Cyber security: Encrypt securely and slow down hackers – but how?

The horror scenario of being cyber attacked sees companies increasingly required to protect sensitive areas and encrypt their communications securely. Cyber security specialist Prof. Dr. Daniel Loebenberger explained the possibilities opened up by random number generators and how they work in practice in a master class at the invitation of the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning. Starting in October 2022, it will be possible to become a “Certified Cyber Security Specialist” in a new certificate program. 

Randomness plays a major role in IT security. It is used, for example, to generate cryptographic keys and thus forms the basis for encrypting and decrypting important information. This prevents communication from being read by unauthorized third parties, particularly those with malicious intentions.

Prof. Dr. Daniel Loebenberger

Prof. Dr. Daniel Loebenberger, professor at the East Bavarian Technical University Amberg-Weiden and head of the Secure Infrastructure department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC, is an expert in this field. He has analyzed numerous risk profiles of companies and designed security systems for use at the highest level. “The speed of the software mechanisms is just as important as the measurable quality of the randomness that provides protection against unwanted access,” explains Loebenberger.

About the quality of randomness generators

According to the specialist, random generators that generate constantly new number combinations either physically or non-physically – for example, through random processes in the operating system – are both expensive and time-consuming. Their usage requires vast processing power within the computer. According to Professor Loebenberger, faster and cheaper alternatives are generators that use a smaller number of genuinely random numbers to form countless, randomly appearing bit sequences – so-called deterministic random generators: “Their efficiency and quality can be measured,” the expert explains.

New certificate program for specialists

The TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning, together with Fraunhofer AISEC, will offer a new certificate program starting in October 2022, in which Prof. Dr. Loebenberger will deal intensively with various topics in applied IT security. Participants will learn online, but also practically through accompanying exercises, a face-to-face meeting in a laboratory environment and can even bring individual cases into the program. They will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with experts from different industries and benefit from the extensive practical and research experience of the two excellent academic partners Fraunhofer AISEC and Technische Universität München (TUM). “We will deal with the construction of secure systems in practice and the participants will also learn, for example, how backdoors can be kept open or avoided. There will be accompanying exercises for each topic, so that the in-depth concepts of IT security can also be tried out in practice”, promises Professor Loebenberger. Those who complete the certificate program will receive the title “Certified Cyber Security Specialist” from the Technical University of Munich.

Further information

Detailed information about the process, costs, possible discounts and tax benefits for participants in the new certificate program “Certified Cyber Security Specialist“, which will be offered in English over 16 weeks starting October 18, 2022, is available here.

Natascha Plankermann