Congratulations to Master’s student Luca Knecht, and to our colleagues Prof. Dr. Petra Maria Asprion and Prof. Dr. Bettina Schneider from the Competence Center Digital Trust!

The trio received the Best Paper Award at the 22nd International Conference on Applied Computing (AC 2025), held in Porto, Portugal.

Their award-winning paper, “AI and Cybercrime: A Policy Framework for Organizational Defense,” evolved from Luca Knecht’s master’s thesis – making this recognition an especially proud achievement for the FHNW academic community. It exemplifies how close collaboration between professors and students can inspire impactful, award-winning research that continues even beyond the master’s program.

Research Content

The paper explores the dual-use nature of Artificial Intelligence (AI): its potential for both innovation and misuse, and examines how AI technologies are increasingly exploited for cybercriminal activities. Drawing on expert interviews and a comprehensive literature review, the research develops a conceptual policy framework that provides organizations with practical, actionable measures to defend against AI-driven cyber threats.

The framework integrates strategic, operational, and technical cybersecurity measures, bridging gaps in existing standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF, and the EU AI Act. It is designed to support cybersecurity professionals, IT managers, and risk officers in mitigating AI-enabled risks and enhancing organizational resilience.

The Conference Committee recognized the paper for its high academic standard, practical relevance, and contribution to advancing cybersecurity policy and practice.