I am a cybersecurity researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE) in the Cyber Analysis & Defense (CA&D) department.
I received my B.Sc. in Computer Science in April 2017 from RWTH Aachen University and, similarly, graduated from RWTH Aachen University with a master's degree (M.Sc.) in Computer Science in March 2020. In my award-winning master's thesis, I address challenges regarding secure and privacy-preserving multi-hop collaboration in supply chains.
In my research, I focus on the (cyber-)security of industrial network, critical infrastructures and especially power grids. In this context, I am the main developer of Wattson, a cybersecurity research testbed for power grid networks.
My research focuses on data privacy and security in the industrial sector with a special focus on power grids.
First, I focus on security issues and challenges arising from digitzing power grids and their controlling and monitoring infrastructure. Various protocols used in this sector were not designed with sophisticated security measures in mind and mostly rely on perimeter security. Since the assumption of isolated systems does not hold anymore, potential vulnerabilities of power grids through cyber attacks become increasingly relevant. In my research, I concentrate on identifying vulnerabilities of power grid communication protocols and on developing appropriate countermeasures.
Second, I address challenges regarding secure and privacy-preserving information exchange between industrial stakeholders. While businesses benefit from collaborating with direct and indirect business partners, challenges regarding data privacy as well as information orginiality, consistency as the detection and prevention of information manipulations stand in the path of tomorrow's digitally contributing industries. Hence, I research solutions that provide decentralized guarantees (i.e., guarantees that do not require a trusted third party) to participants to mitigate the risk of collaboration negatively impacting business performance.