News
VeraCrypt with minor flaws
Fraunhofer SIT press relase (German):
In der kostenlosen Open-Source-Verschlüsselungssoftware VeraCrypt wurden keine gravierenden Sicherheitslücken gefunden, allerdings gibt es Verbesserungsbedarf bei der Entwicklungspraxis und der Codequalität. Das ist das Ergebnis einer Sicherheitsanalyse der Expertinnen und Experten des Fraunhofer-Instituts für Sichere Informationstechnologie SIT in Darmstadt, die im Auftrag des Bundesamts für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik BSI durchgeführt wurde. Die vollständigen Ergebnisse der Analyse sind in einer Studie zusammengefasst, die von der Webseite des BSI heruntergeladen werden kann: Download der Studie
AI helps to identify illegal cultural goods
Fraunhofer SIT press release (German):
Eine zentrale Herausforderung bei der Bekämpfung des illegalen Handels mit gestohlenen Kulturgütern besteht darin, dass illegal gehandelte Objekte nur schwer zu erkennen sind. Das von der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien geförderte Projekt KIKu – KI für den Kulturgutschutz – hat zum Ziel, die Arbeit der zuständigen Akteure, insbesondere von Zoll und Polizei, zu erleichtern: Hierzu entwickelt das Fraunhofer-Institut für Sichere Informationstechnologie SIT gemeinsam mit der cosee GmbH eine App, die mit Hilfe von Künstlicher Intelligenz automatisiert Hinweise geben kann, ob beispielsweise eine antike Vase oder eine Statue aus einer Raubgrabung stammen könnte oder anders illegal erworben wurde. Das Projekt wurde gestern zahlreichen relevanten Akteuren auf dem Gebiet des Kulturgutschutzes aus Deutschland und der EU vorgestellt, die auf Einladung von Kulturstaatsministerin Monika Grütters zum 7. EU CULTNET-Treffen im Rahmen der deutschen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft zusammengekommen sind.
Data protection-friendly big-data analyses
The analysis of large amounts of data enables numerous improvements - in the fight against climate change as well as in medicine. At the same time, today's big-data analysis possibilities create entirely new risks for people's privacy. If data from different sources is combined in the analysis, it is often possible to combine supposedly anonymous data to create personal profiles, with sometimes unforeseeable consequences for the people concerned. A new study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT therefore shows how big-data technologies can be used without harming the privacy of individuals. The study is aimed at users and developers of big data systems and is available for free download at https://www.sit.fraunhofer.de/reports/
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ATHENE researchers contribute to new BMBF project CYWARN
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) launches its support for consortium project “Strategie- und Technologie-Entwicklung zur medienübergreifenden Erstellung eines Cyber-Lagebilds und akteurspezifischen Kommunikation von Cyber-Warnmeldungen“, CYWARN, from 1 October set to last for 3 years, with 2 million euros. ATHENE researcher Prof Christian Reuter, head of the chair for Science and Technology for Peace and Security (PEASEC), will coordinate the joint between partners in research, development and application.
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APNIC blog discusses the recent proposal of ATHENE researchers to distribute the power of RPKI authorities
Internet infrastructure is still very vulnerable. Security enhancements such as Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) and Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) are based on cryptographic signatures. While private keys should theoretically be held by the owners of domains and Internet name resources, they are outsourced to centralised authorities in practice. This bearsconsiderable security risks.
In his post, ATHENE researcher Kris Shrishak, TU Darmstadt, proposes a change to RPKI that will strengthen the threat model and prevent unilateral takedown of IP prefixes by Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).
How secure is Machine Learning?
The value of security and privacy in machine learning approaches has been investigated by researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC, the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT, the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE and the Freie Universität Berlin in a joined study. Participants who work professionally or personally with machine learning approaches are still needed for the research project.
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Counter-espionage solution for eavesdropping devices Alexa & Co.
Together with partners from the U.S. and France, an ATHENE research team with members from the TU Darmstadt has developed a device that can detect Smart Home devices that stream audio recordings on the Internet without permission via language assistance.
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Colour barcode in its way to becoming ISO standardised
The JAB Code, developed by ATHENE researchers at the Fraunhofer SIT, is on its way to becoming ISO standardised internationally. JAB Code – Just Another Bar Code – is meant to be ISO-standard by 2022. Thanks to the globally unified regulations for data formats and their applied usage, device manufacturers as well as operator businesses will receive planning security for innovative inventions – an important prerequisite for a successful distribution of the JAB Code in the industry.
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Study on Risk Cultures and Social Media Use in Emergencies
The members of the research group “PEASEC – Science and Technology for Peace and Security” lead by ATHENE researcher Prof Christian Reuter at the TU Darmstadt have published a European study with the topic: “The impact of risk cultures: Citizens’ perception of social media use in emergencies across Europe”. The study was conducted in cooperation with the University of Siegen and the Tavistock Institute (London) and had initially been published in the journal Technological Forecasting and Social Change. Now, it has also been published as an article by the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance.
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Security check for the Corona App
Within this context, researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT and the Technische Universität Darmstadt have been collaborating on the analysis of data security and IT security related features during the app development process by SAP and Telekom
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