DFRWS Online

DFRWS 2008 Annual Conference

DFRWS is the leading digital forensics research conference and the 8th annual conference will be held from August 11 to 13, 2008 in Baltimore, MD.

The conference program is currently being determined as the paper submissions are reviewed (we had a record number of submissions this year). We have confirmed keynote speakers from the United States Secret Service and Orin Kerr.

Getting Involved

There are many ways for you to be involved with DFRWS 2008.

• Attendee: Attend the conference to learn about the latest in digital forensics research, to provide feedback to researchers, and to meet and interact with other researchers and practitioners. The conference program is available online.
• Challenge: Work on a solution to the annual forensics challenge (deadline is July 10, 2008). This challenge encourages the development of tools and techniques for Linux memory analysis and the fusion of evidence from multiple data sources.
• Sponsor: Help promote research in this area and gain exposure at the annual conference by becoming a sponsor of one of the conference events.
• Posters and Demos: During the conference, a poster and demo session will occur. This allows attendees to show initial research results and demonstrate tools that have been developed. To present your work, send e-mail to dfrws2008-demos (at) dfrws (dot) org before the conference starts.
• Works in Progress (WIP): On the last day of the conference, there is typically a Works in Progress (WIP) session that gives attendees 5 minutes to give an overview of their work. There are a limited number of WIP slots and they are assigned on a first come first serve basis using a signup sheet at the conference.
• Speaker: Submit a paper or panel proposal (deadline was March 17, 2008 March 24, 2008) so that your work can be be presented at the conference and included in the printed proceedings.

About The Conference

The annual DFRWS conference allows leading digital forensics researchers from government, industry, and academia to present their work and results to fellow researchers and practitioners. Many of the most cited digital forensics papers have been presented at DFRWS and the annual challenge has spawned research in important areas. Initial results and tool prototypes are also presented during the Works in Progress and demo sessions.

The conference typically has about 100 people and is therefore small enough so that attendees meet each other and can interact with the speakers. A tradition of DFRWS as been its casual and interactive atmosphere where break out sessions exist to discuss topics related to the presentations. There are also opportunities to interact during the welcome reception and banquet. After the banquet, attendees can put their forensics skills to the test when they form teams to participate in the annual Forensics Rodeo, which is a challenge that requires participants to analyze data and answer questions.

Student Scholarships

The DFRWS has a limited number of scholarships which may be awarded to students presenting a paper at the DFRWS Conference. The intent is to help alleviate the financial burden on a student who might otherwise be unable to attend due to the cost of hotel expenses and registration. To be eligible to receive a scholarship, the applicant must meet ALL of the following requirements:

1. Be a full-time student.
2. Must be the lead author on a paper accepted at DFRWS 2008.
3. Must be presenting the paper at the conference.
4. Must be traveling from an area other than the greater metropolitan area of the conference.

Typically, scholarships only help defray the costs of lodging and registration. Scholarships are not transferable or otherwise redeemable. Consideration for scholarships will not take place until after the acceptance of papers. Scholarship requests have no bearing on whether or not a paper is accepted for presentation.

Scholarship requests must be submitted by May 12, 2008 (the same day that final drafts are due). Authors will be notified by May 30, 2008. The request must include a cover letter that explains why you should receive a scholarship. Prior to award, scholarship candidates will be required to provide written correspondence from a faculty advisor to the DFRWS (details provided to potential awardees when needed).

Send requests and questions to dfrws2008-scholarship (at) dfrws (dot) org. Note that in the past, some messages with attachments have been silently dropped by our SPAM and virus filters. If you do not receive a confirmation reply then please try again without an attachment.