Comillas, a key player in the development of EVE, a new cyber-protection algorithm

Comillas Pontifical University has played a key role in the development of a predictive algorithm that approaches cybersecurity not only as a technical challenge, but also as a deeply human phenomenon. This pioneering software "predicts the vulnerability of the human factor to a cyberattack, based on various psychological variables", says Lucía Halty, director of the Chair in Innovation and Digital Mental Health at the university, who adds that "although technology manages to stop between 90% and 99% of these attacks, the small percentage that manages to pass the technical barriers is often enough to endanger not only organisations, but also the weakest link in the chain: the human being".

The EVE (Emotions and Vulnerabilities Exposed and Protected) algorithm is integrated into a neurosecurity platform and has been developed from a new approach combining neuroscience, technology and psychology. It is an artificial intelligence that learns from our emotions to protect us from digital attacks, and predicts whether or not we will fall prey to a cyberattack, based on our personality traits. The developers note that EVE analyses how we make decisions under pressure, how our attention changes with fatigue or stress, and how fear or curiosity influences a click.

EVE measures three internal compasses. One is the Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS), which is the fear reaction to possible punishment and these users are more vulnerable to messages such as "if you don't act now, you lose something". The second is the Behavioural Activation System (BAS), which is associated with impulsivity and reward-seeking ("win a prize","take advantage of the offer"). The last one is the Need for Cognition (NC), which measures the tendency to enjoy complex thinking: it is found in people who tend to analyse more and are victims of mailings that appeal to intellectual curiosity ("discover more","read this exclusive report").

In addition to Comillas, three companies -TechHeroX, Ticsmart and Softcom, and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, have cooperated in the development of EVE, which will be available to companies for the prevention of cyber-attacks from 2026. This initiative has been co-financed by the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE), an entity under the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, through the European Union-NextGenerationEU funds, Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, within INCIBE's Innovative Public Procurement programme.