Kategorie: ‘IT-Security’
IT-SAD: IT-Security Awareness Days 2025
Source: TU Braunschweig
From November 3 to November 14, 2025, the IT Security Awareness Days will take place for the tenth time. During these two weeks, a total of 18 online lectures on the topic of IT security will be held. These are organized by various universities.
The following institutions are involved (although not always with their own presentations): TU Braunschweig, TU Darmstadt, TU Dresden, University of Hildesheim, KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, University of Göttingen/GWDG, University of Marburg, University of Osnabrück, Leuphana University Lüneburg, University of Duisburg-Essen, University of Cologne, and Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences.
DNS at RWTH Aachen Part 2: Security in the DNS – Protection Against Misuse
Source: Own Illustration
In the first part of this blog series on the Domain Name System (DNS), we explained various technical details. The very fact that DNS servers are consulted to convert computer names into IP addresses means that the system plays a very central role in the functioning of the Internet.
How quickly can my password be cracked?
Source: Own Illustration
How long can your password currently withstand a hacker?
In times when cyberattacks are commonplace and current supercomputers can test billions of combinations per second (future quantum computers may be able to test many more), password security is becoming a matter of digital survival. In this article, you will find out what methods attackers use to crack passwords – and what simple measures can make the difference between data theft and digital security.
SOC On-Call Service: IT Security Around the Clock
Source: Own illustration
Whether it’s suspicious activity on the network, compromised user accounts, or acute cyber attacks – every minute counts in an emergency. In order to be able to respond to security incidents at RWTH even faster and more effectively in the future, the IT Center’s Security Operation Center (SOC) has had an on-call service since June 1, 2025. This means that the SOC team can now also be reached outside regular working hours if necessary, ensuring greater security in the university network around the clock.
Towards the Future with AI – How the IT Center Is Supporting RWTH Aachen University on Its Way into the AI Age
Source: Pixabay
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a topic for the future – it has arrived in the centre of society and is changing the way we research, learn and work. As one of Europe’s leading technical universities, it is therefore crucial for RWTH Aachen University to actively engage with the potential and challenges of this technology.
As RWTH’s central IT facility, the IT Center plays a central role in this: it develops technical solutions, ensures a data protection-compliant infrastructure and creates new services that enable the use of AI in the university context.
And not just since yesterday: For some time now, the IT Center has been working intensively on making artificial intelligence usable for the entire university.
What Is Typosquatting?
Source: Freepik
The internet offers many opportunities – but also risks. One of the lesser known but potentially very dangerous threats in the field of cyber security is typosquatting. But what does this term actually mean? Typosquatting refers to a technique in which attackers attempt to redirect users to fake or unwanted websites. This is usually done by exploiting typos or similar domain names of well-known websites. Instead of the actual website, you end up on a page that looks deceptively similar to the real one or contains completely different, sometimes malicious content.
How to Set up a Secure Home Network
Source: Freepik
More and more devices in our everyday lives are connected to the internet – from home offices and online banking to smart thermostats and surveillance cameras. And all these digital helpers access a common system: the home network. It forms the heart of our digital infrastructure at home. In this article, we explain what a home network is, what risks it poses, and how you can effectively protect it from attacks.
DNS at RWTH Aachen University Part 1:
History & Function of the DNS
Source: Freepik
The Domain Name System (DNS) makes the Internet usable by translating readable names such as rwth-aachen.de into IP addresses. It originated from simple lists of names and developed into a globally distributed, hierarchical system. Today, it fulfils many more tasks – for example in the areas of e-mail, IT security and network management. The DNS also plays a central role at RWTH Aachen University and is protected by modern technologies such as DNS firewalls. This article provides an overview of the origin, structure and current significance of the DNS.
Basics at RWTH: Using the VPN
Source: Own Illustration
At RWTH Aachen University, the Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides an important and secure connection to the university network. This connection is secured by encryption protocols such as TLS. VPN ensures that all data traffic – either to the RWTH network or, depending on the configuration, also to the Internet – is routed via a so-called “tunnel”. This tunnel protects the data on its way between your end device and the VPN server, where it is then integrated into the RWTH network. In the “Full Tunnel”, for example, requests from your device for external services appear with an IP address of RWTH Aachen University. In this article, we explain how you can set up and use the RWTH VPN service.
New Certification Authority: From Sectigo to Harica
Source: Own illustration
The time has come! Since April 1, 2025, user certificates (S/MIME) can again be requested in the RA-Portal. After our previous certificate provider, Sectigo, terminated its contract on January 10, 2025, we now have a new provider. The German Research Network (DFN) and GÉANT have contracted a new provider for public-key certificates. The choice fell on the Greek trusted provider HARICA (Hellenic Academic & Research Institutions Certification Authority). HARICA is a certification authority of the Greek university network GUnet, is specially optimized for research institutions and meets the highest security standards.
