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.
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: https://fordaysec.de.
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 recorded stream is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtBMT0KwpNw.