Knowledge Transfer

Another important pillar of the project is the transfer of knowledge. There were activities in this area in the form of participation and presentations at various international scientific conferences, lectures, courses and a large networking and transfer event, the Transfer Day 2024: 

Transfer Day

The Transfer Day at Aalen University is an established forum for transferring knowledge between science and practice. The tenth edition, entitled "Cybersecurity in the age of digitalization - securing companies for the future", took place on April 18, 2024, in cooperation with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Ostwürttemberg. The aim was to sensitize companies to cybersecurity and support them in implementing measures. Specialist lectures, practical impulses and a live hack were offered. Experts from the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the CyberWuP project, and many more, presented practical solutions. The Cyber Security Check for SMEs was presented to around 200 participants, mostly representatives of small and medium-sized companies. www.hs-aalen.de/transfertag

Lectures

Various specialist lectures were held both nationally and internationally on knowledge transfer and project communication:

KES International: http://www.kesinternational.org/index.php  

As part of the project, several presentations were given at KES conferences. Research results were presented at the sub-conference "Smart Digital Futures 2023" in Rome. The study used a structural equation model to show that there is a significant positive correlation between the importance of trade secrets, preventive measures and the perceived threat of industrial espionage.

In the same year, another presentation on the results of another study was given at the KES main conference in Athens. Information was presented on the current level of equipment and know-how regarding cybersecurity in SMEs, as well as information on the support required by SMEs. In addition, a structural equation model was presented which shows significant, positive influences of "motives" and "lack of prevention" on the threat to SMEs from cybercrime.

Due to the current topicality and importance of the topic of "Cybersecurity in SMEs", Prof. Dr. Ralf Härting was invited as a keynote speaker for the KES Main Conference 2024 in Seville. With 45 minutes on the main stage of the conference, the lecture focused on the Cyber Security Check for SMEs and offers the publication and discussion of the concept in an international context.

ATINER: https://www.atiner.gr/2024conferences 
In 2024, the CyberWuP project was presented by Prof. Dr. Christoph Karg at the ATINER conference and discussed in a panel of computer science experts. In addition to the opportunity to publish the work, Prof. Dr. Christoph Karg also attended another symposium online.

The concept was also presented as part of a lecture at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Further national and international invitations to present the concept have been received.

Teaching

The topics of the project were integrated into the teaching at Aalen University, especially in the bachelor's degree program "Business Administration for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises" and the master's programs "SME Management" and "Business Informatics". Students dealt with the topics of the project in lectures, seminars, team projects and theses and prepared research papers. On the transfer day, bachelor's students were able to present their work and exchange ideas with experts. Outstanding theses are supported and encouraged for publication.

The topics covered in the student projects and theses were:

  • Cyber Security Culture in SME
  • Cyber defense in SMEs – motivation analysis
  • Gamification in Cybersecurity – Trainig for SME
  • Industrial espionage as a threat to SMEs
  • Cybersecurity and Management 4.0 in SMEs
  • Deteminants of Establishing a Successfull Cyber Security Culture in SMEs
  • Implementation of a zero-trust architecture for an SME
  • Organizational adaptation needs due to increasing cyber threats
  • Resilience of employees in SMEs to cyber threats and their motivation
  • Industrial espionage and competitive spying
  • Potential of Zero Trust as a Security Business Model for SME
  • Cybersecurity in SMEs – Drivers of Cybercrime, Insufficient Equipment and Prevention
  • DIN SPEC 27076, NIS 2 guideline
  • Authentification
  • Cyberattack statistics
  • Corporate examples of cyberattacks