© Ann-Kathrin Braun

"I am proud of the great, internationally apparent results, that CROSSING researchers have achieved in the recent years. They contribute a significant part in making the digital world safer and securing our privacy. We are thankful that the DFG enables us to continue this successful collaboration for four further years - with several new accents ", says Professor Johannes Buchmann, spokesperson of SFB CROSSING.

CROSSING researches cryptography based security solutions for a long-term trustworthy digital future, in which attacks are getting more powerful, especially considering high-performing quantum computers. The highlight of the first phase were among others the development of new, against quantum attacks resistant encrypting and electronic signature processes that are evaluated as international standard and the highly innovative crypto-assistant CogniCrypt. As of late CogniCrypt is part of the international greatest software developing platform Eclipse and is supported by the Bundesamt für die Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) . The user friendly assistant will support software developers to prevent the often catastrophic misuse of cryptography, like the recent Efail - weak point in email encoding demonstrate. New accents of the second phase are the securing of billions of interconnected gadgets in the  Internet of Things (IoT) and the security of crypto currencies. CROSSING is uniquely interdisciplinary. More then 65 researchers from area such as crypthograpy, system security, quantum physics, theory of information, theory of numbers, supercomputing and software engineering are working together at CROSSING.

 TU Darmstadt's SFB CROSSING cooperates with the University of Duisburg-Essen, the University of Paderbornas well as the Fraunhofer-Institut for Security and Privacy in the Digital (SIT) in Darmstadt.

As a special research area CROSSING is supported by DFG since 2014. The program is designed  for up to 12 years. DFG supports with its program of special research areas long-term funded research facilities of universities, where researchers multidisciplinary work together. The projects have to be of high scientific quality and authenticity on an internationally competitive level. The funding enables universities to realize innovative and ambitious research projects on a international scale. Special research areas consists of multiple subprojects with differing thematic focuses that closely work together.

Further information on CROSSING