News
Accepted papers at Eurocrypt 2025
At this year's Annual International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques, Eurocrypt for short - an important conference in the field of cryptography - two papers were accepted with the participation of ATHENE researchers.
The first paper presents new methods for improving authenticated encryption schemes. These methods protect both the confidentiality and the authenticity of data. The second paper introduces a new security model. This can process input from multiple sources simultaneously - an important capability that is lacking in the current Key Derivation Functions (KDFs). KDFs are currently considered the standard for secure Internet communications.
Security Vulnerabilities uncovered in Hospital Information Systems
In a study commissioned by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), ATHENE researchers at Fraunhofer SIT identified significant security vulnerabilities in widely used hospital information systems (HIS). The vulnerabilities were found in the areas of data transmission, access management, and the distribution of software updates, and could have serious consequences for clinical care if successfully exploited.
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ATHENE researchers analyse Apple's Emergency SOS
ATHENE researchers, in collaboration with the Hasso Plattner Institute, have conducted the first comprehensive security analysis of Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite service. Despite the multi-layered encryption architecture, the analysis revealed significant security vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to circumvent geographical restrictions and send unauthorised messages.
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Data protection-compliant and intuitive management of patient data
As part of the ATHENE project MeDiTwin, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institutes IGD and SIT are jointly developing innovative solutions for the secure and decentralized storage of medical data in strict compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The medical digital twins designed by researchers enable fine-grained access control using attribute-based encryption and represent an alternative to centralized cloud storage solutions.
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ATHENE-Paper accepted at the NDSS Symposium
ATHENE researchers, led by Prof Matthias Hollick's team, have conducted a comprehensive security analysis of Apple's satellite protocol and uncovered several vulnerabilities. Their findings are summarised in their paper 'Starshields for iOS: Navigating the Security Cosmos in Satellite Communication'. In a few days, they will present it at the prestigious Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium 2025.
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