EXC 2092:  Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries (CASA)

• Subject Area: Computer Science
• Term: since 2019
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 390781972

The rise of the digital society is based on technological trends such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things. As a result, we are surrounded by a myriad of interconnected digital systems, and upcoming developments such as autonomous cars, crypto currencies and networked medical implants will further affect our lives. With this digital evolution, cyber security has become an increasingly important issue. Over the past years, the nature of the threats has changed dramatically from attacks conducted by rogue individuals to attacks that are increasingly carried out by resource-rich, large-scale adversaries, including nation states. These are particularly threatening adversaries because they are exceptionally determined, very well resourced and extraordinarily capable in terms of their technical expertise. Our current cyber security measures are dangerously ineffective against them, as can be seen from the almost weekly reports about government-sponsored attacks. By focusing on developing effective fundamental countermeasures against these strongest possible adversaries, the results of CaSa will also provide protection against more traditional types of attackers such as cyber criminals with financial motives.To perform cyber security research with a transformational impact on the scientific community and practice, CaSa's agenda will tackle carefully selected research challenges of central importance to protecting against large-scale adversaries, including several high-risk/high-gain research problems in emerging areas. CaSa will work in an interdisciplinary manner, combining technical security researchers with leading scientists in the human aspects of security. The research findings will be evaluated in selected application domains by highly capable transfer partners from manufacturing, logistics and e-health. CaSa's holistic approach is internationally unique and holds the potential for groundbreaking results that will dramatically improve security against large-scale adversaries. Moreover, the cluster will serve as an internationally visible blueprint for security research that combines top-level science, interdisciplinarity and practice.CaSa will be located at the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security, the first cyber security center established in Germany. The institute has extensive experience in internationally leading research, hosts Europe's largest educational security programs, fosters extensive networks in academia and industry and has an outstanding track record with security spin-off companies. CaSa will integrate expertise from across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including computer science, cryptography, electrical engineering, mathematics and applied psychology. The group of PIs may well be the only one in Europe to have such a profile, combined with a long history of collaboration and world-class research accomplishments, including being the only team with three ERC grantees in cyber security.

• DFG Programme: Clusters of Excellence (ExStra)
• Applicant Institution: Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• Participating Institution: Fraunhofer-Institut für Materialfluss und Logistik; Technische Universität München; Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik; Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Informationstechnik
• Participating University: Technische Universität München (TUM); Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik; Technische Universität Braunschweig; Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Spokespersons: Professor Dr. Thorsten Holz, until 9/2021; Professor Dr. Eike Kiltz, since 7/2019; Professor Dr.-Ing. Christof Paar; Professorin Dr. Angela Martina Sasse, since 10/2021
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr.-Ing. Holger Boche; Professor Dr.-Ing. Lucas Davi; Professor Dr. Holger Dette; Professor Dr. Markus Dürmuth; Professor Dr. Sascha Fahl; Professorin Dr. Asja Fischer; Professor Dr.-Ing. Tim Erhan Güneysu; Professor Dr. Martin Johns; Professorin Dr.-Ing. Dorothea Kolossa; Professorin Dr. Tanja Lange; Professor Dr. Gregor Leander; Professor Dr. Alexander May; Professor Dr. Konrad Rieck; Professorin Dr. Nikol Rummel; Professor Dr. Jörg Schwenk; Professor Dr.-Ing. Aydin Sezgin