Symposium on Formal Methods for Security, Privacy, and Trust 2026
Valedictory Lecture by Prof. Sjouke Mauw
On April 10th at 4pm, Prof. Sjouke Mauw will give his valedictory lecture in the Blackbox (Maison des Sciences Humaines, Campus Belval) with the title "A Window of Vulnerability - Or a Front Door? How the Virtual World Entered the Physical World".
Abstract.
In 2008 I held my inaugural lecture "A window of vulnerability: The virtual world eyeing the physical world" at the University of Luxembourg. Back then I explored an emerging shift: the virtual world was no longer a separate realm, but increasingly turning its gaze toward the physical one. What at the time appeared as a "window of vulnerability", over the past two decades, evolved far beyond its original frame.
Today, the boundary between the virtual and the physical has not merely blurred, but largely dissolved. Digital systems sense, influence, and act upon the physical world at a scale and speed that were difficult to anticipate at the time. This transformation brings many opportunities, but also a new landscape of risks. Questions of security and privacy now extend across both worlds simultaneously, challenging the safeguards on which our society has relied.
In this valedictory lecture, I will revisit the ideas that shaped my inaugural address, reflect on how reality has unfolded over the last two decades, and explore what lies ahead.