Projects

FERN-KOMPASS
Transfer and qualification project for strengthening IT security in Germany's Mittelstand — secure, open remote maintenance for technical service.
Start: 04/2026
End: 03/2029

Small and medium-sized enterprises are disproportionately affected by cyberattacks. The technical service in mechanical and plant engineering in particular depends on remote access that is simultaneously one of the most popular targets for attackers.

FERN-KOMPASS enables SMEs to select, introduce, and operate a secure remote maintenance solution independently of any specific vendor. The project delivers three central results: a practical requirements checklist for procurement and evaluation, a secure open-source reference solution (“ready-to-use”), and qualification and transfer formats for the target group. In the long term, the consortium also prepares a DIN SPEC “Secure remote maintenance in technical service.”

Requirements checklist: Vendor-neutral, verifiable criteria that SMEs can use to procure, evaluate, and tender for remote maintenance solutions.

Open-source reference solution: A ready-to-use, adaptable remote maintenance solution whose IT security is guaranteed without additional configuration. The code and documentation are published for free public use; in parallel, architecture trade-offs and minimum hardware and software requirements are produced.

Qualification and transfer formats: A modular training kit (on-site and online) with training materials, videos, and hands-on exercises, building practical competence in secure remote maintenance from beginner to administrator level. It includes the guide "Secure OT remote maintenance for SMEs" and didactic concepts for training and information formats.

Security audit report: An audit report on the reference solution with a documented vulnerability analysis and prioritised recommendations, which independently verifies and demonstrates compliance with the defined security requirements.

Standardisation (DIN SPEC): First draft of a DIN SPEC "Secure remote maintenance in technical service" — research into comparable standards, engagement with DIN, and development of a draft as a sustainable anchor beyond the project's runtime.

Role of the FZI
The FZI is responsible for the technical implementation and is the consortium's point of contact for IT security. It leads the work packages on technical implementation and documentation, on training programmes and on security investigations and supports the remaining work packages in an advisory capacity.

Contact person
Staff
Division: Cybersecurity and Law
Headquarters Karlsruhe

Research focus
Security and Resilience

Security and resilience for the digital future: Our research strengthens the cybersecurity, safety, and data protection of businesses and governments.

Funding notice:
The FERN-KOMPASS project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) under the “Mittelstand-Digital” funding priority — “IT Security in Business” funding initiative, announcement of 15 September 2022. The project management agency is the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

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