Symbolic picture, Colourbox.
Post-quantum cryptography: Experts predict that sometime between 2033 and 2045, powerful quantum computers will emerge that are capable of jeopardising our current public-key systems, which form the basis for the security of various network and application protocols. As part of the new Distinguished Lecture Series "Digital Security and Everyday Life", the Chair of Computer Engineering at the University of Passau has invited Professor Bart Preenel from KU Leuven (Belgium). He showed what consequences this has for cybersecurity and what precautions need to be taken. The lecture series is an initiative of the Bavarian research consortium ForDaySec - Sicherheit in der Alltagsdigitalisierung.
Video of the first lecture in the series:
Playing the video will send your IP address to an external server.
In the new Distinguished Lecture Series "Digital Security and Everyday Life", current topics on the secure digitalisation of everyday life are presented four times a year by renowned scientists. The Bavarian research network ForDaySec invites you to the lecture series at the university locations of the participating universities and via livestream on YouTube. Passau kicked things off with Professor Bart Preneel, who joined the event live. Bart Preneel is a professor at KU Leuven, where he heads the renowned COSIC research unit. He researches and teaches cryptography, cyber security and data protection.
Preneel made it clear that it is important to recognise the urgency now, even if the scenario of powerful quantum computers may seem like a distant concern given the daily onslaught of cybersecurity threats: for one thing, sensitive data, including medical and financial information, may retain its importance for several decades. Attackers can already collect and store this data today, so that they can subject them to the decryption capabilities of future quantum computers. Secondly, transitioning to a quantum-resistant infrastructure is a complicated and time-consuming process, especially in complex ecosystems with several billion devices. It is estimated that this will take at least a decade.
Against this background, it is important that companies monitor and check their cryptographic management, emphasised Professor Preneel. In his presentation, he gave a technical update on the new post-quantum standards and their implementation, and also addressed the challenges of the migration process.
About the ForDaySec research consortium for security in everyday digitalisation:
Under the coordination of the University of Passau, the interdisciplinary research consortium ForDaySec – Sicherheit in der Alltagsdigitalisierung carries out research researching on new technological methods to ensure cybersecurity for private households, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as public administration. The Bavarian Ministry of Science and the Arts is funding the consortium with 3.3 million euros over a four-year term.
The next lecture in the series will be held on 16 April 2024 at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen Nuremberg and will be streamed online. Ruth Østgaard Skotnes and Kenneth Arne Pettersen Gould of the University of Stavanger will speak on "Cyber-physical challenges for critical infrastructures in smart cities".
Further information can be found on the consortium website.
Professor Stefan Katzenbeisser
How can critical infrastructures in a networked world be protected against cyber attacks?
How can critical infrastructures in a networked world be protected against cyber attacks?
Professor Stefan Katzenbeisser holds the Chair of Computer Engineering at the University of Passau. He conducts research on cyber security in embedded systems, on secure critical infrastructures and on technical data protection. He is spokesperson of the new research cluster "ForDaySec - Security in everyday digitalisation", which is funded by the Bavarian Science Ministry and where researchers from computer science, law and sociology have come together to develop new types of technical procedures to provide security in day-to-day digital life. Besides participating in research projects on secure mobility, he is also involved in the research initiative "6G Research and Innovation Cluster (6G-RIC)" which is coordinated by Fraunhofer HHI and aims to develop mobile telecommunication systems of the sixth generation by pushing back the limits of technology.
