Michael Schlichtig, a doctoral student of Prof. Eric Bodden at the Heinz Nixdorf Institute of Paderborn University and a member of the Collaborative Research Center CROSSING, is currently on a one-month research stay in Brazil. Supported by CROSSING, the visit is hosted by Associate Professor Rodrigo Bonifacio de Almeida at the Universidade de Brasília and focuses on advancing static analysis research in secure and usable cryptographic APIs.

During his stay, Michael Schlichtig exchanges ideas with local researchers and presents his work on tools that help developers avoid mistakes when using Java APIs. A highlight of his trip is a talk at the Informatics Center of Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) in Recife, where he will present how flaws in the use of APIs – especially cryptographic ones – can compromise the security of applications. The presentation Helping Developers Reduce Misuse of Java APIs draws on his doctoral research on tools such as the static analysis tool CogniCrypt and explores how usability of systems impacts their adoption by developers. He also proposes solutions focused on AI-driven assistance to improve usability and make secure software development more accessible. Following the presentation, a discussion on how to employ static analysis for semantic conflict detection.

This research visit shows CROSSING’s commitment to international exchange and the development of practical tools for secure software engineering. We look forward to hearing more about the outcomes of this collaboration once Michael returns.