RuhrSec - IT security conference - 2025

Since 2016, RuhrSec is the annual English speaking IT security conference with cutting-edge security talks by renowned experts. The conference is hosted at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, directly in the heart of Bochum near the river Ruhr. RuhrSec provides academic and industry talks, the typical University feeling, and a highly recommended social event.

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Curious how the talks given at RuhrSec are selected? Have a look here.

Organizers / Sponsors / Supporters

Interested in becoming a RuhrSec sponsor ?
Feel free and contact us to learn more about the RuhrSec sponsorship:
ruhrsec@hackmanit.de

Program

Conference (Ruhr University Bochum): Thursday, 20.02.25

The order of the talks might be adjusted before the conference.

08:00 – 09:00 Registration and Biscuits/Coffee
09:00 – 09:15 Opening, Marcus Niemietz
09:15 – 10:00 Keynote: TBA, Ben Stock
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:15 TBA, TBA
11:15 – 12:00 TBA, TBA
12:00 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:15 TBA, TBA
14:15 – 15:00 TBA, TBA
15:00 – 15:45 Coffee Break
15:45 – 16:30 TBA, TBA
16:30 – 17:15 TBA, TBA
17:15 – 00:00 Social Event (incl. Dinner)

Conference (Ruhr University Bochum): Friday, 21.02.25

The order of the talks might be adjusted before the conference.

08:45 – 09:15 Biscuits/Coffee
09:15 – 10:00 Keynote: TBA, Daniel Gruss
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:15 TBA, TBA
11:15 – 12:00 TBA, TBA
12:00 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:15 TBA, TBA
14:15 – 15:00 TBA, TBA
15:00 – 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30 – 16:15 TBA, TBA
16:15 – 17:00 TBA, TBA
17:00 – 17:15 Closing

Talks

Ben Stock

(CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security) – Keynote

Keynote. TBA

Abstract. TBA

Biography. Ben Stock is a tenured faculty at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Saarbrücken, Germany. Ben leads the Secure Web Application Group at CISPA, and his research focuses on various aspects of Web and network security, with a recent focus in particular on (un)usability of security mechanisms. His group regularly publishes at all major security conferences and Ben serves on the PC and in chair roles for various security conferences. Beyond the focus on academic output, together with his students, he regularly aims to bridge the gap between scientists and practitioners through talks at non-academic conferences like OWASP AppSec or Ruhrsec.

@kcotsneb

Daniel Gruss

(Professor at Graz University of Technology) – Keynote

Keynote. TBA

Abstract. TBA

Biography. TBA

TBA

(TBA) – Talk

Talk. TBA

Abstract. TBA

Biography. TBA

Coming soon ...

Location

Conference

Address: Veranstaltungszentrum, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801 Bochum

Google Maps: Link to the conference building

Directions: RuhrSec will be held at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB). The conference location is directly located under the cafeteria/Mensa in the event center ("VZ" or "Veranstaltungszentrum"). You can take the subway ("U-Bahn") U35 to the station "Ruhr-Universität". From the station, it is a 5-10 minutes' walk to the conference building (see More Information tab). Otherwise, you can find parking spaces for your car directly under the conference location (University Center/"Universität Mitte", parking space P9).

Flight and Train Information

The closest airport is "Düsseldorf Flughafen" (DUS). From DUS, the shortest and fastest way to get to Bochum is via train. Please take the "SkyTrain" from the airport to the train station "Düsseldorf Flughafen Bahnhof". Afterward, you should take a train to "Bochum Hauptbahnhof" (aka. "Bochum Hbf"). From there we recommend taking the subway ("U-Bahn") U35 to the station "Ruhr-Universität". From the station, it is a 5-10 minutes' walk to the conference building. Otherwise, you can take a taxi to the conference center (about 20 euros).

Please notice:

  • Please pay for the SkyTrain (about 2 euros).
  • To get your train tickets, you can use a ticket machine after the SkyTrain. They allow you to choose English for the UI and you can (often) pay with your credit cards. Please be sure to bring enough cash (euro) with you, because it is possible that the ticket machine does not accept your credit card. The ticket price should be about 2 euros (SkyTrain) and 20 euros (train).
  • Please do not forget to validate your train ticket with one of the stamp machines. Otherwise, it is not valid.

If you want to check when your train will arrive you can use this web page: https://int.bahn.de/en

Accommodation

We do not offer any hotel room reservation service. From our experience, it is cheaper to use a common hotel booking portals instead of booking the rooms directly at the hotel or with a reservation code.

Directly in the heart of Bochum and near the central station, we recommend two hotels:

B&B acquired the hotel, which was a ibis styles hotel before, in 2023. The hotel is, depending on the view, sufficient to spend a few nights in it. More luxury is given in the Mercure Hotel, which was a Park Inn hotel in the past. Both hotels are not far away from Bochum's famous "Bermuda Dreieck" - with a lot of good bars and German beer.

Social Event

Every participant with a valid conference ticket is invited to be our guest at the social event.

Details

Location: Q-West Bochum

How to get there: < 5 minutes' walk from the conference building. More information is given before the first talk.

Time: After the first conference day (start: ~17:15, end: 00:00)

Your Contact for RuhrSec

Karsten Meyer zu Selhausen

Responsible for RuhrSec, Senior IT Security Consultant at Hackmanit

In case you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact me:

Email

Hackmanit GmbH

Universitätsstraße 60 (Exzenterhaus)
44789 Bochum

Our Phone:

+49 (0)234 / 54459996

Fax:

+49 (0)234 / 54427593

Our Email:

ruhrsec@hackmanit.de

The RuhrSec conference is organized by Hackmanit - Your Specialist for Web Security and Cryptography.

The company Hackmanit was founded by employees of the Ruhr University Bochum, working at the Horst-Görtz Institute for IT Security. Hackmanit has in-depth knowledge about the security of Web applications (e.g., Cross-Site Scripting, UI-Redressing and Clickjacking), Web services, Single Sign-On, SSL/TLS, and applied cryptography. The company mainly focuses on providing services such as practical trainings, high-quality penetration tests, and customized expertise.

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