Digital Forensics Conference Grabs Media Attention in the Middle East

The 2nd International ICST Conference on Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime (ICDF2C 2010) attracted the well-deserved attention of most print and broadcast media in the host country, the United Arab Emirates.  Articles both pre- and post conference appeared in prestigious media outlets such as The National, Gulf News, Al Bayan and Khaleej Times (article 1, article 2) but interviews also aired on various television channels.

A recent hacker attack into a computer system in the UAE gave the conference special momentum and timeliness, as General Chair Dr. Ibrahim Baggili of Zayed University pointed out in his Opening Remarks. “One cannot stress enough the importance of an event like this, not only to this region, but to the rest of the world. The idea of digital forensics is strongly tied into incident response, and as we have learned over the years, it is impossible to expect that an incident will never happen. We have to fully understand and study ways of responding to incidents, especially in the novel area of cyber security (Dr. Ibrahim Baggili, 4 October 2010).”

The conference program featured credible, peer-reviewed academic research paper presentations, industry speakers, and attendees from all over the world, giving the conference an international edge beyond regional relevance.

Keynote presenters of this year’s conference are exceptional experts of the field. Paul Kurtz, a world renowned cyber security expert, former Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Critical Infrastructure Protection in the White House Homeland Security Council, presented on the first day. Dr. Marcus Rogers, research scholar, professor, and a fellow of CERIAS delivered his keynote address on the second day. The third day workshop addressed special topics in digital forensics. The session presented by respected scholar Dr. Nasir Memon from NYU-Poly focused on the latest advancements in digital image forensics. The second workshop led by Bhadran V.K, Director of the Resource Centre for Cyber Forensics in India, concentrated on issues of network forensics.

Special guests of the UAE’s Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice also honored the event with their presence: His Excellency Major General Khalil Dawood Badran; Lt. Colonel Al Shamsi; His Honor Dr. Mohamad Obaid Al Kaebi, Judge of Fujeirah Court; His Honor Dr. Omar Obaid Algoul, Judge of Ajman Court; Major Omar Al Tenaiji and Dr. Suleiman Al Jassim, Vice president of Zayed University.

ICDF2C 2010 received generous support from the UAE Ministry of Interior, Ernst & Young, and AccessData. The recognition of such an important event by the Ministry of Interior showed great dedication to study and resolve the issue of cyber crime in the United Arab Emirates. The Ernst & Young and AcessData sponsorships also highlighted that cyber crime is not simply a governmental issue, but also a critical business challenge.

ICDF2C 2011 has been announced to take place in Ireland in fall 2011, hosted by University College Dublin, under the leadership of General Chair Dr. Pavel Gladyshev. For more information on the conference series, please visit www.d-forensics.org