Kolloquium SoSe 2025

Dr. Henrich C. Pöhls

Universität Passau

Wann: tba

Wo: Konrad-Zuse-Hörsaal (Raum B-201)

Thema

The Complexity of Cyber Security in Private Everyday Life

Sprache: English

Abstract

In many ways it becomes visible that IT security problems persist in people’s everyday lives regardless of the progress in the field of IT security research. Based on ethnographic studies carried out during the FORDAYSEC project the talk showcases examples and pinpoints some of the reasons for the complexity of everyday situations: Security mechanisms and device functionality become paired with their users' perception and are used in everyday situations in ways that are difficult to anticipate. To better align scientific research with people and their daily IT security needs, the talk presents the five challenges extracted by ForDaySec that –if addressed– would lead to better IT security in people’s everyday lives. This talk highlights some methodological tools we developed in the interdisciplinary research showing how incorporating methods from ethnography allows to draw helpful findings from the thoroughly subjective observation of individuals in everyday live.

Bio

Henrich C. Pöhls (henrich.poehls.com) is an information security researcher and lecturer specialising in securing AI-Systems and using cryptographic methods for data authenticity. He earned an M.Sc. in Information Security from Royal Holloway University of London (2001) and a graduate diploma in Computer Science from the University of Hamburg (2003). In 2008, he moved from Hamburg to the University of Passau, where he briefly served as interim Assistant Professor of Security in Information Systems (April–November 2021) and developed courses like "Secure AI-Systems." Dr. Pöhls earned his PhD (2018) from the University of Passau, focusing on the interdisciplinary intersection of cryptography and law. His dissertation, "Increasing the Legal Probative Value of Cryptographically Private Malleable Signatures," adjusted the cryptographic tool of malleable digital signatures that allows privacy-preserving modifications while maintaining authenticity to meet legal requirements like the EU's eIDAS and GDPR regulations. He has led and contributed to national and international research projects, like FORDAYSEC (Bavaria), SEMIoTICS (H2020), PRISMACLOUD (H2020), and RERUM (FP7), advancing secure communication and privacy in IoT and cloud systems. Additionally, he plays a role in international and European standardization, serving as an editor for ISO/IEC 23264 on redaction of authentic data and contributing to cybersecurity standardization for the EU AI Act in CEN-CLC/JTC21. Currently, he is a co-principal investigator in the Bavarian FORDAYSEC project, focusing on architectures and services for secure digitalisation of everyday life (fordaysec.de). Through his interdisciplinary work, he aims to create secure and legally compliant digital environments for everyday use.