CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
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CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
@cispa.de
The CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security is a German national Big Science Institution within the Helmholtz Association. We research information security in all its facets.
https://cispa.de/en/data-privacy-policy-social-media#Netiquette
Congratulations to Dr. Lucjan Hanzlik! The cryptography expert has successfully completed the tenure track at CISPA and is now a tenured senior scientist. You can find a short interview with him on our website. cispa.de/en/hanzlik-t...
CISPA-Faculty Dr. Lucjan Hanzlik successfully completes tenure track
CISPA cryptography expert Hanzlik has successfully completed the tenure track phase.
cispa.de
November 12, 2025 at 10:03 AM
🚀 Behind the Scenes of the European Hackathon Championship. We spoke with CISPA-Faculty Dr. Franziska Boenisch and Dr. Adam Dziedzic, the minds behind this initiative, about how the championship came to life and its connection to their research.
Read the interview here: cispa.de/en/interview...
Behind the Scenes of the European Hackathon Championship: A Conversation with the Initiators
CISPA-Faculty Dr. Franziska Boenisch and Dr. Adam Dziedzic explain the concept behind the CISPA European Cybersecurity & AI Hackathon Championship.
cispa.de
November 10, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Congratulations to our CEO and Founding Director Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael Backes, who received the “TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professorship” from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) last night! Read more at cispa.de/en/backes-di...
CISPA-Director Professor Michael Backes receives TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professorship
On November 6, 2025, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) honored CISPA-Director Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael Backes as “TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professor”. With this honorary title, TUM recog...
cispa.de
November 7, 2025 at 10:30 AM
🎉 5 Years of the CISPA Cysec Lab – Making Cybersecurity Tangible!
🚀 Yesterday, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the CISPA Cysec Lab under the motto “Cookies, Code & Confetti – Experiencing 5 Years of Cybersecurity.”
➡️ Find more infos here: cispa.de/en/5-years-c...
November 4, 2025 at 4:40 PM
🚀 CISPA European Cybersecurity & AI Hackathon, Vienna | Dec 13–14, 2025. Collaborate with Europe’s top minds, tackle cutting-edge challenges & explore the future of AI & cybersecurity. Sign up now: cispa.de/en/cispa-hac...
#CISPA #Hackathon #Cybersecurity #AI
November 3, 2025 at 11:33 AM
After ten formative years, Wiestler is stepping down as President of @helmholtz.de.
From the very beginning, Mr. Wiestler has been an important companion on our journey. His trust and support have meant an incredible amount for the development of our center.
We wish you all the best.
October 31, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
ELSA is growing: Fifteen exciting members joined our network!
Find out who on our website: elsa-ai.eu/elsa-welcome...

Welcome to ELSA.🤝
#ELSAAI @ellis.eu
September 29, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Research Insights 👀: How do blind and low-vision users manage passwords? 🔐

A study by CISPA reseracher Alexander Ponticello finds:
• Password managers are widely used
• Barriers still persist
• Inclusion must guide security design

More info: cispa.de/en/accessibi...
How Blind and Low-Vision Users Manage Their Passwords
A new qualitative study by CISPA researcher Alexander Ponticello highlights the community's practices and challenges.
cispa.de
October 23, 2025 at 8:38 AM
30 New PhD Students Join During This Fall’s Kickoff Days


We are dedicated to creating an inspiring environment where early career researchers can grow, connect and pursue their academic and professional goals. Twice a year, our PhD Kickoff Days give PhD students the perfect start to their journey.
October 22, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Last chance to join the CISPA Hackathon in Paris (Nov 22–23)! 🚀
Open to Bachelor’s, Master’s & PhD students.
Two days of AI & cybersecurity challenges—top teams advance to the Grand Finale in Germany.

🕓 Apply by Oct 31 → cispa.de/en/cispa-hackathon-championship
October 17, 2025 at 7:30 AM
We are delighted to share that we have recently signed Memoranda of Understanding with both the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS)! Read more here: cispa.de/en/uct-wits
CISPA signs Memoranda of Understanding with UCT and WITS
CISPA has recently signed Memoranda of Understanding with both the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS). After joining the Africa Charter in January 2025, CISPA...
cispa.de
October 15, 2025 at 1:17 PM
We’re excited to welcome Dr. Jonas Hielscher as a Tenure-Track Faculty! 🔐 He is passionate about making IT security in organizations practical and usable—finding answers both in research and in practice. Learn more about Jonas here 👉: cispa.de/en/hielscher...
Our New Faculty: Dr. Jonas Hielscher, Expert for Cybersecurity in Organizations
Dr. Jonas Hielscher’s mission is to study the human factor in cybersecurity and privacy protection, focussing on cybersecurity in organizations. In early summer, he became a tenure-track Faculty at CI...
cispa.de
October 10, 2025 at 1:46 PM
✨ Highlights from German Unity Day 2025 at CISPA! From citizen delegation & Rebekka Burkholz’s AI panel to Cyberbriefing, hands-on activities & Apollonfestival – a week full of cybersecurity insights, fun & inspiration!
#TrustworthyAI #CISPA #TDE25
October 8, 2025 at 2:13 PM
🎙️🔍 Interested in how to design fair algorithms? Then check out our latest TL;DR episode! We talk to CISPA PhD student Jan Klemmer about his approach to design algorithmic fairness: cispa.de/tldr-episode...
Julian Siber über algorithmische Fairness
Episode 43 unseres Podcasts CISPA-TL;DR ist online! Darin sprechen wir mit dem CISPA-Forschenden Julian Siber über algorithmische Fairness.
cispa.de
October 7, 2025 at 1:50 PM
The notarial deed for the CISPA research campus in St. Ingbert has been signed – an important milestone for our shared future.
We look forward to bringing all CISPA employees together at one location in the future and intensifying the exchange between research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
October 6, 2025 at 9:03 AM
At the CISPA CYBER BRIEFING, experts from research, startups, politics & industry focused on: How can Europe strengthen its digital resilience?
➡ Prof. Dr. Christian Rossow’s AmpPot makes DoS attacks traceable
➡ Startup Detesia fights deepfakes with AI
➡ Joint action is key
cispa.de/en/cyber-bri...
Reliable, Available, Trustworthy: Digital Resilience at the Center of the Second CISPA CYBER BRIEFING
On Thursday, October 2, 2025, the second CISPA CYBER BRIEFING took place in Saarbrücken as part of the celebrations for German Unity Day. CISPA researchers, founders, and representatives from politics...
cispa.de
October 4, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Live from Saarbrücken’s Zukunftsmeile 🚀 Our CISPA stand is buzzing: wheel of fortune, interactive stations & great conversations on cybersecurity. Stop by until Oct 4 and see research come alive! #TDE25 #FutureThroughChange
October 3, 2025 at 6:22 PM
✨ Faculty Dr. Rebekka Burkholz participated in the panel “AI Compass for Times of Crisis – Real Help or Black-Box Risk?” at the Dialogue Forum during this years Day of German Unity festivities. We thank all visitors for their contributions to the exchange! #TrustworthyAI
October 2, 2025 at 8:48 PM
We were honored to welcome the Citizen Delegation for the Day of German Unity to CISPA. Guests from all 16 federal states explored our research in cybersecurity and trustworthy AI and engaged in inspiring exchanges with us. #TDE
October 1, 2025 at 6:29 PM
In Liberate AI, an interdisciplinary research project with @dzne.science and Universitätsklinikum Bonn, CISPA researchers are helping to design a transparent, explainable AI model that will support doctors in the treatment of acute stroke. Learn more here cispa.de/en/liberate-ai
From Black Box to Glass Box: AI Explainability in Stroke Treatment
Liberate AI, an interdisciplinary research project, aims to develop an AI model capable of supporting doctors in the treatment of ischemic stroke. Serving as a digital assistance system, the AI model ...
cispa.de
September 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM
CISPA is launching the first European Cybersecurity & AI Hackathon Championship! 🌐 Between November 2025 and June 2026, five regional hackathons will take place across major European university cities, culminating in a Grand Finale in St. Ingbert, Germany. Read more: cispa.de/en/launch-ha...
September 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
A new CISPA study shows how anomaly detection—a core concept in machine learning—can be applied to biomedical research. CISPA researcher Sarath Sivaprasad trained an AI model to detect fertility and toxicity effects in zebrafish embryos. 🔗 Read more about the project: cispa.de/en/sivaprasa...
AI Accelerates Drug Discovery: New Model Automates Detection of Developmental Abnormalities in Zebrafish Embryos
CISPA researcher has developed an AI system that can automatically detect abnormalities in zebrafish embryo development.
cispa.de
September 23, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Thank you to our colleagues from UCT and WITS, who visited CISPA to meet with our Faculty and science support teams. We discussed German and South African perspectives in cybersecurity and trustworthy AI, as well as opportunities for future cross-institutional research collaborations.
September 19, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Congratulations to our Faculty Dr. Franziska Boenisch on being named a Werner-von-Siemens-Fellow @siemens-ring.bsky.social 🎉 The award recognizes her outstanding scientific contributions to cybersecurity and privacy-preserving AI. Read more here: cispa.de/en/boenisch-...
CISPA-Faculty Dr. Franziska Boenisch appointed Werner-von-Siemens-Fellow
Major Recognition for Our Machine Learning Expert
cispa.de
September 15, 2025 at 11:40 AM
We welcomed Prof. Ziv Reich, VP of the Weizmann Institute, at CISPA. Together with our CEO Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Backes and senior researchers, we explored PhD & PostDoc exchanges and joint projects—laying the ground for future collaboration.
September 12, 2025 at 7:47 AM