Ministerpräsident Hendrik Wüst im Gespräch mit den Medien beim Besuch an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum

A sought-after guest: Minister President Hendrik Wüst was also accompanied by the media during his visits to the Ruhr region – here at Ruhr University Bochum. © RUB, Kramer

Minister President Wüst Visits Bochum A Global Leader in IT Security

"Over the past 20 years, Bochum has evolved into a hotspot for IT security research," said Wüst during his visit.

During his visit, Minister President Wüst explored cutting-edge projects such as a new method for detecting deepfakes and modern vehicles capable of distinguishing manipulated traffic signs from real ones. At Ruhr University, Wüst engaged directly with researchers, gaining firsthand insights into one of the world's leading hubs for cybersecurity research.

Beim Einblick in die Bochumer Forschung hat der Ministerpräsident auch selbst Hand angelegt, hier am Demo-Stand zum Thema manipulierte Verkehrsschilder.

The Minister President also lent a hand at the Bochum research centre, here at the demo stand on the subject of manipulated road signs.

Die KI in modernen Autos soll manipulierte Verkehrsschilder erkennen können – Doktorand Pascal Zimmer erklärt das Prinzip.

The AI in modern cars should be able to recognise manipulated road signs – PhD student Pascal Zimmer explains the principle.

Ministerpräsident Hendrik Wüst, Rektor Martin Paul und der Bochumer Oberbrürgermeister Thomas Eiskirch (von links) an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Minister President Hendrik Wüst, Rector Martin Paul and Bochum's Lord Mayor Thomas Eiskirch (from left) at Ruhr University Bochum

Begrüßt wurde der Ministerpräsident von Rektor Martin Paul im Open Space im Gebäude MC auf dem Campus der RUB.

The Minister President was welcomed by Rector Martin Paul in the Open Space in the MC building on the campus.

Eine neue Methode hilft, so genannte Deepfakes zu erkennen – zunächst auf Fotos, später auch in Videos. Leibniz-Preisträger Eike Kiltz erläutert das Setting.

A new method helps to recognise so-called deepfakes – initially in photos, later also in videos. Leibniz Prize winner Eike Kiltz explains the setting, ...

Dann probiert Wüst es selbst aus, wie ein Algorithmus beim Vergleich zweier Fotos das manipulierte erkennt.

... then Wüst tries out for himself how an algorithm recognises the manipulated one when comparing two photos.

Gruppenbild zum guten Schluss: Der Ministerpräsident mit Rektor, OB sowie Forscherinnen und Forschern am Bochumer IT-Sicherheitsstandort

Group photo at the end: The Minister President with the Rector, Lord Mayor and researchers at the IT security centre in Bochum

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A Hotspot for IT Security Research

"Over the past 20 years, Bochum has evolved into a hotspot for IT security research," said Wüst. "Exceptional research, outstanding support for young talent, and excellent local networking are the strengths of Bochum's IT security sector. Bochum's research contributes to making information technologies more secure - benefitting us all in the age of AI and quantum technologies. The IT security hub in Bochum rightly emphasizes effective transfer from science to practice—a thriving ecosystem for startups is a catalyst for positive structural change."

A Connected Hub

The foundation of this success is the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security (HGI) at Ruhr University Bochum, established in 2003, and home to the Cluster of Excellence CASA (Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries) since 2019. Also founded in 2019, the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) is another key player. In 2021, the Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security was launched within the Research Alliance Ruhr, supported by the NRW state and stemming from the Ruhr Conference. Researchers from the region's three major universities collaborate here, crossing institutional boundaries.

Europe's Largest Study Location for IT Security

The Minister President discussed cybersecurity, particularly the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence, with Bochum scientists. He was welcomed by Rector Professor Martin Paul, in the presence of Bochum’s Mayor Thomas Eiskirch. Prof. Paul highlighted, "Ruhr University Bochum is now the largest study location for IT security in Europe. Our researchers develop effective solutions against powerful cyber attackers. HGI and its Cluster of Excellence CASA stand out for their international excellence, interdisciplinary research, innovative approaches, and successful spin-offs, ensuring knowledge transfer into practice. We are committed to keeping Bochum at the forefront of global cybersecurity."

Key statistics include:

More than 900 students are currently being educated in four degree programs - experts who are urgently needed and the highly sought-after specialists of tomorrow.
From two endowed professorships 20 years ago, the institute has grown to 41 professorships. Researchers here are involved in third-party funded projects totaling over 50 million euros.
Three out of four international cryptography standards for future quantum computing generations originate from Bochum (based on international NIST standards, comparable to Germany’s DIN).

Hands-On Research Demonstrations

Minister President Wüst also participated in live demonstrations, gaining concrete insights into current research:

Deepfake Detection - Professor Asja Fischer

Modern AI models can create highly realistic images, increasing the risk of visual misinformation. Latent Diffusion Models (LDMs) are a significant advancement, generating high-resolution images with low computational effort. Unlike traditional models, LDMs operate in a low-dimensional latent space of a pretrained autoencoder (AE) rather than the high-dimensional image space. In a demonstration, Wüst saw how the new “AEROBLADE” method works: Bochum researchers found that generated images are better reconstructed by the AE than real images. The demo illustrated this by compressing and then reconstructing provided images through the AE, enabling detection based on reconstruction errors, displayed using a color scheme.

Traffic Sign Manipulation and Vehicle Safety - Professor Ghassan Karame

Modern vehicles use AI to recognize traffic signs and adjust driving behavior accordingly, a key component of many driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles. A research team at Ruhr University demonstrated how traffic signs can be manipulated using harmless infrared light. This causes the AI to misinterpret the signs, potentially missing stop signs or speed limits, posing a significant safety risk. Infrared light, invisible to humans but detectable by vehicle cameras, allows subtle manipulations to be perceived by the AI, illustrating a critical security challenge.