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Towards a new cybersecurity paradigm
Negative trust architectures to defend against insider attacks
On 20 February, the Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur) has launched the expression of interest for the planned research programme "Negative Trust Architectures" (Ne-Trust). The focus is on an advanced cybersecurity paradigm (negative trust) that aims to significantly improve defence capabilities against insider attacks. The agency is seeking ideas and perspectives from academia and industry to refine the programme's content.
With the launch of the expression of interest for the planned "Ne-Trust" research programme, the Cyberagentur is setting the stage for a new, advanced cybersecurity paradigm. The aim of Ne-Trust is to research basic principles and concrete approaches for negative trust. These insights will support the development of initial reference architectures that improve cyber defence against insider attacks. The concepts are also to be introduced into the scientific discourse, thus laying the foundation for later technical implementations.
The reason for this call is the heightened security threat posed by intentionally or unintentionally acting insiders. In addition, deceptively real content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-supported cyber-attacks increase uncertainty in the digital space and reinforce the need for constant cyber-vigilance. In this environment, security paradigms take on particular importance: they shape how IT systems are fundamentally designed, operated and protected.
One established principle is "zero trust". Measures such as micro-segmentation, minimal access rights and continuous identity verification can strengthen the resilience of systems and limit the damage in the event of an attack. However, this approach is often not sufficient to protect against insider attacks. In addition, the threat situation is exacerbated by AI-supported attack methods. Key reference works, including the NIST guideline SP 800-207, point to remaining gaps and unmet research needs.
This is precisely where Ne-Trust comes in: "The defence capabilities of IT systems need to be considered beyond existing paradigms," says Felix Dotzauer, contact person and Research Officer in the department for Cybersecurity of Complex Systems . "Negative trust thus serves as a starting point for developing holistic solutions that systematically take insider threats into account, even against the backdrop of new attack vectors."
The current expression of interest is a deliberately early step for orientation. It serves to gather perspectives, ideas and expert assessments from science, industry and research in a structured manner, thereby refining the further design of the planned research programme. Companies, start-ups, universities and research institutions, among others, are invited to participate. Responses can be submitted until 8 April 2026.
Participation is via an online survey (https://forms.office.com/e/4LDdukqeQn). The publication was also announced on the European Union's procurement portal (https://ted.europa.eu/de/notice/-/detail/122136-2026). The Ne-Trust team will answer any questions about the process by email at ne-trust-ibv@cyberagentur.de.
Contact:
Agency for Innovation in Cybersecurity GmbH
Große Steinstraße 19
06108 Halle (Saale)
Michael Lindner
Press Officer
Tel.: +49 151 44150 645
Email: presse@cyberagentur.de
Background: Cyberagentur
The Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur) was founded in 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the German Federal Government under the joint leadership of the German Federal Ministry of Defence and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior with the aim of taking an application-strategy-oriented and cross-departmental view of internal and external security in the field of cybersecurity. Against this background, the work of the Cyberagentur is primarily aimed at the institutionalised implementation of highly innovative projects that carry a high risk in terms of achieving their objectives, but at the same time have a very high potential for disruption if successful.
The Cyberagentur is part of the Federal Republic of Germany's National Security Strategy.
The Cyberagentur is headed by Prof. Dr Christian Hummert as Scientific Director and Bettina Bubnys as Commercial Director.
Felix Dotzauer, Research Officer Cybersecurity of Complex Systems
https://www.cyberagentur.de/en/press/impuls-fuer-ein-neues-cybersicherheitsparad...
https://ted.europa.eu/de/notice/-/detail/122136-2026
Expression of interest for Ne-Trust launched: New “negative trust” approaches are intended to make I ...
Quelle: freepik/Cyberagentur
Copyright: Cyberagentur
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Expression of interest for Ne-Trust launched: New “negative trust” approaches are intended to make I ...
Quelle: freepik/Cyberagentur
Copyright: Cyberagentur
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