Workshop on Ontology-Driven Cybersecurity for a holistic approach
WONTOSEC 2026 aims to bring together researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of cybersecurity, ontology engineering, and intelligent infrastructures to discuss how formal knowledge models can enhance the understanding, representation, and management of complex cyber risks in critical infrastructures — particularly in the context of 5G, Edge, and Cloud environments.
The workshop stems from the activities of the ERACLITO project, part of the SERICS (Security and Rights in the Cyberspace) national framework funded by the Italian PNRR. Within this context, several partners — including Fondazione Ugo Bordoni (FUB); Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies; Leonardo, Divisione Cyber & Security Solutions; Scuola IMT Alti Studi Lucca; and Università di Genova — are collaborating to develop an ontological metamodel for cybersecurity in ICT infrastructures. This model integrates knowledge about threats, vulnerabilities, countermeasures, and security controls, linking conceptual and operational dimensions to support risk analysis, security assurance, and regulatory compliance in complex systems. In addition to the technological and semantic dimensions, the workshop also explores risk management related to the protection of fundamental rights. Under the contribution of Prof. Giovanni Comandè (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies), WONTOSEC 2026 will address how technological systems can impact individual and collective rights, examining different types of risks, harms, and damages that may arise for various actors in the digital ecosystem. This perspective is essential for developing responsible, human-centric cybersecurity ontologies that integrate ethical, legal, and societal implications into technical modeling and assurance frameworks.
The workshop’s goal is to open this discussion to the broader ITASEC community, fostering exchange between ontology modelers, cybersecurity researchers, and policy/legal experts. By blending theoretical foundations with applied demonstrations, WONTOSEC 2026 seeks to highlight how semantic interoperability and formal representations can enable transparent, explainable, and harmonized cybersecurity practices across European infrastructures.
Ontologies, taxonomies, and knowledge graphs for cybersecurity and risk management Knowledge extraction, semantic enrichment, and ontology population from cybersecurity data Interoperability between threat and vulnerability models (e.g., CAPEC, ATT&CK, CVE, ENISA, ISO 27005) Formal concept analysis and logical frameworks for threat classification and reasoning Ontology-based situational awareness and monitoring for 5G / Edge infrastructures Semantic alignment of cybersecurity standards and regulations in the EU context Use cases from ERACLITO / SERICS on security assurance and ontological modeling Ethical, legal, and governance aspects of semantic cybersecurity frameworks Risk management of fundamental rights and legal implications of cybersecurity systems Assessment of technological impacts, harms, and damages on individuals, organizations, and institutions
Workshop Chairs:
15min – Welcome & Introduction: Overview of SERICS and ERACLITO context
30min – Keynote: A Unified Ontology for Modeling the Security of 5G services and infrastructures (Mario Lezoche, FUB - Université de Lorraine)
2h – Project Results Presentations: 5 presentations (15 min + 5 min Q&A)
Fabrizio Barberis (UniGe) “Research security and Integrity in Italy: Risk Perception and a National Model”
Francesco D’Alterio (FUB): “A Dataset for 5G Vulnerabilities”
Federica Casarosa & Giovanni Comandé: “Legal Framework and Alignment with EU and International Law”
Stefano Solari (Leonardo): “Assessing Cybersecurity Risk in Complex Scenarios”
Nicolò Maunero (IMT): “Ontology Driven Automation for Cybersecurity Risk Management”
45min – Round Table: “Towards a Semantic Approach for Cybersecurity for Europe: Interoperability, Automation, and Shared Knowledge”
Chair: Federica Casarosa (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies)
Speakers: TBA
15min – Conclusions: Wrap-up and perspectives for collaboration