Master students only! Many key concepts in computer security come up in user authentication, from cryptography, over usability, to Web standardization processes. This seminar aims at master students in Computer Science or related fields, as it requires an understanding of the full stack of how cybersecurity is built in real systems.

The seminar will give students a deep understanding of typical passwordless user authentication schemes enabling them to reason about their usability, deployability, and security properties.

Papers will be shared via Stud.IP.

Starting with how passwords are used, why they are not secure, and how one can reinforce them, the seminar will shed light on secure and usable alternatives to passwords on the Web. We will review papers that study usability issues, misconceptions, security guarantees, or report about real-world deployments of passwordless authentication solutions like passkeys, hardware security keys, and legacy solutions like single sign-on or magic links. Students will read various recent scientific publications on passwordless user authentication solutions. During a hands-on experience students are asked to present one passwordless authentication system, reason about its usability benefits and need to explain how this authentication system might fail in practice.

The seminar can host up to 12 students. The seminar will be hybrid with in-person and zoom meetings. Students are expected write a 4-6 pages research paper and give a 20 minutes presentation.

Passwortlose Authentifizierung im Web

Passwordless Authentication on the Web

englisch

Zeitraum für Prüfungsform VbP