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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New at ATHENE: Prof. Gerd Griepentrog
Prof. Gerd Griepentrog has also been involved in ATHENE research since the beginning of the year. He is Head of the Department of Power Electronics and Drive Control at the TU Darmstadt, where he specialises in the interaction of power electronic converters with the electrical grid and the control of electrical machines. Together with his colleagues Prof. Florian Steinke and Prof. Björn Scheuermann, he is analysing the security of power converters in the new ATHENE project 'TrustedPowerCon', with the aim of developing improved protection mechanisms to ensure the resilience of the grid against cyber threats. We spoke to Professor Griepentrog about his research.
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New at ATHENE: Prof. Florian Steinke
Prof Florian Steinke is head of the Department of Energy Information Networks and Systems at TU Darmstadt. His research focuses on the applying algorithms and tools from machine learning, optimization, and control to energy management. He has also been involved in the ATHENE project since the beginning of 2025. In this interview, he talks about his (ATHENE) research and what he particularly appreciates about his work.
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New professorship for ATHENE scientist Naser Damer at TU Darmstadt
On 1 January 2025, Professor Dr Naser Damer took up the newly created chair of 'Biometrics, Human Analysis and Behaviour Understanding (BHABU)' at Darmstadt Technical University. He will focus on the important question of how biometrics can improve the usability of digital applications while enhancing IT security. Naser Damer has been a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics IGD for many years; the professorship is a joint appointment between TU Darmstadt and Fraunhofer IGD.
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IT security in outpatient care: ATHENE researchers launch study on the security of digital care documentation systems
With over 15,000 outpatient care services in Germany, more than half of which are privately owned, an immense amount of sensitive health data is processed digitally every day. The care services work with different software systems. And these must not only be efficient, but above all secure - an aspect that deserves particular attention in view of the increasing cyber threats in the healthcare sector. In order to test how secure the various care documentation systems are, ATHENE researchers at Fraunhofer SIT are launching a comprehensive study on the security of digital care documentation systems on behalf of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
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New Edition: Standard Reference Work on IT in Peace and Security Research Released
Rapid technological developments in information technology and artificial intelligence are increasingly shaping the international peace and security architecture. The newly published standard work 'Information Technology for Peace and Security' provides a comprehensive analysis of these developments. The second edition, edited by ATHENE researcher Prof. Christian Reuter and his research team at the Technical University of Darmstadt, has been thoroughly revised and expanded. It examines the role of modern technologies - especially information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) - in current conflicts, such as the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the Israeli-Hamas conflict. Special attention is given to the growing importance of ICT infrastructures and social media in crisis areas.
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New center for applied cyber security research in Heilbronn
On 1 January 2025, Fraunhofer, in cooperation with the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, will open a total of eight research and innovation centers on the Heilbronn education campus. Among them is the Fraunhofer SIT and thus also ATHENE: We are responsible for the new Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Center for Cybersecurity as one of the eight new research and innovation centers and as a new research department within Fraunhofer SIT.
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ATHENE researchers support Hessian LKA with new biometric methods
The digital revolution is constantly presenting law enforcement agencies with new challenges - especially in the sensitive area of combating child pornography. A research team led by ATHENE scientist Prof. Christian Rathgeb from Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences has now achieved a major breakthrough: innovative artificial intelligence methods have significantly improved the reliability of biometric facial recognition in children. This development represents an important milestone for the forensic work of the Hessisches Landeskriminalamt (HLKA). The preparatory work for the project was carried out in the ATHENE research area Next Generation Biometrics Systems (NGBS).
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FIfF-Weizenbaum Study Prize 2024 for ATHENE team
The "PEASEC" research group at TU Darmstadt, led by ATHENE researcher Prof. Christian Reuter, has been awarded the Weizenbaum Study Prize 2024 twice: Both Dr Thea Riebe and Dr Thomas Reinhold were awarded 1st prize for their dissertations completed in 2022 and 2023 respectively, both of which were supervised by Prof. Christian Reuter.
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Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser visits ATHENE
Together with the Hessian Science Minister Timon Gremmels, the Hessian Digital Minister Prof. Dr Kristina Sinemus and BSI President Claudia Plattner, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser visited our centre. The guests gained insights into how the innovative research at ATHENE is helping to improve cyber security in Germany and make the country a leader in this field.
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