The government malware has just shown impressingly how insecure our IT systems are. Increasing networking, development of intelligent infrastructures, and outsourcing of applications into the internet lead to an increased threat by cyber crime. The Competence Center for Applied IT Security Technology (KASTEL) of KIT will focus on IT security in the future. On October 17, it will be opened officially at 17.30 hrs on KIT Campus South, informatics building 50.34, lecture hall 101. Journalists are cordially invited.
The Competence Center for Applied IT Security Technology of KIT is one of three research centers for cyber security in Germany, which were initiated by the BMBF in spring 2011. KASTEL bundles research competence in the field of IT security in the Karlsruhe Technology Region. It is the objective to turn away from isolated partial solutions and to develop a holistic approach to achieving overall security of applications. During the official opening, the concepts and objectives of KASTEL will be presented. Within the framework of the project, three prototypes will be developed for applications with high security requirements. Among them are secure smart home infrastructures, secure cloud-based collaboration platforms, and surveillance of public space according to data security legislation. Apart from fundamental research, practicable solutions will be implemented, e.g. in the form of a help desk for industry.
In addition to research, KASTEL is aimed at developing a qualification concept to ensure dissemination of research results and technology transfer. Dirk Fox, Director of Secorvo Security Consulting GmbH, will present the concept and speak about the long and extensive cooperation of IT security experts from industry and research in the Karlsruhe Technology Region.
KASTEL will focus on questions like: What does security mean and how can it be developed? Which requirements on security and data protection are associated with applications, in the course of which services are outsourced into the internet?
“It is no longer sufficient to focus on the safety of partial systems, i.e. classical protection by firewalls and encoded connections at the periphery,” explains Professor Müller-Quade, Head of the KIT Institute of Cryptography and Security and one of the initiators of KASTEL. He points out that in addition to classical protection, also threats from inside have to be repelled. Holistic security analysis requires interdisciplinary methods. “For this reason, KASTEL will not only focus on technical, but also on legal and social aspects,” says Müller-Quade.
Apart from KASTEL, two other competence centers will be established in Darmstadt and Saarbrücken. All three centers are of strategic and long-term character and will be funded by the BMBF with a total of EUR 17 million for four years initially. It is the overall objective to strengthen the expertise of German research and industry in the field of cyber security.
The event will be broadcast live on the internet:
www.informatik.kit.edu/webcast
Program
Welcome Addresses
Keynote Lecture
Dr. Gerhard Schabhüser, Head of the Department of Cryptotechnology,
Federal Office for Information Security
KASTEL – Concepts and Objectives
Prof. Dr. Jörn Müller-Quade, KIT
Qualification Concept in KASTEL
Dirk Fox, Secorvo Security Consulting GmbH, Karlsruhe
Musical surprise relating to cryptography
Exhibition of related objects and pictures (room 131)
Buffet (entrance hall, first floor)
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.