About the project
The C²PANDA Competence Center (Competence Center for Packet Acquisition and Network Data Analysis) addresses key research questions in network forensics and IT security within modern, highly dynamic IT infrastructures. The focus is on current and future challenges in high-speed networks, virtualized environments, and programmable network topologies, such as those found in particular in cloud and data center infrastructures. The scalable and modular research environment enables the systematic investigation of methods for lossless capture, high-performance analysis, and forensic evaluation of network data in complex and dynamic system contexts.
A particular focus is on the analysis of security mechanisms and forensic methods under conditions of very high data rates. Against this backdrop, a test environment unique in Germany is being developed at Fachhochschule Dortmund that can simulate transmission speeds of up to 800 Gbit/s, thereby enabling the study of packet loss, network anomalies, and attack patterns in high-performance infrastructures under realistic conditions. Furthermore, by integrally linking physical hardware with virtualized infrastructures and software-defined networks, even transient, dynamic, and distributed system states can be scientifically investigated.
As part of C²PANDA, novel approaches to network monitoring, attack detection, and digital forensics are being developed and evaluated in collaboration with external partners. At the same time, the center of excellence is establishing a long-term infrastructure for research, development, and scientific training. The methods and tools developed in the project will be made available as open-source solutions, thereby supporting their transfer into practical application.
