IT security conference at the BMBF with contribution by Prof. Petra Haferkorn

17.-19.03.2025 IT-Sicherheitskonferenz beim BMBF mit Prof. Dr. Petra Haferkorn H-BRS

From 17-19 March 2025, the IT Security Conference was held for the third time in Berlin at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The organisers created a productive working atmosphere that encouraged exchange between scientists from different disciplines. The topics covered were diverse and ranged from the question of the connection between democracy and security to technical presentations, for example on post-quantum cryptography.

Prof Dr Petra Haferkorn from H-BRS was invited to take part as an expert in the panel discussion ‘Cyber security at scientific institutions - making our scientific system resilient and secure’. The discussion centred on the fact that many scientific institutions have repeatedly fallen victim to far-reaching cyberattacks in the recent past.

17-19 March 2025 Prof. Dr Petra Haferkorn (H-BRS) as guest speaker at the IT Security Conference at the BMBF

The session provided information on the particular challenges and security risks faced by the IT infrastructures of academic institutions. The IT security incident at HAW Hamburg served as an example, forcing the university to implement an analogue enrolment process and resulting in challenging risk communication with the administration, students and the public.

The discussion also shed light on how threats can be countered. Haferkorn argued that technical security measures and staff training are not enough; organisational precautions must also be taken. This area is still unexplored in IT security and urgently needs to be systematically analysed.