On July 30 and 31, 2026, the Objective for the We conference (OFTW) will take place on the Hasso Plattner Institute campus in Potsdam. The two-day event focuses on the security of Apple products and is aimed specifically at students and early-career professionals.
The conference is organized by the Chair of Mobile and Wireless Security, led by Prof. Jiska Classen, in collaboration with the Objective-See Foundation. Master’s student Lina Wilske and PhD student Swantje Lange are also part of the organizing team and bring their own experience from the main conference.
What is OFTW and what does it offer?
#OFTW is the junior talent format of the renowned Objective by the Sea conference, one of the world’s leading specialist conferences in the field of Apple security. The program is deliberately designed to be practical and tailored to participants’ prior knowledge. On the first day, participants can expect a full-day hands-on training session that provides a fast and intensive introduction to Apple security. On the second day, the program continues with expert talks by international security researchers and specialists, followed by a final panel discussion with speakers from the community.
Making cybersecurity understandable and accessible
OFTW sees itself as a technical yet beginner-friendly conference on Apple security. Participation is free of charge, and the workshops vary in terms of the prior knowledge required. This allows participants to learn the technical skills they are most interested in and to expand their knowledge beyond what is typically covered in their degree programs.
Swantje Lange, a doctoral researcher in Mobile and Wireless Security, emphasizes: "Cybersecurity deals with human-made systems and therefore always with vulnerabilities and significant research potential. Especially in the field of Apple security, the need for exchange, transparency, and research is particularly high."
From security to Apple security
Master’s student Lina Wilske has already attended the main conference in Spain and Hawaii, where she even gave her own talk. During her bachelor’s studies, she discovered her enthusiasm for cybersecurity through courses and the Cybersecurity Club at HPI, among other things. She also emphasizes: "During my bachelor’s degree, I never would have thought that my path would one day lead me into Apple security. My specialization in Apple security developed through the travel scholarship for the main conference in Spain, as well as Prof. Classen’s research focus."
Looking behind Apple’s facade
A special focus of the conference is on gaining a better understanding of Apple systems. Although Apple is known for its high privacy standards, many technical details are not publicly accessible. Security research therefore often means analyzing systems, questioning them, and identifying patterns. The conference offers an opportunity to take exactly this perspective and look behind the facade of one of the world’s most widely used technology ecosystems.
Interested? Apply by June 26: https://hpi.de/en/article/oftw-2026/
See you by the Sea – in this case, at Lake HPI on the campus.
