Marking a significant milestone, the University of Tartu’s Institute of Computer Science brought the 30th Nordic Conference on Secure IT Systems (NordSec) to Tartu, Estonia. The NordSec conference is one of Northern Europe’s longest-running forums for cybersecurity research.
Conference details:
- The 30th Nordic Conference on Secure IT Systems
- Tartu, Estonia — November 12–13, 2025.
- Conference website: https://nordsec2025.cs.ut.ee/
- Conference opening recording: https://youtu.be/EmI8dAfCDyQ
NordSec, held annually since 1996, brings together cybersecurity researchers from the Nordic region, wider Europe, and other parts of the world. Alongside academic presentations, the conference serves as an important meeting place for university staff, students, and industry professionals. This year’s event was the fourth time Estonia has hosted NordSec, following previous editions in Tallinn (2011) and Tartu (2005, 2017, and 2025).
Conference series: https://www.nordsec.org/conferences/
This year, NordSec received a record number of paper submissions, reflecting the growing interest and urgency around cybersecurity. A total of 29 research papers were accepted for presentation. The programme covered eight key focus areas:
- Cryptography
- Artificial Intelligence and Software Security
- Network and Communication Security
- System and Hardware Security
- Threat Analysis
- Access Control and Policy Management
- Usable Security and Societal Resilience
- Obfuscation
The Best Paper Award goes to “Understanding APT Defense Through Expert Eyes: A Critical Exploration of Perceived Needs and Gaps,” which was authored by Raymond Andre Hagen, Kirsi Helkala, and Lasse Øverlier.
NordSec 2025 also featured two prominent keynote speakers.
Prof. Vashek Matyas from Masaryk University (Czech Republic) delivered an eye-opening talk on the process and risks of creating fake fingerprints. Both the recording and slides were made available for further learning.
Watch the video recording: https://youtu.be/bWi-m101qrw
Kalev Pihl, CEO of SK ID Solutions, explored whether true security is possible without continuous innovation—a topic highly relevant in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Watch the video recording: https://youtu.be/OiE7r2NxlUk
To celebrate the conference’s 30th anniversary, a special panel discussion was organised. Panelists Audun Jøsang, Tuomas Aura, Peeter Laud, and Simone Fischer-Hübner reflected on NordSec’s growth, its community, and the evolution of its role over the past three decades. The session, moderated by Liina Kamm, explored emerging technology trends and new cybersecurity challenges.
The organisers expressed gratitude to everyone involved in making NordSec 2025 a success, including the University of Tartu, the Institute of Computer Science, Cybernetica, and the CHESS Cyber-Security Excellence Hub.
The event once again highlighted NordSec’s importance as a platform for collaboration, learning, and strengthening cybersecurity across the region.
