Research

Cryptography is the basis of modern security systems. It provides the basic building blocks that enable secure surfing on the internet, email encryption and crypto-currencies. The HGI has one of the world's leading teams in the field of modern cryptography, dealing for example with highly efficient cyphers for the Internet of Things or post-quantum encryption.

Researchers at HGI develop reliable security solutions to detect and prevent attacks on IT systems. The topics range from secure web applications to the detection of software vulnerabilities and new security protocols. Machine Learning (ML) plays an increasingly important role in this context. We are researching, for example, the robustness of ML algorithms and attacks against such systems.

An essential aspect of IT security concerns the embedding of computer systems in their physical environment. The internationally renowned team at HGI is investigating, for example, how hardware manipulation or the reading of cryptographic keys from smart cards and smartphones can be prevented. It is also concerned with securing new types of applications, for example in electromobility or self-driving cars.

Human (mis)behaviour is a key consideration in protecting IT systems. This has, however, received surprisingly little attention in research to date. Working in an environment that cultivates interdisciplinary approaches, researchers at the HGI are charting and developing a pioneering scientific focus on the secure interplay between human beings and technology. Among other aspects, they are working on new password concepts, the secureness of CAPTCHAs and recognizing "fakes" amongst online reviews.

It is becoming increasingly clear that IT security raises a significant number of legal, linguistic, psychological, sociological and economic questions. That is why at the HGI, researchers from technological and engineering fields and mathematics collaborate closely with researchers from law, linguistics, psychology, educational sciences and philosophy, as well as sociology and economics. These teams conduct joint research, for example, on societal changes in the wake of Edward Snowden's revelations and hackers' learning habits.