TEACHING
Open Thesis Topics
Students seeking a thesis topic should contact us via E-mail. Please attach your CV so that we can gain a better understanding of your background. Additionally, please select a topic from the provided list or suggest your own topic.
Individual Research Projects
We offer individual research projects (IRPs). An IRP is a semester-long research project conducted by an individual student. Students get awarded 6 CP within the course module HPI-CS-IRP. If you are interested, please email the chair. This needs to happen before the start of the semester.
Winter Semester 2026/27
The introductory lecture will be held on TBA at 15:15 in Room: TBA. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
The introductory lecture will be held on TBA at 17:00 in Room: TBA. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
The introductory lecture will be held on TBA at 13:30 in Room: TBA. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
Summer Semester 2026
The introductory lecture will be held on 13.4.26 (Monday) at 15:15 in Room L-1.2. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
The introductory lecture will be held on 23.4.26 (Thursday) at 17:00 in Room DE 9/10. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
The introductory lecture will be held on 16.4.26 (Thursday) at 11:00 in Room DE 9/10. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
Winter Semester 2025/26
The introductory lecture will be held on 13.10.2025 (Monday) at 15:15 in Room: DE 9/10. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
The introductory lecture will be held on 15.10.2025 (Wednesday) at 17:00 in Room: DE 9/10. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
The introductory lecture will be held on 16.10.2025 (Thursday) at 13:30 in Room: DE 9/10. All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
The kick-off meeting will be held on 15.10.2025 at 10:30 in Room: V-1.15. We will set up and leverage a SLACK channel for all project-related announcements and discussions.
Summer Semester 2025
The introductory lecture will be held on 14.4.2025 at 15:15 in Room: DE 9/10
All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
Description
The Internet has become the foundation of global digital communication, commerce, and innovation. This course offers students with the knowledge and skills to navigate the complex landscape of emerging trends in Internet technologies - from its design and standards development to its implementation and operations in the real-world. By mastering these concepts, students will be prepared to tackle the standardisation and operational challenges of modern Internet technologies and cybersecurity. This course provides the foundational knowledge essential for success in the digital age, regardless of one's aspirations, whether to become a technological engineer, entrepreneur, a computer scientist, or a policy maker. The course delves into the latest advancements in Internet protocols, examining their technical intricacies, deployment challenges, and impact on emerging application areas. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the evolving Internet ecosystem and Internet attacks on privacy and information controls emphasising both theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to this end.
Teaching and learning methods
The lectures are weekly conducted. We will use weekly lectures as primary means to convey the course contents. Those will be complemented by invited guest speakers who will provide an external insight on real-world scenarios and everyday operations. This will offer students a valuable industry perspective and practical knowledge to complement the academic curriculum. Project-based assignments will allow students to perform hands-on tasks to either build new tools or leverage (in some cases) existing tools to understand the operation of different Internet protocols and applications to evaluate the impact they have on the user experience. Finally, students will also get an opportunity to enhance their soft-skills by giving lightning talks intermittently during the course duration. The talks will be based on state of the art papers published on the topics being covered in the course.
Learning outcomes
The course will enable students to articulate the need for new Internet protocols and their significance in the current network landscape. It will also enable students to analyse the technical details of advanced Internet protocols and architectures, evaluate adoption trends and performance metrics of presented protocols, assess the state of network infrastructure needed for supporting emerging Internet applications, and apply knowledge to real-world scenarios through hands-on projects. These comprehensive learning outcomes will equip students with the skills and understanding necessary to navigate and contribute to the rapidly evolving field of Internet technologies.
(Recommended) Requirements
The students are expected to be prepared by an undergraduate-level course on computer networks and networking protocols. Some familiarity with networking tools used for performance evaluation may be beneficial, though not required.
Course Outline and Literature
A detailed course outline will be made available on Moodle.
- Introduction to Advanced Internet Concepts
- Internet Governance and Infrastructure
- Next-Generation Protocols (IPv6, QUIC, HTTP/3, etc.)
- Emerging Network Technologies and Applications
- User Experience and Security Considerations
- Future Internet Paradigms (Decentralized Web, Anonymity Networks)
Course materials will be drawn from recent papers in top conferences and journals, including:
- ACM SIGCOMM and USENIX Networked System Design and Implementation
- ACM Internet Measurement Conference
- USENIX Security and IEEE Security and Privacy (S&P)
- Internet Engineering Task Force documents
- Internet Protocol Journal articles
Grading Scheme
Hands-on Assignments - 50%
Lightning Talks - 30%
Quiz - 20%
Instructors
Dr. Vasilis Ververis
Prof. Dr. Vaibhav Bajpai
Tutors
Inguun Fløvig
The introductory lecture will be held on 10.4.2025 at 17:00 in Room: DE 9/10
All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle
Description
This course brings together the technical expertise of Internet specialists at HPI, Potsdam and the legal insights of public prosecutors at Berlin Staatsanwaltschaft (StA) to provide a comprehensive understanding of Internet hate crimes. Students will learn about the technological underpinnings of the Internet, the nature of Internet hate crimes, and the legal frameworks in place to combat these issues in Germany.
Course Objectives
- To understand the technical aspects of the Internet and how they relate to hate crimes.
- To analyze the legal definitions and frameworks surrounding Internet crimes in Germany.
- To explore the role of technology in detecting and preventing Internet crimes.
- To evaluate case studies and real-world examples from technical and legal perspectives.
Teaching and learning methods
The weekly lectures will serve as the primary means of conveying the course contents. These lectures will be complemented by invited guest speakers who will share their professional experiences with the students. This will provide students with a deeper understanding of Internet (hate) crime. Essay writing will allow students to critically analyze and express their opinions on contemporary and highly debated legal aspects of Internet hate speech. Additionally, students will conduct a literature survey on the technical aspects of Internet hate crimes. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to enhance their soft skills by presenting their essays and literature surveys intermittently throughout the course duration.
Learning outcomes
The course will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the broader landscape of Internet hate crimes, encompassing both legal and technical aspects. They will be equipped to critically analyze contemporary developments in this rapidly evolving field and comprehend the ongoing struggle between regulatory bodies and tech giants. Additionally, students will gain insights into how the Berlin Staatsanwaltschaft addresses Internet hate crime. Furthermore, they will explore the psychological impact of hate speech on individuals, their personal and professional lives and democratic institutions as a whole.
(Recommended) Requirements
The delivery of the lectures will be partly in German and in English. As such, the students are expected to have basic knowledge of German and English language. They are expected to have a basic understanding of how the Internet works. No previous knowledge of legal underpinnings is expected.
Course Outline and Literature
A detailed course outline will be made available on Moodle.
- Legal and Technical Foundations of Internet (Hate) Crime.
- Overview of Central Office on Hate Crime (Zentralstelle Hasskriminalität der StA.)
- Impact of Internet (Hate) Crime on Individuals and Democratic Institutions.
- Technical and Legal Responses to Internet (Hate) Crime.
- Ethical and Social Considerations on Internet (Hate) Crime.
Course materials will be drawn from books, contemporary events, state of the art publications and external lectures by topic experts.
Grading Scheme
- Essay Writing: 25%
- Essay Presentation: 25%
- Literature Survey Writing: 25%
- Literature Survey Presentation: 25%
The introductory lecture will be held on 10.4.2025 at 13:30 in Room: DE 9/10
All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
Description
The Internet stands as one of humanity's most intricate engineering achievements. Yet, as its complexity has grown, so too has the challenge for engineers to comprehend and accurately predict its behavior. This increasing opacity makes it difficult to identify potential improvements within the system, leaving designers grappling with an intangible landscape.
In response to these challenges, the field of Internet measurements has emerged as a vital discipline. This course will delve into the methodologies and significance of Internet measurements, equipping participants with the knowledge to uncover the Internet's properties and enhance its future development.
Through the analysis of seminal papers in this field, we will explore how measurements are employed to diagnose network failures, evaluate performance, and understand the Internet's natural evolution.
In this course you will gain hands-on experience in conducting network measurements and interpreting the resulting data. We will also discuss the critical role that network measurements play in informing protocol engineering, guiding network operators and content providers in improving user experience, and shaping regulatory policies for broadband.
Teaching and learning methods
Each participant covers a topic area by presenting relevant papers during the seminar. To ensure everybody has read the papers, the participants are required to hand in a review of the presented papers via the HotCRP following the provided review template.
In the realm of networking, network measurements are essential for understanding and optimizing the performance of networks. This course aims to provide participants with hands-on experience in conducting these measurements and interpreting the resulting data.
Relevant Conferences and Journals
- IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking
- ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review
- ACM SIGCOMM
- ACM CONEXT
- ACM Internet Measurement Conference (IMC)
- IEEE INFOCOM
Grading Scheme
Paper reviews - 20%
Presentations - 20%
Group discussion - 10%
Hands-on project - 50%
Learning outcomes
The participants will learn how to critically read and discuss research papers. This will be achieved by reviewing papers individually, and actively participating in group discussions during the seminar presentations. Students will also have the opportunity to advance their soft skills through presentation in a conference-style setting with session moderation.
Presentations will involve learning to not only stay within time limits but also to appreciate the Q/A session at the end of the talk.
Course requirements (recommended)
The participants should be already prepared by an undergraduate-level course on computer networks. Familiarity with networking tools used for performance evaluation may be beneficial.
Further Reading
- S. Keshav. "How to read a paper"
- William G. Griswold, “How to Read an Engineering Research Paper”
- Graham Cormode. 2009. “How NOT to review a paper: the tools and techniques of the adversarial reviewer.”
- J Smith. “The Task of the Referee”
Instructors
Dr. Vasilis Ververis
Prof. Dr. Vaibhav Bajpai
Towards a Free and Open Internet Censorship Tracker
All course announcements and materials will be shared on GitLab.
Objective
The goal of this project is to create a comprehensive Internet censorship
tracker that will address the ongoing challenges posed by censorship as
well as network interference and disruption.
Background
Internet censorship remains a significant problem worldwide, impacting
freedom of expression and access to information. Despite various initiatives to
measure and monitor instances of censorship and network blocking, the
anti-censorship community currently lacks a unified and systematic approach to
documentation and education.
Deployment
The proposed project aims to establish a system similar to CVE [1] that can
monitor and document instances of Internet censorship, network
disruptions, and physical infrastructure disruptions that affect Internet access and
connectivity, encompassing a wide range of digital services and platforms that
rely on the Internet for their functionality. These may include online
applications, cloud-based services, social media platforms, and other services.
Who it will help?
This project is intended for journalists, researchers, activists, lawyers,
policymakers, technologists, and others who wish to gain insight into the
prevalence of censorship and network disruption in a particular country,
region, or network. It may also serve to raise awareness of the issues surrounding
Internet censorship, particularly in cases where a country experiences a complete network disruption.
Collaboration
This project will emphasize close collaboration with real-world network
measurement initiatives and the broader Internet freedom community.
Participants will have the unique opportunity to work with and learn from
prominent organizations such as the Open Observatory of Network Interference
(OONI) [2] and Internet Society Pulse [3], among others. Through this
collaboration, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of how these
organizations work and contribute to the global discourse on Internet freedom.
What is CVE?
CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) is a free, publicly available
methodology used by the digital security community to define and identify
publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exposures. This
standardized approach makes it easier to share data across tools, databases, and
services. Each CVE entry consists of:
- A detailed description of the vulnerability or exposure
- At least one public reference By providing a common language and
framework for describing security issues
CVE enables diverse security professionals, researchers, and the
community to:
- Correlate vulnerabilities across systems and data sources
- Compare the coverage and effectiveness of security tools and services
- Facilitate the sharing of security data and knowledge
Instructors
- Dr. Vasilis Ververis
- Prof. Dr. Vaibhav Bajpai
References
[1] CVE – Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. Mitre Corporation. cve.mitre.org
[2] Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI). ooni.org
[3] Internet Society Pulse. pulse.internetsociety.org
Winter Semester 2024/25
The introductory lecture will be held on 16.10.2024 (Wed) at 15:15 - 16:30 in Room: D-E.9/10
All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle
Description
The Internet has become the foundation of global digital communication, commerce, and innovation. This course offers students with the knowledge and skills to navigate the complex landscape of emerging trends in Internet technologies - from its design and standards development to its implementation and operations in the real-world. By mastering these concepts, students will be prepared to tackle the standardisation and operational challenges of modern Internet technologies and cybersecurity. This course provides the foundational knowledge essential for success in the digital age, regardless of one's aspirations, whether to become a technological engineer, entrepreneur, a computer scientist, or a policy maker. The course delves into the latest advancements in Internet protocols, examining their technical intricacies, deployment challenges, and impact on emerging application areas. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the evolving Internet ecosystem and Internet attacks on privacy and information controls emphasising both theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to this end.
Teaching and learning methods
The lectures are weekly conducted. We will use weekly lectures as primary means to convey the course contents. Those will be complemented by invited guest speakers who will provide an external insight on real-world scenarios and everyday operations. This will offer students a valuable industry perspective and practical knowledge to complement the academic curriculum. Project-based assignments will allow students to perform hands-on tasks to either build new tools or leverage (in some cases) existing tools to understand the operation of different Internet protocols and applications to evaluate the impact they have on the user experience. Finally, students will also get an opportunity to enhance their soft-skills by giving lightning talks intermittently during the course duration. The talks will be based on state of the art papers published on the topics being covered in the course.
Learning outcomes
The course will enable students to articulate the need for new Internet protocols and their significance in the current network landscape. It will also enable students to analyse the technical details of advanced Internet protocols and architectures, evaluate adoption trends and performance metrics of presented protocols, assess the state of network infrastructure needed for supporting emerging Internet applications, and apply knowledge to real-world scenarios through hands-on projects. These comprehensive learning outcomes will equip students with the skills and understanding necessary to navigate and contribute to the rapidly evolving field of Internet technologies.
(Recommended) Requirements
The students are expected to be prepared by an undergraduate-level course on computer networks and networking protocols. Some familiarity with networking tools used for performance evaluation may be beneficial, though not required.
Course Outline and Literature
A detailed course outline will be made available on Moodle.
- Introduction to Advanced Internet Concepts
- Internet Governance and Infrastructure
- Next-Generation Protocols (IPv6, QUIC, HTTP/3, etc.)
- Emerging Network Technologies and Applications
- User Experience and Security Considerations
- Future Internet Paradigms (Decentralized Web, Anonymity Networks)
Course materials will be drawn from recent papers in top conferences and journals, including:
- ACM SIGCOMM and USENIX Networked System Design and Implementation
- ACM Internet Measurement Conference
- USENIX Security and IEEE Security and Privacy (S&P)
- Internet Engineering Task Force documents
- Internet Protocol Journal articles
Grading Scheme
- Lightning Talks - 30%
- Hands-on Assignments - 30%
- Oral Exam - 40%
All course announcements and materials will be shared on GitLab - Poster
Description
A prototype for a free and open Internet censorship tracker. Internet censorship is an ongoing challenge, and the anti-censorship community lacks a unified approach to documentation and education. While there are efforts to measure and monitor network interference, censorship, and blocking. censorship, and blocking, there is no centralized database that is updated in real time with detailed technical evidence from multiple sources.
Objectives
In order to do so, the primary objective is to create a glossary that will collate and evaluate information on network interference incidents, which will then be publicly listed on an
open database and relevant website for universal access. It will help to establish an open reporting methodology that can bring together the Internet freedom community and
facilitate a collective response to incidents of Internet censorship.
Deployment
The proposed project aims to establish a system akin to CVE [1] that can monitor and document instances of Internet censorship, network disruptions, and physical
infrastructure disruptions that affect Internet access and connectivity, encompassing a wide range of digital services and platforms that rely on the Internet for their functionality.
This can include online applications, cloud-based services, social media platforms, and other services.
Who it will help?
This project is intended for journalists, researchers, activists, lawyers, policy regulators, technologists, and other entities that wish to gain insights into the prevalence of censorship and network disruption in a specific country, region, or network. It may also serve to raise awareness about the issues surrounding Internet censorship, particularly in instances where a country experiences a complete network blackout.
What is CVE?
CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) is free, publicly available methodology used by the digital security community to define and identify publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exposures. This standardized approach makes it easier to share data across various tools, databases, and services. Each CVE entry consists of:
· A unique identification number
· A detailed description of the vulnerability or exposure
· At least one public reference
By providing a common language and framework for describing security issues, CVE enables diverse security professional, research and the community to:
· Correlate vulnerabilities across different systems and data sources
· Compare the coverage and effectiveness of security tools and services
· Facilitate the sharing of security data and knowledge
References
[1] CVE – Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. Mitre Corporation. https://cve.mitre.org/
Summer Semester 2024
All course announcements and materials will be shared on Moodle.
Description
The Internet is one of the most complex systems the human race has engineered. However, this increasing complexity has made it remarkably difficult for engineers to not only understand but also reliably predict its behavior today. It becomes intangible to identify improvements to a system when many aspects of the system become opaque to its designers.
Internet measurements has emerged as a new field in our era that helps to identify the properties of the Internet so that we are in a better position to improve it for future generations. Measurements are used today to not only isolate network failures but also to ascertain network performance and study the natural evolution of this running system. This is the reason why measurements are starting to get actively used by standardization bodies to inform protocol engineering and design. They are also actively used by network operators and content providers to help improve the quality of experience of their customers. Measurements are also becoming input for regulators that shape future broadband policies.
In this seminar, we will explore seminal papers in the field of Internet measurements. These papers will help teach us techniques and tools that are used to reveal the properties of the Internet today.
Teaching and learning methods
Each participant covers a topic area by presenting relevant papers during the seminar. To ensure everybody has read the papers, the participants are required to hand in a review of the presented papers via HOTCRP following the provided review template. The answers to the review forms should be brief and concise. Refer to the Internet Measurement Conference (IMC) that made reviews for accepted papers public for the 2012 and 2013 programmes.
Paper allocations will be done on a best-effort basis, based on preferences (favorite 5 papers) solicited over email during the semester. A paper will be randomly assigned if no preference is sent. The first seminar course slot will be used to set the agenda for the seminar.
Relevant Conferences and Journals
- IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking
- ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review
- ACM SIGCOMM
- ACM CONEXT
- ACM Internet Measurement Conference (IMC)
- IEEE INFOCOM
Grading Scheme
- Written paper reviews before the presentation (40% of final grade)
- Presentation of a paper during the semester (50% of final grade)
- Group discussions (10% of final grade)
Learning outcomes
The participants will learn how to critically read and discuss research papers. This will be achieved by reviewing papers individually, and actively participating in group discussions during the seminar presentations. Students will also have the opportunity to advance their soft skills through presentation in a conference-style setting with session moderation.
Presentations will involve learning to not only stay within time limits but also to appreciate the Q/A session at the end of the talk.
Course requirements (recommended)
The participants should be already prepared by an undergraduate-level course on computer networks. Familiarity with networking tools used for performance evaluation may be beneficial.
Further Reading
- S. Keshav. “How to read a paper”
- William G. Griswold, “How to Read an Engineering Research Paper”
- Graham Cormode. 2009. “How NOT to review a paper: the tools and techniques of the adversarial reviewer.”
- J Smith. “The Task of the Referee”
Instructors
Dr. Vasilis Ververis
Prof. Dr. Vaibhav Bajpai