The ever-expanding and increasing use of artificial intelligence is redefining the tension between cybercrime and defense in IT security. On the one hand, it is becoming much easier to carry out attacks even without extensive technical expertise; on the other hand, AI-based methods naturally also facilitate anomaly detection and defense.
The 3rd Regensburg Cybersecurity Congress & AIR Annual MeetUp, held on April 22, 2024, at the Jahnstadion in Regensburg, focused on this topic.
Highlights of the morning included Prof. Dr. Dennis-Kenji Kipker’s critical keynote address on the EU AI Act and the subsequent panel discussion. It became particularly clear how important it is for SMEs as well to address the implementation of adequate cybersecurity: the AI attack vector must be countered with defensive measures.
In the afternoon, the approximately 170 participants could choose from four presentations in the parallel “Cybersecurity” and “AI” forums. In the AIR forum, Jochen Michels from Kaspersky first highlighted potential principles for ethical AI in cybersecurity. Prof. Dr. Maria Leitner from the University of Regensburg addressed current AI-based cyberattacks and presented countermeasures such as training. Anna Leschanowsky from Fraunhofer IIS focused on human factors and, consequently, debiasing structures for data protection, using voice assistant systems as an example. Felix Rothmund from intive concluded with guidelines for secure and reliable language models.
The program was rounded out by a trade exhibition, ample opportunities for networking, and guided tours of the Jahnstadion.
The conference was organized by the AIR Core Partner IT Security Cluster, in partnership with the Office for Economic Affairs and Science of the City of Regensburg, the Upper Palatinate Police Headquarters, the Regensburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Upper Palatinate/Kelheim, and the Lower Bavaria-Upper Palatinate Chamber of Crafts.