Bastazo, a cybersecurity startup founded by researchers from the U of A and University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has introduced a new artificial-intelligence-driven platform designed to help critical infrastructure operators more efficiently identify and resolve cybersecurity issues. The updated Bastazo platform not only identifies risks but also recommends solutions and integrates them directly into existing work management systems.

The platform uses machine learning and data from national security sources — including the National Institute of Standards and Technology's National Vulnerability Database and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog — to deliver timely, targeted insights for sectors such as energy, water and industrial operations. It is specifically designed to meet the unique and complex needs of operational technology environments.

Bastazo, a Greek word meaning to carry the burden, was founded in 2020 by Philip Huff, assistant professor of computer science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and three U of A faculty members: Alan Mantooth, Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering; Jia Di, professor and head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and Qinghua Li, professor of computer science.

It began as a project in the Cybersecurity Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS). SEEDS was created in 2015 as a member-driven cooperative research center, which was made possible by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and matching funds from research partners.