I am Muhammed Erbas, a cybersecurity researcher and PhD candidate in Information Technology at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech). My work brings together threat modeling, cyber risk assessment, cyber threat intelligence, and AI security, with a particular interest in the security of systems where software, networks, and physical operations meet.

I am interested in how we move from identifying a possible threat to understanding its consequences and deciding what to do about it. For me, useful security research needs to explain its assumptions, make its evidence understandable, and connect technical findings to the decisions people actually face.

My background spans doctoral research, autonomous robot operations, and practical experience with onboard IT and operational technology. These different environments have shaped how I approach cybersecurity: as a technical discipline that also depends on context, communication, and the reliability of the systems people use.

Research: understanding threats in context

Since September 2024, I have been an early-stage researcher and PhD candidate at TalTech. My doctoral work examines cybersecurity, threat modeling, risk assessment, and AI-related security in complex cyber-physical systems. I develop threat modeling methodologies that connect structured analysis with cyber threat intelligence, drawing on PASTA, MITRE ATT&CK, and MISP.

A recurring question in my work is how threat models can remain useful as systems and attacker behaviour change. A diagram or a list of vulnerabilities is only a starting point. I am interested in the reasoning behind a scenario: the assets that matter, the paths an attacker could take, the evidence supporting those paths, and the operational consequences of a successful attack. Connecting these elements can make a threat model more useful for prioritising risk and discussing security requirements.

My published research has often used autonomous ships and other maritime systems as demanding case studies. This work gave me a setting in which to examine interactions between IT, OT, safety requirements, and automated decision-making. The questions behind it extend to a wider range of connected and autonomous systems, and my professional interests now span cybersecurity well beyond that original application area.

I also explore adversarial machine learning and the resilience of AI-enabled systems. As AI becomes part of operational decision-making, understanding how its behaviour can be influenced is an important part of evaluating system security. My interests include how threat modeling and risk assessment can help frame these problems clearly and identify where further evidence is needed.

Experience across research and operations

Swedbank · Internship · September–December 2026
My internship adds practical experience in Cyber Threat Intelligence–related projects within Swedbank Estonia’s banking and technology environment. Gaining hands-on experience with threat intelligence workflows, OSINT, threat monitoring, threat hunting, and detection-oriented research, while learning how cybersecurity operations are carried out in practice. Part of Swedbank Estonia’s Faculty Internship Programme, connecting academic research with practical industry experience.

TalTech · Early-Stage Researcher · September 2024–present
Alongside my doctoral research, I publish and present work in international journals and conferences, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams on EU-funded research projects, and support teaching activities and the supervision of cybersecurity students. Working with researchers from different backgrounds has reinforced the importance of explaining technical assumptions and making research methods understandable to others.

Starship Technologies · Operations Team Lead · January 2024–August 2025
I monitored robotic delivery systems and helped troubleshoot operational and software issues to support system reliability. I also coordinated responses to operational failures, including escalation and resolution procedures. This experience offered a practical view of autonomous technology outside the research environment: systems have to keep working, faults need to be understood quickly, and teams need clear information to act on them.

MariCybERA · Research Assistant · April 2023–May 2024
Through this EU Horizon 2020 project, I worked on cybersecurity threat modeling and risk assessment for IT and OT systems, contributed to academic publications, and presented at international workshops. It was an important step in developing my research practice, from reviewing the literature to applying assessment frameworks and communicating results.

Zodiac Maritime Limited · Deck Cadet & Third Officer · March 2020–June 2022
Earlier in my career, I worked with onboard IT and navigation systems supporting operations and safety, and assisted with infrastructure upgrades across navigation and cargo systems. That experience remains part of my perspective on cybersecurity: a technical issue can have consequences beyond a screen, especially when digital systems support physical operations.

Publications, collaboration, and academic service

My research has appeared in Computers & Security, Ocean Engineering, and the International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, as well as the IEEE International Conference on Cyber Security and Resilience (CSR). Across these publications, I have examined systematic approaches to threat modeling and risk assessment, the integration of cyber threat intelligence through PASTA and MISP, vulnerabilities in operational systems, and the use of digital tabletop exercises.

In November and December 2025, I was a visiting researcher at Masaryk University, working on a digital tabletop exercise in cybersecurity. This work contributed to the design and exploratory evaluation of an exercise for maritime cybersecurity, published in Computers & Security in 2026. It also broadened my interest in how exercises can help people explore cyber incidents, discuss decisions, and connect technical scenarios with organisational responses.

Research is a collaborative process, and I value the work involved in reviewing, questioning, and improving it. My academic service includes membership of the IEEE CSR Technical Program Committee in 2025–2026 and reviewing for the International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Reliability Engineering & System Safety in 2026.

For the full titles, co-authors, and publication details, visit my publications page.

Sharing research and engaging with the community

I see presenting research as a way to test ideas, learn from different perspectives, and make technical work accessible beyond its immediate research group. My speaking activities have included the Cyber-SHIP Lab Symposium at the International Maritime Organization in London in October 2023, OWASP Tallinn's Cybersecurity & AI Vol. 1 in December 2023, and a presentation at Turku University of Applied Sciences in December 2024.

These talks covered threat modeling for autonomous systems and adversarial attacks on AI-enabled ship systems. Although the case studies came from my earlier research setting, they gave me opportunities to discuss broader cybersecurity questions: how to describe an attack scenario, how to communicate its consequences, and how to assess the security of systems that rely on automated decisions.

I also participated in the White Team at Locked Shields 2023, organised by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, and attended BSides Tallinn events in 2022 and 2023. Experiences such as these complement academic work by bringing researchers and practitioners into conversations about how security challenges are understood and handled.

Technical interests and working methods

My technical foundation includes threat modeling, risk assessment, network security, and penetration testing, with particular interests in IT/OT security and cyber-physical systems. My toolkit includes Wireshark, Nmap, tcpdump, Suricata, OWASP ZAP, Metasploit, and MISP. I use Python and MATLAB, and work across Linux, Windows, and macOS.

My AI and machine-learning interests include adversarial machine learning, anomaly detection, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) for language-model systems. Across these areas, I want to keep building the connection between careful research and practical security analysis: understanding what a tool reveals, where its limitations lie, and how its findings can inform the next decision.

Beyond cybersecurity

Outside my research, music, film, books, and powerlifting are important parts of my life. Playing the piano gives me a different kind of focus, and I am particularly drawn to classical music and film soundtracks. I enjoy analysing films and writing about them, as well as spending time with books that invite a deeper consideration of an idea.

Powerlifting and piano both reward patience, consistency, and attention to detail. They provide a balance to my technical work while keeping me connected to interests that are personal rather than professional. One of my ambitions is to perform film soundtracks in concert.

If you would like to discuss research, exchange ideas, or explore a collaboration, you can find my professional profiles and contact information on the contact page.

September 2024–present · PhD in Information Technology
Tallinn University of Technology, School of Information Technologies · Tallinn, Estonia
Doctoral research in cybersecurity, threat modeling, risk assessment, and AI-related security.

November–December 2025 · Visiting Researcher
Masaryk University · Czech Republic
Research on a digital tabletop exercise in cybersecurity.

September 2022–June 2024 · MSc in Cybersecurity
Joint programme of Tallinn University of Technology and the University of Tartu · Estonia
Completed with a full academic scholarship.

September 2016–January 2022 · BSc in Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering
Istanbul Technical University · Istanbul, Türkiye

Recognition and languages

In addition to my master's scholarship, I led the Estonian Baltic Team on a 5G project in the Seeds for the Future 2022 programme. In 2021, I received second place in the Maritime Ideas Beyond the Age Ideathon, organised by the Turkish Ministry of Transport.

I speak Turkish natively, English fluently, and have a basic knowledge of Estonian.

A fuller record of my experience, skills, and activities is available in my curriculum vitae.