Press Releases

Microelectronics is a key technology in the technical transformation, underpinning everything from everyday objects such as smartphones and ID cards to industrial manufacturing processes and medical diagnostic systems. This makes it all the more important to ensure that electronics are reliable and trustworthy. The Velektronik research plat-form has teamed up with the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE) to create a new VDE expert group titled Trustworthy Electronics. It is to function as a central point of con-tact, bringing industry, the research sector, and government agencies together to advance the topic of trustworthy electronics in Germany. The group’s objectives are to cultivate awareness of and support for trustworthy electronics, consolidate existing research activities, trans-fer research findings into application, and help to shape industry standards.

With its Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), the EU will in future require manufacturers to guarantee the IT security of products with digital elements. Once the CRA comes into force, which is expected to be in 2024, they will have a maximum of 36 months to demonstrate that their products comply with the new standard. However, due to complex architecture designs and the use of third-party com-ponents, assessing the need for action in concrete terms is a challenge. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC is conducting research into automated compliance testing of software components with “Confirmate”. The tool will help to automatically assess compliance with the CRA and determine the individual need for action. “Confirmate” compares the security settings with the CRA specifications and helps to quickly identify spe-cific vulnerabilities in the product. The analysis therefore saves valuable time for planning and implementing security measures. Fraunhofer AISEC will be presenting the tool's current range of functions and its application for the first time at this year’s it-sa Expo&Congress (Nuremberg, October 22–24, 2024) at the joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 6, Booth 6-314.

Harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) is key to the future viability of companies. However, they often have limited knowledge of how to use AI in a secure way. The SENSIBLE-KI (sensitive AI) project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), has brought together science and industry to analyze the security and trust-worthiness of mobile and embedded systems using the example of Android systems. The key findings and results of the project are as follows: Software-based security measures can be used effectively today. Intensive research and work is being carried out on hardware-based measures, but their use is currently restricted. Two biometric demonstrators are used to show the practical use of security technologies.

Prognoses suggest that the first quantum computers capable of breaking current cryptographic processes will be available by the early 2030s. For this reason, the development of secure algorithms for post-quantum cryptography is a major focus in politics, industry and research. After several selection rounds, the first PQC standards from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be made available in 2024. At the PQC Update 2024 from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC, the German-speaking PQC community met for the third time on May 13 – 14 to discuss the current state of development of post-quantum cryptography.

In the EU project EMERALD, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC is working with partners to develop an automated certification process for providers and auditors of cloud services and applications. The aim is to pave the way for an efficient Certification-as-a-Service (CaaS) that both reliably verifies compliance with the security requirements of cloud services and applications and can also flexibly take new regulatory requirements into account. To this end, EMERALD wants to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technologies developed in the predecessor project MEDINA from 5 (validation in relevant environment) to 7 (prototype in operational environment).

The new VDMA study “Industrial Security and Product Piracy 2024” shows that protection against cyber attacks is becoming increasingly important for companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector. At the same time, combating product and brand piracy remains extremely important. The study was compiled by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC. A good 100 VDMA member companies took part.

Home environments are among the areas in which the digital trans-formation is taking huge strides. Properties kitted out with smart home appliances and tightly networked residential areas are bringing the quality of living spaces into a whole new dimension. At the same time, there are growing security requirements being imposed on both the IoT systems used in these environments and users’ private spheres. In a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Re-search (BMBF), entitled “Secure heterogeneous IoT systems in proper-ties and residential areas (SHIQ),” a seven-strong cross-industry consortium made up of research institutions and companies is taking a holistic approach to shaping the smart living environments of tomorrow. By increasing IT security in smart properties and residential areas, over the long term it is setting new standards in secure building control systems and protection for residents’ private spheres in the construction and property sector.

Advances in digitalization require new encryption technologies for industrial processes, which are increasingly connected across international borders. One example is the acknowledgement of safety systems of machine tools via the Internet. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC, Technical University of Munich, Siemens AG, and high-tech company TRUMPF have teamed up in a project called PoQsiKom to develop a way to securely release the protected areas of machine tools remotely. The new concept is based on a versatile chip with crypto-agile quantum security technology that will also stand up to future threats. The partners will be showcasing their demonstrator in Hall 002, Stand B24, at Hannover Messe 2024.

With the innovative research project "AIgenCY - Opportunities and Risks of Generative AI in Cybersecurity," leading experts from academia and industry take on the challenge of exploring the implications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for cybersecurity.

On January 18, 2024, the Bavarian Chip Design Center (BCDC) reached an important milestone on its path toward making Bavaria a leading location for innovation and excellence in chip design. As part of the Symposium on Chip Development – Greater Innovation through Chip Design, held at Fraunhofer IIS, Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger presented the Center with a grant of 50 million euros.