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SGS and TU Graz open Lamarr Security Research

11/17/2020 | TU Graz news | Research | University

By Barbara Gigler

SGS and TU Graz announce the opening of Lamarr Security Research, a non-profit research center focusing on information security and establishing trust in digital systems and products. This new research environment is open for partner sponsors to work together, and to make the world a safer place.

Stefan Mangard from Graz University of Technology (left) and Martin Schaffer from the SGS Group (right) are the leading heads of Lamarr Security Research. © Phil Lihotzky

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges for our information society and there is urgent need to fundamentally rethink the way systems are built, composed and analyzed. In order to enable trust and to create a world where data security and privacy are a matter of course, it is necessary to perform open research on novel technologies. Non-profit Lamarr Security Research is the new centerpiece of the international Cybersecurity Campus Graz, opened by SGS and TU Graz in 2019 (press release from 2019). Research results will become available to all, bringing high value to society.

Research

Stefan Mangard, Professor for Secure Systems at TU Graz, and member of the center’s management team: “We will work from the transistor-level up to complex cloud applications, making security and privacy in systems more efficient, highly user-friendly and verifiable. By this we will create sustainable trust in the resulting solutions. SGS provides foundational funding, and we are now looking for further like-minded partner sponsors to join as well.” Benefits for partners will include early access to research results and high-end cybersecurity testing possibilities.

Security as a Matter of Trust and Cooperation

Martin Schaffer, Global Head of Cybersecurity Services at SGS, and member of the center’s management team: “Our job at SGS is to create trust between stakeholders. In the digitally interconnected world this is not easy to achieve as we are confronted with creative hackers trying to gain financial benefits, breaching others’ privacy, or even putting people’s lives at risk. This affects everyone and we cannot tackle this problem alone. It is the duty of all of us to foster a change. With TU Graz, we found a strong partner with the same vision and we have together created a research environment that is open for additional partners.

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You can get an insight into Lamarr Security Research here in a short video clip.

In the spirit of Hedy Lamarr

Lamarr Security Research is named after the Austrian-born Hollywood actress, Hedy Lamarr, who was one of the pioneers in the invention of secure systems with her patented frequency hopping system, which is still used today in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Following the spirit of Hedy Lamarr, SGS and TU Graz seek new and innovative approaches and to ultimately make the world a safer place.

For further information, or to find out more about becoming a researcher or partner of Lamarr Security Research, please contact Stefan Mangard or Martin Schaffer.

Information

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 89,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.

Cybersecurity has been a research focus at TU Graz in Austria for many years. Among the sparkling research highlights are the processor vulnerabilities “Meltdown” and “Spectre”, or international achievements in cryptography.

Contact

Stefan MANGARD
TU Graz | Institute of Applied Information Processing and Communications
Phone: +43 316 873 5531
Email: stefan.mangardnoSpam@iaik.tugraz.at

Martin SCHAFFER
Global Head of Cybersecurity Services
Digital & Innovation
SGS Digital Trust Services GmbH
Phone: +43 664 88210590
Email: martin.schaffernoSpam@sgs.com

Stefan Mangard from Graz University of Technology (left) and Martin Schaffer from the SGS Group (right) are the leading heads of Lamarr Security Research. © Phil Lihotzky