Category: Feature
-
AI Security Consultant: AI-Based Adviser for Stronger Cyber Resilience in SMEs
Marc Rennhard, Ümit Yoker Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting also small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Unlike large companies, which are often well equipped to defend themselves against online threats and have dedicated expert teams, SMEs frequently lack the financial and human resources needed for adequate protection. Established standards do exist, such as the IT-Grundschutz (IT Baseline…
-
Kostenlose Standortbestimmung zur Cybersicherheit für KMU
Wissen, wo Sie bei der Cybersicherheit ansetzen sollten:KMU für Forschungsprojekt gesucht Wo steht Ihr Unternehmen bei der Cybersicherheit, und welche Massnahmen bringen am meisten? An der ZHAW entwickeln wir im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojekts ein Self-Assessment-Tool, das genau diese Fragen beantwortet. Es basiert auf den CIS Controls, einem Katalog grundlegender Sicherheitsmassnahmen, der konkreter und für KMU…
-
Digital Security: What Everyone Should Know: Review of the First Run
In spring semester of 2026, we ran our new flagship course, “Digital Security: What Everyone Should Know“, for the first time. Funded under the “Transdisciplinary Innovation 2024/25” call for proposals, the course was (and will be) open to all UZH students. In this blog post, we’re going to look at the three parts of the…
-
Why Awareness Fails – and Six Storytelling Principles to Fix It
DNS, VPN, SQL … Help! “And this is how DNS works.” I blink once. Then twice. The person in front of me waits expectantly for a sign that I understood the explanation he had delivered so patiently. Instead, he is met with a giant question mark plastered across my face. D-N-S. How was I supposed…
-
From Procedures to Peril: Why Privacy Needs a Shift Toward Risk Transparency
Data privacy is everywhere and yet, for most people, it remains deeply opaque. Cookie banners, privacy policies, and app permissions are meant to inform us, but in reality, they often fail to answer the most important question: What could actually happen to me? This challenge is at the heart of our recent article, “From Procedures…
-
Four additional Cybersecurity Clinic Projects successfully completed
The CYRENZH Cybersecurity Clinic was launched in 2024 and offers selected organizations such as SMEs, start-ups, municipalities, schools, non-profit organizations, and associations pro bono cybersecurity services. The projects are executed by students from ZHAW School of Engineering, ZHAW School of Management and Law, and the University of Zurich and supervised by lecturers and scientific personnel. In recent months,…
-
OSINT Playdates: How Zurich Became a Playground for Open-Source Intelligence
Open-Source Intelligence, or OSINT, thrives on curiosity, collaboration, and hands-on problem-solving. The most valuable lessons rarely come from lectures or conference panels, but from working together on real puzzles, testing ideas, and learning from one another. This spirit is at the heart of the OSINT Playdates—a format that has quickly become a staple of Switzerland’s…
-
From Fires to Cybersecurity: How Switzerland Can Harness Its Ecosystem
Lessons from fire incidents and response in the 19th century The Incident: Human Error, Late Detection, and Insufficient Equipment On 4 September 1803, Johannes Temperli walked home to Gutenswil with his family after Sunday church in the neighboring village of Volketswil. The air was still warm from the late summer sun, and the smell of…
-
Research Update
In this Research Update, we present two articles: Article 1: Learning from safety – What cybersecurity can learn from reporting systems This article is a review article published in the Journal of Cybersecurity (2025). It summarizes the current state of research, critically evaluates existing knowledge, and develops new perspectives. The research team – including members…
-
Cyber Law as a Future Skill: UZH Launches New Module on Digital Law, Data Protection, and AI Regulation
Law is the infrastructure of the digital society. Without it, data protection, digital fairness, or AI ethics would remain little more than good intentions. With the new module “Cyber Law – Data protection, AI, and Cybersecurity”, the University of Zurich will, starting in fall semester 2025, offer a forward-looking course dedicated to the complex field…