The DFRWS-EU 2023 Conference will be held Tuesday, March 21 through Friday, March 24. The DFRWS EU program committee are currently planning the conference as a hybrid event, with it possible for attendees and presenters to attend either virtually or physically in Bonn, Germany (pandemic permitting).

Coronavirus
Currently, there are no local restrictions impacting the realization of a physical DFRWS EU 2023. However, the OC will keep an eye on the developments and provide updates to the website, when needed. Furthermore, the travel restrictions to Germany have been lifted for almost all countries. However, when transiting through Europe, a proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test result may still be required. Please check the requirements for your trip by using the Re-open EU website and choosing “Travel Plan”. Note, that we do not take any responsibility if this information is not correct and you are denied entry.

Conference Location:

The DFRWS EU 2023 conference will be held in the “Hörsaalzentrum Poppelsdorf” on the campus of the University of Bonn.

March 21, 2023 to March 24, 2023

How to get there?
The city of Bonn is located in the center of Europe and can easily be reached by various means of transportation.

Via train: The recommended option for travelers from surrounding countries is traveling by train to Bonn central station, which is in close proximity to many hotels as well as the conference venue. Detailed information about connections can be found on the website of the German Rail.
Via plane: For travelers from Europe, Cologne/Bonn airport (CGN) is in most cases the best option with flights from all across Europe arriving daily. It connects to the city center via a direct bus. For long-distance flights, Frankfurt airport (FRA) and Dusseldorf airport (DUS) offer more options. If arriving in FRA, a high-speed train to Siegburg/Bonn station is the fastest way to reach Bonn. In some cases, flight tickets from Lufthansa may include the train ticket to Cologne station (QKL) as well. At Dusseldorf airport, a direct train leaves for Bonn central station every hour.
Via car: Bonn is well connected to the renowned German Autobahn.

Where to stay?

The conference venue is a 20-minute walk or 10-minute bus ride from the city center of Bonn. Thus, various hotels are available (note that there is no “conference hotel”). Some examples include:

President Hotel: 7 minute walk to conference venue (best for late risers).
Hotel Kurfürstenhof: 13 minute walk to conference venue
Hotel Motel One Bonn Hauptbahnhof: 17 minute walk to conference venue
Dorinth Hotel Bonn: 30 minute walk to conference venue (but right next to the river Rhine!)

Keynotes

10 years of CTI

Paul Rascagneres | Principal Threat Researcher at Volexity

Paul Rascagneres is a principal threat researcher at Volexity. He performs investigations to identify new threats. He has presented his findings in several publications and at international security conferences. He has been involved in security research for 10 years, mainly focusing on malware analysis, malware hunting, and more specifically on advanced persistent threat (APT) campaigns and rootkit capabilities. He previously worked for several incident response teams within the private and public sectors. He is the author of 4 editions of a French book related to malware analysis and threat intelligence.

Keynote Abstract: During this keynote, Paul will present feedback from more than ten years of working in the fields of malware analysis, incident response, and threat intelligence. The cyberwar word has been used more and more often over the years. Paul will describe his vision of the current cyber landscape. Why we are not in the cyberwar era – yet – but we are moving closer campaign after campaign… The presentation will include several examples of cyber espionage campaigns and cybersabotage campaigns. Paul will present cases he was involved in and the lessons learned from them. We will see how virtual sabotage and espionage can impact real life. The last part of the keynote will be about the future and in which direction the threat actors are moving. What did they learn during these years of offensive campaigns?

Challenges during the forensic analysis of an underground data center

Christoph Einzinger | Officer of the German Federal Police

Christoph Einzinger is an officer of the German Federal Police and as deputy head of the SOC responsible for the defensive part of the IT-Security. For five years, he has been a cybercrime specialist at the State Criminal Police Office of Rhineland-Palatinate and worked on several cases regarding cybercrime. During that time he finished his masters degree in digital forensics and was a leading part of the group of IT specialists, who were responsible for the seizure of the IT-Infrastructure of an underground data center. He is currently obtaining his doctorate in informatics.

Keynote Abstract: The criminal case “Cyberbunker” has had some media attention and was a one of a kind case for the justice system in Germany. This Keynote will give a look behind the curtain of the different phases of the criminal case. Starting with the covert phase and the police or judicial measures, covering the planning phase of the raid itself and will show the needed expertise to seize all the IT-Infrastructure and analyze about two Petabytes of data. Christoph will give you an internal look into the police work needed to uncover the crimes committed in this underground data center.

Participation

DFRWS invites contributions in the categories listed below. We ask to submit all contributions via EasyChair (https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=dfrwseu2023) and follow the submission guidelines (https://dfrws.org/submission-criteria/).

FULL RESEARCH PAPERS undergo double-blinded peer review, and the proceedings are published by Elsevier as a special issue of the Journal of Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation. We ask to submit articles according to the submission instructions.

PRESENTATIONS / DEMOS require a brief proposal (~500 words, informal), not a paper. These proposals undergo a light review process to select presentations of maximal interest to DFRWS attendees, and to filter out sales pitches. Accepted proposals will be given a presentation slot (~15min) during the conference. These proposals must be submitted through EasyChair. Note that the presentation/demo will not be part of the published proceedings.

POSTERS This year’s conference will have a physical poster session. The posters will be exhibited during the whole conference, with a dedicated poster session during a break where poster authors will be available by their posters. For our online audience, the posters will be available on the conference webpage together with contact details such that online participants can communicate questions or comments to the authors. In addition, the poster authors are encouraged to sign up for a lightning talk to present their work.

The poster must:

Not exceed A0 size (841 mm x 1189 mm)
Be readable both printed and on-screen
Be of interest to the digital forensic community
Not be a sales pitch or advertisement

The poster layout is up to the authors to decide.

The posters are not included in the conference proceedings and will not be subject to a peer-review process. However, they will get a short audit before being exhibited to ensure they follow the above requirements.

Authors can submit posters in EasyChair for approval. The approval process typically takes 1-2 days. Please make sure that you submit early enough to have time for printing the posters after approval. Minor changes to the contents are accepted without a new audit, such as improving the quality of illustrations, correcting spelling or other errors, etc.

WORKSHOPS / TUTORIALS can be 2 to 4 hours (please indicate) and typically include hands-on participation by attendees, allowing for an in-depth, detailed exploration of tools and techniques of interest to DFRWS attendees. Workshops can cover state-of-the-art research projects, useful tips and techniques for standard tools, or most anything that DFRWS attendees would consider beneficial. While commercial tools can be used, these workshops or tutorials should NOT be thinly-veiled commercial advertisements. DFRWS will provide one free conference registration for each workshop accepted.

PANEL PROPOSALS should be one to three pages and clearly describe the topic, its relevance, and a list of potential panelists including their biographies (short). Panels will be evaluated based on the topic relevance and diversity of the panelists.

Submission Information

Paper submissions must be submitted through the EasyChair site at https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=dfrwseu2023. Submissions must be in PDF format and follow the submission criteria and guidelines (https://dfrws.org/submission-criteria-eu/ ). Organizers may reject work that does not follow the listed criteria.

Contact Information

For questions related to paper, presentation, and demo submissions, please send email to: eu-papers <at> dfrws <dot> org

For questions about workshop/tutorial proposals, please send email to: Katerina <at> dfrws <dot> org

For questions related to presenting a poster at DFRWS EU 2023 please send email to: Jens-Petter <at> dfrws <dot> org

For questions about demo proposals, please send email to: Pavel <at> dfrws <dot> org

For questions related to the organisation of DFRWS EU 2023 please send email to: eu <at> dfrws <dot> org

Student Scholarship and Award Program

DFRWS encourages the active participation of students studying digital forensics. One or more Student Scholarships are made available for students to present their accepted research papers for each event. Scholarships are awarded on a first come first serve basis, depending on financial need and sponsorship funding available each year. Exact award amounts will vary, but usually cover registration expenses at a minimum. Refer to the website for further details regarding eligibility, funding and selection (Student Scholarship & Award Program). Please apply using the Google form given here.

Topics of Interest

DFRWS welcomes new perspectives that push the envelope of what is currently possible in digital forensics. Potential topics (alphabetical) to be addressed by submissions include any digital forensic related topic, for example (but not limited to):

Anti-forensics and anti-anti-forensics
Case studies and trend reports
Cloud and virtualized environments
Covert channels (e.g., TOR, VPN)
Digital evidence sharing and exchange
Digital evidence and the law
Digital forensic preparedness / readiness
Digital investigation case management
Digital forensic tool validation
Digital forensic triage / survey
Event reconstruction methods and tools
Forensics analysis and visualization of Big Data
Implanted medical devices
Machine learning and data mining for digital evidence extraction/query
Malware and targeted attacks (analysis and attribution)
Mobile and embedded device forensics
Network and distributed system forensics
Non-traditional forensic scenarios / contexts
SCADA / industrial control systems
Smart power grid forensics
Smart building forensics
Vehicle forensics (e.g., drones, cars)
Virtual currency

Click Here For Proposal Requirements

Deadlines

Date	Event
October 10, 2022	Full papers: Submission of Abstract & Title via EasyChair
October 17, 2022	Full papers : Final submission via EasyChair
November 23, 2022	Full papers: Acceptance notification
December 14, 2022	Full papers: Camera-ready submission of full papers and registration of presenters
December 23, 2022	Workshops & Presentations: Submission via EasyChair
January 13, 2023	Workshops & Presentations: Acceptance notification
March 15, 2023	Poster: Submission via EasyChair

Committees

Organizing Committee

Conference Chair

Jan-Niclas Hilgert (Fraunhofer FKIE)

Conference Co-Chair

Frank Breitinger, Ph.D (University of Lausanne)

Local Chair

Elmar Padilla, Ph.D. (Fraunhofer FKIE)

Board Liaison

Frank Adelstein, Ph.D. (NFA Digital)

Workshop Chair

Aikaterini Kanta (University College Dublin)

Workshop Co-Chair

Hans Henseler, Ph.D. (University of Applied Sciences Leiden)

Keynote Chair

John Sheppard, Ph.D. (South East Technological University)

Keynote Co-Chair

Bruce Nikkel, Ph.D. (Bern University of Applied Sciences)

TPC Chair

Christian Riess (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)

TPC Co-Chair

Ondrej Rysavy, Ph.D.

Proceedings Chair

Edita Bajramovic, Ph.D. (Siemens Energy)

Proceedings Co-Chair

Ricardo J. Rodríguez, Ph.D. (University of Zaragoza)

Promotion Chair

Noémi Bitschnau

Promotion Co-Chair

Immanuel Lautner (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)

Web Chair

Maike Raphael (Leibniz Universität Hannover)

Web Co-Chair

Holger Morgenstern (Albstadt-Sigmaringen University)

Demo Chair

Pavel Gladyshev, Ph.D. (University College Dublin)

Poster Chair

Jens-Petter Sandvik (Norwegian University of Technology and Science)

Poster Co-Chair

Erisa Karafili (University of Southampton)

Program Scheduling Chair

Mark Scanlon, Ph.D. (University College Dublin)

Program Scheduling Co-Chair

Radek Hranický, Ph.D.

Hybrid Chair

Felix Freiling, Ph.D. (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)

Hybrid Co-Chair

Chris Hargreaves, Ph.D. (University of Oxford)

Rodeo Chair

Harm van Beek (Netherlands Forensic Institute)

Rodeo Chair

Ruud Schramp (Netherlands Forensic Institute)

Sponsorships

Daryl Pfeif (DFRWS)

Sponsorships

David-Olivier Jaquet-Chiffelle, Ph.D. (University of Lausanne)

Technical Program Committee

Ashu Sharma, Ph.D.

WatchGuard

Bruce Nikkel, Ph.D.

Bern University of Applied Sciences

Chris Hargreaves, Ph.D.

University of Oxford

Christian Keil, Ph.D.

DFN-CERT

Christian Riess, Ph.D.

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Cosimo Anglano, Ph.D.

Universitá del Piemonte Orientale

Daryl Pfeif

Digital Forensics Solutions LLC

David-Olivier Jaquet-Chiffelle, Ph.D.

University of Lausanne

Edita Bajramovic, Ph.D.

Siemens Energy

Elias Bou-Harb, Ph.D.

University of Texas at San Antonio

Erisa Karafili, Ph.D.

University of Southampton

Erwin van Eijk

Netherlands Forensic Institute

Farkhund Iqbal, Ph.D.

Zayed University

Felix Freiling, Ph.D.

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Frank Adelstein, Ph.D.

NFA Digital

Frank Breitinger, Ph.D.

University of Liechtenstein

Gilbert Peterson, Ph.D.

US Air Force Institute of Technology

Hanno Langweg, Ph.D.

HTWG Konstanz

Harald Baier, Ph.D.

Universität der Bundeswehr München

Harm Van Beek, Ph.D.

Netherlands Forensic Institute

Holger Morgenstern

Albstadt-Sigmaringen University

Irfan Ahmed, Ph.D.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Jan-Niclas Hilgert

Fraunhofer FKIE

John Sheppard, Ph.D.

South East Technological University

Joshua James, Ph.D.

Hallym University

Marian Svetlik

Freelance InfoSec Consultant

Mario Hildebrandt, Ph.D.

Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg

Marko Schuba, Ph.D.

Aachen University of Applied Sciences

Mark Scanlon, Ph.D.

University College Dublin

Martin Lambertz

Fraunhofer FKIE

Mattia Epifani

ITTIG - CNR

Michael Spreitzenbarth, Ph.D.

Siemens CERT

Olga Angelopoulou, Ph.D.

University of Warwick

Oliver Goebel

University of Stuttgart

Ondrej Rysavy, Ph.D.

Brno University of Technology

Owen Brady, Ph.D.

King's College London

Owen O'Connor

State Street

Patrick De Smet, Ph.D.

Nationaal Instituut voor Criminalistiek en Criminologie (NICC/INCC)

Ricardo J. Rodríguez, Ph.D.

Universidad de Zaragoza

Saed Alrabaee, Ph.D.

United Arab Emirates University

Stefan Kiltz, Ph.D.

Universität Magdeburg

Virginia Franqueira, Ph.D.

University of Kent

Wietse Venema, Ph.D.

Google

Xiaolu Zhang, Ph.D.

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Zeno Geradts, Ph.D.

Netherlands Forensic Institute

Registration

Authors – please note that one Full Registration is required (at the in-person rate) for each accepted paper. Any additional authors that attend in-person qualify for reduced registration rates if they are either employed in law enforcement or are full-time students.