Maximilian Golla

I am a 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.

Currently, I am a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy in Bochum, Germany. In October 2023, I will start my group at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Saarbrücken, Germany. I received my Ph.D. 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 George Washington University.

My research focuses on computer security, privacy, and human-computer interaction (HCI). In particular, 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.