Christian Wachsmann

Christian Wachsmann | Cybersecurity Researcher

About Me

About Me

I am an Offensive Security Researcher at Intel, dedicated to pioneering security enhancements for hardware, firmware, and software systems. My core research areas include:

  • Static Analysis of RTL Designs: Engineering and implementing methodologies for (security) verification of large-scale hardware designs to ensure comprehensive and effective security validation.
  • Automated Security Validation: Developing and establishing automated processes to enhance the security of hardware, embedded firmware, and software, including approaches based on artificial intelligence (AI).
  • Test and Debug Security: Analyzing privacy and security challenges posed by testing and debugging features and hardening secure debug architectures and their implementation.
  • Supply Chain Security: Developing robust measures to safeguard the integrity of the hardware supply chain.

At Intel, I led initiatives to harden hardware and firmware security of communications systems and platforms — including 5G Base Transceiver Stations and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi chipsets. Previously, as a Platform Security Architect, I was responsible for the end-to-end security architecture of cellular modem chipsets.

Prior to joining Intel, I pursued postdoctoral research at the System Security Lab at Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany. My work focused on the design, development, formal modeling, and security analysis of novel security architectures and cryptographic protocols. This included leveraging hardware-based security primitives such as Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) to enhance authentication and attestation mechanisms in embedded systems.

You can find more information on my publications, career path, academic activities, and honors and awards I have been granted on this website.

I am also present on and .

Publications

Most of my publications are listed at Google Scholar and the dblp computer science bibliography.

Career Path

2019 – present
Offensive Security Researcher
at Intel, Munich/Remote, Germany.

2015 – 2019
Platform Security Architect
at Intel, Nuremberg, Germany.

2013 – 2015
Postdoctoral Researcher
at System Security Lab of Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.

2011 – 2013
Graduate Student (Dr.-Ing., equivalent to Ph.D.) and Research Assistant
at System Security Lab of Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.

2008 – 2010
Graduate Student (Dr.-Ing., equivalent to Ph.D.) and Research Assistant
at System Security Lab of Ruhr-Universität Bochum and at Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security (HGI), Bochum, Germany.

2004 – 2008
Teaching Assistant
at System Security Lab of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.

2002 – 2008
Undergraduate Student (Dipl.-Ing., equivalent to M.Sc.)
in IT Security at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.

Honors & Awards

2014 ACM SIGSAC Doctoral Dissertation Award (runner-up) for outstanding Ph.D. thesis in computer and information security.

2015 Nominated for the GI Dissertation Award.

2013 ACM CODASPY Outstanding Poster Award.

2008 Distinction as outstanding graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.

2000 Jugendpreis der Eduard-Rhein-Stiftung.

2000 Jugend Forscht winner of the state competition.

1999 Jugend Forscht winner of the regional competition.