From 17 to 19 March 2024, leading IT security experts met at the Berlin Congress Center for the National Conference IT Security Research 2025 (ITS2025). Numerous projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) presented their developments and results there - including the GraphWatch project of the Institute Industrial IT (inIT) at Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe (TH OWL). inIT was represented at the conference by the "Interconnected Automation Systems" working group headed by Prof. Dr. Henning Trsek, research group leader Natalia Moriz and project member Robin Foster.
Core topics of ITS2025: AI and the future of IT security
ITS2025 addressed key topics in IT security research such as the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on IT security, the increase in AI-based disinformation, human-centred IT security, digital freedom and privacy as well as IT security in the quantum age. The aim of the conference was to discuss current research policy impulses, stimulate interdisciplinary networking and provide an insight into this highly dynamic field of research.
Successful presentation in front of a specialist audience
Experts from science, business and politics came together to discuss current challenges in IT security under the guiding theme of "Cybersecurity and Democracy". The GraphWatch project, which is being carried out in cooperation with Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HsH) and rt-solutions.de, was presented to a broad audience in a poster by Robin Buchta (HsH) as part of the poster pitch. Not only the presentation and the project met with great interest among the participants, but the conference also provided an excellent platform for dialogue and networking. Prof. Dr. Henning Trsek, Natalia Moriz and Robin Foster used the three days to intensively discuss challenges, research areas and solutions.
GraphWatch - Detection of cyber threats
The GraphWatch project is developing methods for recognising Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) - long-lasting cyber attacks that are difficult to identify. The research approach combines automated monitoring using Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) and digital twins as a data basis to recognise unusual activities in networks. The technology is to be used primarily in industrial plants, where it will help to recognise and combat security risks at an early stage.
"The conference was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the further development of IT security technologies and at the same time to gain in-depth insights into other research areas," summarises Robin Foster. “The discussions and networking were very enriching and showed once again how important direct dialogue is in the field of cyber security.”
Prof. Dr. Henning Trsek emphasises: "The conference was a complete success and we are particularly pleased that our GraphWatch project met with so much interest and stimulating discussions."