measure, validate and transfer outcomes into operations (SOC/MDR, IR, hardening) and governance (GRC) so leadership and audit have clear evidence.
Threat research
Tracking techniques, tooling and patterns: from mass campaigns to targeted intrusions. We turn signals into controls and detection.
Applied AI (defensive)
We evaluate market AI and its real impact: automation, analytics, detection, analyst assistance and reduced compliance friction.
Human risk & deception
AI accelerates social engineering (hyper-personalized phishing, synthetic voice & image). We design countermeasures and continuous measurement.
Prototyping & validation
We test hypotheses with clear criteria: accuracy, operational cost, impact and safety. Only what adds value goes to production.
Transfer to operations
Playbooks, SLAs, detection, response and executive reporting. R&D works closely with managed security so changes are real.
Evidence & governance (GRC)
We turn research into controls, procedures, metrics and auditable evidence (DORA/NIS2/ENS/ISO 27001).
Current landscape
AI in the market: real impact (and real risk)
AI is no longer a promise: it’s an accelerator. It can reduce operational load, improve response times and increase consistency. But it also enables more convincing attacks and increases error surface without solid governance.
Where it adds value
- • SOC triage and enrichment with auditability.
- • SecOps automation and reduction of repetitive work.
- • Analyst assistance: context, hypotheses and risk-based prioritization.
- • Compliance: evidence, traceability and documentation consistency.
Risks to control
- • Sensitive data leakage.
- • Hallucinations and errors: decisions without verification.
- • Vendor lock-in and lack of traceability.
- • Prompt injection and manipulation exposure.
Our stance: AI with governance, measurement and evidence. If it can’t be audited, it shouldn’t be automated.
Team
An R&D department built for real execution
R&D doesn’t live in isolation. We work with our managed security and GRC teams to turn research into outcomes: operational detection, playbooks, SLAs, reporting and defensible evidence for leadership and audit.
Dedicated engineers
In-house team to prototype, integrate and maintain capabilities (automation, data, AI) without relying on third parties for every iteration.
Backed by GRC
We translate techniques and tooling into controls, policies, metrics and evidence aligned with DORA/NIS2/ENS/ISO 27001.
Operations (Managed Security)
Validated in real scenarios: detection, response and measurable risk reduction. If it doesn’t improve operations, we drop it.
Outcome: useful, governed innovation: less noise, better decisions, stronger response and audit-ready evidence.
Request a conversationFAQ
FAQ about R&D, threats and AI
Direct answers for common searches. Content for leadership, IT and security teams in regulated environments.
What does Hard2bit's R&D department do?
We research threats and emerging attack techniques, test security technologies and apply AI to real-world cases (human risk, detection, automation and compliance). We turn learnings into operational improvements: controls, procedures, metrics and evidence.
How does AI impact the threat landscape (phishing, deepfakes, BEC)?
AI increases scale and personalization: impersonation, synthetic voice/image and more credible messaging. That’s why we strengthen prevention, verification, identity controls, detection and response (playbooks) with measurement and continuous improvement.
How is your R&D different from a standard service?
It’s not just consulting: it’s sustained internal capability. Our R&D and engineering team works with GRC and managed security specialists to translate outcomes into operations (SLA, executive reporting, evidence) and products (NormAI/CortexShield).
Want to bring innovation to security and compliance without losing control?
We help you prioritize what’s worth it, how to measure it, and how to take it to operations (SLA, reporting) and evidence (GRC).