The CrypTool project organizes the development of CrypTool, the most widespread educational software in the areas of cryptography and cryptanalysis. More than 100 developers all over the world contribute to this open-source project. The software is used in schools, universities, companies, and governments.
Contact person: Prof. Bernhard Esslinger
The main area of research is cryptology and its applications to IT security. The CITS chair is part of the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security and involved in the degree programs in IT security at the University of Bochum.
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Alexander May
The Distributed Systems Research Group at the University of Duisburg-Essen is headed by Prof. Torben Weis. The group was established in 2007 and belongs to the department of Computational and Cognitive Sciences (Informatik und angewandte Kognitionswissenschaft, INKO). Research areas include peer-to-peer systems, security in computer networks, context-aware applications, distributed systems design, and model-driven software development.
We put special emphasis on the practical applicability of our research results. One of our projects is coordinating the development of the open-source software CrypTool 2. The goal of this project is to improve the teaching of security and cryptography. We have been using CrypTool 2 across all levels of education with great success. We want to continue to increase the public awareness of cryptography, because its applications are of utmost importance in the digital world, although most users remain unaware of how cryptography works and fits into the scheme of computer security. For the very same reasons we support MysteryTwister (MTC3). Solving one of these challenges will raise the awareness of the security (or insecurity) of the algorithms involved in the challenge beyond any means of theoretical learning and understanding.
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Arno Wacker
As a contributor to the CrypTool project the department "Softwaretechnik für Ubiquitous Computing Anwendungen" took care of the CrypTool server infrastructure and of CrypTool2.
ECRYPT II stands for "European Network of Excellence for Cryptology II". This project is funded by the European Commission.
ECRYPT II (www.ecrypt.eu.org) started in 2008 and focuses on cryptology, which is the science that studies mathematical techniques in order to provide secrecy, authenticity and related properties for digital information. Its objective is to increase the collaboration of European researchers in information security. In order to reach this goal, 11 partners work together within three virtual labs focusing on symmetric key algorithms (SymLab), public key algorithms and protocols (MAYA), and hardware and software implementations (VAMPIRE). They will be joined by more than 20 associate members to the network who will closely collaborate with the core partners.
ECRYPT II plans to organize joint workshops, exchange of researchers and students, development of common tools and benchmarks and a website and forum which will be a focal point for the network and the wider cryptographic community. Spreading activities will include a training program, a substantial contribution towards standardization, bodies and an active publication policy. The project team has the critical mass and breadth to address the key questions in these areas.
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Ir. Bart Preneel
Mark Stamp can neither confirm nor deny that he spent seven years as a National Security Agency cryptanalyst. However, he can confirm that he spent two years as Chief Cryptologic Scientist at a small Silicon Valley startup.
Since 2002 he has been a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at San Jose State University, where he teaches courses in information security. He has published a substantial number of research papers and several textbooks. His second textbook, Applied Cryptanalysis: Breaking Ciphers in the Real World (Wiley-IEEE Press, 2007) was the inspiration for several challenges problems posted here.
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Mark Stamp
