Till Zimmermann

dblp:134/5201 · DBLP profile ↗
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7ranked-venue papers
3as first author
7since 2021 · last 2026
0000-0002-5330-7255ORCID · corroborated

Domains — the database's venue-derived domains; a paper can count in several

Computer networks · 5 · 3 first-author · 5 since 2021Systems, architecture and hardware · 1 · 1 since 2021Security and privacy · 1 · 1 since 2021Applied, interdisciplinary, general and emerging computing · 1 · 1 since 2021
YearPublicationVenuePosition
2026 DEMO: COSME - Composable Orchestrated Starlink Mobility Emulation
abstract
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite links are pivotal for ubiquitous vehicle connectivity, yet their performance is impacted by a complex interplay of weather, constellation dynamics, and physical obstructions. While individual models for these impairments exist, protocol and application designers lack a unified tool to evaluate behavior under realistic, composed LEO conditions. We present COSME, a route-aware, real-time mobility emulator that integrates multiple impairment models - including obstruction-based loss, constellation-induced jitter, precipitation-driven bandwidth reduction, and packet loss at handovers - into a single framework. By orchestrating Linux network namespaces via tc and netem, COSME enables the high-fidelity playback of merged impairment traces. We demonstrate COSME through five diverse application showcases, highlighting the impact of different congestion control algorithms and transport protocols on LEO connectivity.
Eric Lanfer, Dominic Laniewski, Till Zimmermann, Nils Aschenbruck
SIGCOMM3
2026 The More We Measure, The Less We See: On the Replicability and Repeatability of Mobile Starlink Measurements
abstract
Lately, growing effort has been invested to analyze the Starlink performance under vehicular user terminal mobility. As such measurement campaigns are labor- and time-consuming, existing studies mostly focus on single test drives. In this paper, we demonstrate that repeatability and replicability of mobile Starlink measurements represent serious challenges, mainly due to numerous factors that can be hardly controlled. First, we conduct an extensive measurement campaign of Starlink's latency and packet loss under vehicular mobility. The campaign focuses on repeatability and consists of 35 single test drives of the identical highway route over the span of four months. Then, we demonstrate that replicability remains challenging. For this, we replicate existing findings and find new, seemingly statistically significant correlations by purposefully cherry-picking single test drives. By considering our complete dataset, we show that in reality, these findings are likely statistical variations caused by uncontrollable factors. Based on this, we discuss the challenges and provide guidelines for meaningful future Starlink measurements under vehicular mobility.
Till Zimmermann, Dominic Laniewski, Eric Lanfer, Nils Aschenbruck
SIGCOMM1
2025 Caiba: Multicast Source Authentication for CAN Through Reactive Bit Flipping
abstract
Controller Area Networks (CANs) are the back-bone for reliable intra-vehicular communication. Recent cyberattacks have, however, exposed the weaknesses of CAN, which was designed without any security considerations in the 1980s. Current efforts to retrofit security via intrusion detection or message authentication codes are insufficient to fully secure CAN as they cannot adequately protect against masquerading attacks, where a compromised communication device, a so-called electronic control units, imitates another device. To remedy this situation, multicast source authentication is required to reliably identify the senders of messages. In this paper, we present Caiba, a novel multicast source authentication scheme specifically designed for communication buses like CAN. Caiba relies on an authenticator overwriting authentication tags on-the-fly, such that a receiver only reads a valid tag if not only the integrity of a message but also its source can be verified. To integrate Caiba into CAN, we devise a special message authentication scheme and a reactive bit overwriting mechanism. We achieve interoperability with legacy CAN devices, while protecting receivers implementing the AUTOSAR SecOC standard against masquerading attacks without communication overhead or verification delays.
Eric Wagner 0003, Frederik Basels, Till Zimmermann, Klaus Wehrle, Martin Henze
EuroS&P4
2025 Measuring the Potential for Bundled Starlink Performance within a Single Service Cell
abstract
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks such as Starlink allow global and affordable internet access. This not only connects remote residents, but also enables new potentials such as connecting non-stationary agricultural systems in rural areas for high-precision spot farming. One challenge is that tractors and farming robots need to transmit large amounts of data from cameras and laser scanners in real-time, which easily overwhelms the uplink capabilities of a single LEO connection. In this paper, we examine the Starlink performance of multiple terminals within a single service cell to lay ground for multipath link bundling as a possible approach to increase link capabilities. For this purpose, we present two measurement setups consisting of four and seven Starlink dishes placed in one service cell. We conduct multiple measurements and evaluate UDP and TCP throughput, latency, and packet loss. We find that UDP throughput scales almost linearly with the number of dishes, indicating significant bundling potential up to an expected limit. In contrast, TCP BBRv1’s bundling potential is limited, due to inefficiencies in utilizing the links. Moreover, we find that some packet loss events are synchronized within a service cell. For future and independent research, we make our dataset publicly available.
Till Zimmermann, Dominic Laniewski, Eric Lanfer, Stefanie Thieme, Nikolas Wintering, Nils Aschenbruck
LCN1
2025 Nomadic 5G Network with Satellite Based Internet Connectivity for Agriculture
abstract
The automation of the agricultural sector is continuously evolving. Especially communication plays a key role for the future agriculture 4.0 transformation. The coordination of agricultural machinery and the increasing usage of robots demands reliable communication. However, in rural areas a sufficient coverage by mobile networks is often not guaranteed. This paper addresses this issue by development of a portable standalone 5G nomadic network with satellite connectivity, which is optimized for agricultural use cases. The approach includes the use of Real Time Kinematic (RTK) for exact positioning, internet backhauling, and a concept for automatic frequency allocation. The proposed nomadic network architecture has been built and tested in a real-world scenario on an agricultural yard in Germany. It was shown that such a network can empower the agricultural transformation in different ways.
Felix Kahmann, Ralf Tönjes, Lennart Schonebeck, Timo Kranz, Till Zimmermann, Dominic Laniewski, Harald Andreesen, Andreas Möller
WFCS5
2024 Demo: The Impact of LEO Satellite Network Instabilities on the Performance of Networking Applications
abstract
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks like Starlink are susceptible to both external factors (e.g., weather and obstruction) and internal factors such as frequency and resource allocation changes. This causes performance instabilities by design. In this demo, we show that such instabilities can have a detrimental impact on the performance of TCP and consequently on large parts of today’s internet, as most traffic uses TCP as transport protocol. Consequently, LEO-specific adaptations to either TCP and/or higher-level applications are necessary.
Dominic Laniewski, Stefanie Thieme, Till Zimmermann, Eric Lanfer, Nikolas Wintering, Jannis Mast, Nils Aschenbruck
LCN3
2022 Developing a Scalable Network of High-Interaction Threat Intelligence Sensors for IoT Security
abstract
In the last decade, numerous Industrial IoT systems have been deployed. Attack vectors and security solutions for these are an active area of research. However, to the best of our knowledge, only very limited insight in the applicability and real-world comparability of attacks exists. To overcome this widespread problem, we have developed and realized an approach to collect attack traces at a larger scale. An easily deployable system integrates well into existing networks and enables the investigation of attacks on unmodified commercial devices.
Till Zimmermann, Eric Lanfer, Nils Aschenbruck
LCN1