DFRWS Vision
Fostering transdisciplinary approaches to address emerging challenges in digital forensics by bringing together innovative researchers, developers, and practitioners from around the globe.
DFRWS Vision
- INCLUSION: Reaching out to everyone with a legitimate interest in digital forensic research.
- INNOVATION: Pushing the envelope of what is currently possible in digital forensics
- USABILITY: Practical solutions for real-world problems.
- SCIENTIFIC PRACTICE: Systematic processes and reliable results
DFRWS Mission
The inclusive, long-term mission for DFRWS encompasses research, practice, education:
- Maintain a dynamic community of experts from academia and practice.
- Attract new perspectives and foster exchange of ideas to advance digital forensics
- Promote scholarly discussion related to digital forensic research and its application.
- Engage practitioners from law enforcement, the military, and civilian sectors to focus research
and development to address current and emerging challenges in digital forensics. - Engage in regular debate and collaborative activity to ensure a sharp focus, high interest, and efficacy.
- Define core principles that form a focus for useful research and development,
- Establish and expand a common lexicon so the community speaks the same language.
- Increase scientific rigor in digital forensics
- Inspire the next generation to invent novel solutions.
DFRWS Profile
DFRWS is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to bringing together everyone with a legitimate interest in digital forensics to address the emerging challenges of our field.
DFRWS organizes digital forensic conferences, challenges, and international collaboration to help drive the direction of research and development. DFRWS conferences provide a friendly atmosphere to share research papers, practitioner presentations and works in progress. Every gathering includes technical workshops, demos, panels, and other “breakout sessions” covering various issues related to digital forensics.
Ultimately, it is the goal of DFRWS to cultivate transdisciplinary coproduction of knowledge that stimulates healthy growth in this rapidly evolving field. It is notable that many novel developments in the field have their roots in works and breakout sessions at DFRWS conferences. As such, DFRWS conferences are not only a snapshot of the state of the research in the field but are also a useful pointer towards the future.
DFRWS History
The first Digital Forensic Research Workshop was held in August 2001. The vision was to bring together researchers, practitioners, industry, academics, law enforcement, and military with the goal of opening lines of communication. The result of this inaugural event was the technical report “A Road Map for Digital Forensic Research” that is frequently referenced as a foundational framework for the domain.
Since then, an annual conference has been held in various cities around the United States, Europe and APAC to present and discuss current and emerging challenges in digital forensic science. The scope of DFRWS has increased to include annual challenges and technical working groups. In 2005, Digital Forensic Research Workshop, Inc. became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
DFRWS Founding
Inspiration
The initial vision and impetus for the DFRWS was provided by John Faust, John Feldman, Joseph Giordano, Dan Kalil, Chet Maciag, Gary Palmer, Thomas Parisi, and William Wolf. We would also like to thank the IFGB of the AFRL for contributing the time of interns, administrative assistants (Martha Kraeger), graphic arts materials and products, and support contractors (Jack Mineo and Ann Robinson) to the initial workshops.