SGS, TU Graz open non-profit research center aimed at establishing trust in digital systems and products

(PRESS RELEASE) GRAZ, 17-Nov-2020 — /EuropaWire/ — SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, and Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), 1811 established public university in Styria, Austria, 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.

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. Research results will become available to all, bringing high value to society.

https://youtu.be/tZfTOiSXCgw

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.”

IN THE SPIRIT OF HEDY LAMARR¹

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.

Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-born Hollywood actress and inventor of early secure systems
¹Hedy Lamarr, Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images, used with Permission from the Estate of Hedy Lamarr www.CMGworldwide.com

For further information, or to find out more about becoming a researcher or partner of Lamarr Security Research, please visit www.lamarr.at or contact:

Martin Schaffer
Global Head of Cybersecurity Services
Digital & Innovation
SGS
t: +43 664 88210590

Stefan Mangard
Professor for Secure Systems & Head of IAIK
Institute of Applied Information Processing and Communications (IAIK)
Graz University of Technology
t: +43 316 8735531

ABOUT GRAZ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

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.

ABOUT SGS

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.

SOURCE: SGS SA