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
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).
-
Anfahrt zum Veranstaltungszentrum
(German, pdf) -
Parking space P9
(German, jpg) -
Directions to the conference building
(English, pdf) -
Directions to the conference building – details
(English, pdf)
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 HOTEL Bochum-Hbf (about 100 euros/night)
- Mercure Hotel Bochum City (about 130 euros/night)
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
Hackmanit GmbH
Universitätsstraße 60 (Exzenterhaus)
44789 Bochum
Our Phone:
+49 (0)234 / 54459996
Fax:
+49 (0)234 / 54427593
Our Email:
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.