Maximilian Golla

I'm a postdoctoral researcher interested in usable privacy and security. I graduated in computer science and specialized in information security and developed an interest in usability and human factors in computer security.

I received my PhD from Ruhr University Bochum, where I focused on exploring the usability and security of password-based user authentication. In the past, I worked on insecure and burdensome fallback authentication solutions, determined the accuracy of password strength meters, explained proactive password-reuse checks, and improved the adoption rates of password managers. I worked extensively with Blase Ur at the University of Chicago and Adam J. Aviv at The George Washington University.

Currently, I'm a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy in Bochum, Germany. The research of our group at MPI-SP focuses on computer security, privacy, and human-computer interaction (HCI). There, I am working on reinforcing the security of passwords by driving the adoption of two-factor, risk-based, and passwordless authentication. In the area of usable privacy, I am exploring privacy dashboards and users' perceptions of online behavioral advertising, data collection, and tracking, and I am analyzing the privacy risks of disruptive technologies like smart speakers.