RESEARCH DIVISION

// APPLIED RESEARCH // THREAT ANALYSIS // REGIONAL DEFENSE

The Illinois Cyber Foundation's dedicated research arm. We forge raw data into hardened intelligence, focusing on the risks and vulnerabilities impacting the Midwest's critical systems and infrastructure.

04

CVEs Disclosed

03

Active Focus Areas

22+

Field Contributors

100%

Community Funded

CAPABILITY REQUIRES RESOURCES. PARTNER WITH GROUP 1818.

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Regional Telemetry

// AGGREGATED SIGNAL VOLUME // INFRASTRUCTURE MONITORING

Infrastructure Sector Live Activity (72hr) Threat Variance Condition
Municipal Gov
+124% CRITICAL
Manufacturing (ICS)
+12% HIGH
Education (K-12)
+45% SPIKING
Healthcare
+2% ELEVATED
Agriculture
-8% NORMAL

Active Operations

// CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS // FIELD OPS

ALPR / Vehicle Tracking Research

Analyzing the ethical implications and potential for systemic misuse of automated vehicle tracking technologies in urban environments.

LAST_REF: 2025.12.18
Phase: Active Testing (65%)
In Progress

Project V.I.P.E.R

Securing the continuity of signals through a deep-field analysis of existing dissemination pathways within assigned radio frequency spectrums.

LAST_REF: 2025.12.10
Phase: Data Collection (40%)
Active Lab

Open-Source SIGINT/Detection Framework

A custom appliance that sanitizes the local airspace by intercepting Remote ID telemetry, converting unmapped aerial and wireless threats into actionable tactical data.

LAST_REF: 2025.11.28
Phase: Peer Review (90%)
Finalizing

Research Focus Areas

// CORE DISCIPLINES // OPERATIONAL VECTORS

Tradecraft Analysis

See a novel or interesting TTP used by a threat actor? Shoot us a note or join our community!

Software & Supply Chain Vulns

Investigating trust weaknesses and software bill of materials (SBOM) risks within the local supply chain.

RF Research

Exploring security protocols in cellular (5G/LTE), LoRaWAN, UHF/VHF, and satellite communications.

Regional Risk Foresight

Risk sharing specific to the Central Illinois business landscape.

Physical Security

Researching the intersection of electronic and hands-on where physical breaches lead to digital compromise.

Risk Simulation

Tabletop exercises teaching under-resourced organizations to understand threat actor tactics, make decisions under pressure, and prioritize security with limited budgets.

Group 1818 Comms Channel

// ENCRYPTED CHANNEL // REAL-TIME THREAT SHARING

[TLP:CLEAR] [TLP:CLEAR]

Standard Operating Procedures

// DISCLOSURE PROTOCOLS // VENDOR ETHICS

Our mission is defense, not destruction. Group 1818 adheres to a strict Responsible Disclosure standard. We hold every vendor to this same rigorous standard.

REF: G1818-OPS-04 SUB: DISCLOSURE_PROTOCOL REV: 2025.1
01 // DETECT

Vulnerabilities identified through hands-on testing, technical exploration, and real-world investigation.

[ ACTIVE ]
02 // VERIFY

Rigorous internal lab testing to confirm the exploitability and impact of the finding.

[ REQUIRED ]
03 // COORD

Private outreach to the entity to establish a remediation timeline and fix validation.

[ PRIVATE ]
04 // DISCLOSE

Public disclosure post-patch or at 90 days, whichever comes first. No exceptions.

[ PUBLIC ]

SUBMIT INTELLIGENCE

Do you have data relevant to regional defense or a vulnerability disclosure? Use our secure channels.

INITIATE CONTACT

Closed Investigations

// ARCHIVED CASE FILES // PUBLIC DOMAIN

Operational Research December 30, 2025

Silence on the Wire: The Hidden Risks of Agentic AI Adoption in the Illinois Heartland

Artificial Intelligence - Agentic AI

Mitigating Unauthorized Function Execution and Supply Chain Fragility in Critical Sectors

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Threat Intelligence November 20, 2025

The Silent Siege: Illinois Industrial & Agrarian Risk Landscape

OT/IoT Threat Analysis

Longitudinal Analysis of OT/IoT Vulnerabilities and Cybersecurity Threats to Illinois Agriculture and Manufacturing (2015-2025)

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