The third annual DFRWS APAC 2023 Conference will be held 17-20 October 2023, as an in-person conference (pandemic permitting) run concurrently with attendees participating in both Singapore and Hong Kong.

We invite original contributions in the form of research papers, non-research presentations, demos, and posters in topic areas related to Digital Evidence and Digital Forensics.

Conference Location:

The DFRWS APAC 2023 conference will be held at 2 locations: Suntec City and Marina Bay Sands (Singapore Locations) & Cyber Range, 8/F, Arsenal House, Police Headquarters, 1 Arsenal Street, Wanchai (Hong Kong Location)

October 17, 2023 to October 20, 2023

Accommodation

DFRWS-APAC Teams With GovWare on Room Rates

You are encouraged to book your own accommodation for Singapore Location.

NOTE: The rate mentioned doesn’t include Friday night.

Keynotes

Reverse Engineering Hardware

Bunnie Huang | Studio Kosagi

Hardware reverse engineering is fundamentally a metrology problem, assisted by human intelligence sources. On the one hand, any system can be decomposed with sufficiently powerful microscopy and enough resources. On the other hand, no metrology is required if the design sources can be obtained through human intelligence measures. Practical reverse engineering is always a blend of the two. This talk gives an overview of some of the historical techniques for practical reverse engineering, then pivoting into the challenges of reverse engineering today's ever more complicated and obfuscated hardware ecosystems.

Streamlining Digital Forensics

Tuan Liang LIM | HTX

Abstract:With the convergence of services across device form factors, platforms and operating systems, it is becoming increasingly important to have a streamlined approach to digital forensics. The ecosystems built by Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others allow for user data to be synced across all devices, making it easier but also more difficult at the same time for digital forensic examiners to access and analyse data. The presentation will explore the challenges of digital forensics in this new landscape, alongside the growing volume of data, and how a streamlined approach can improve efficiency and effectively manage the increased volume. Attendees will learn about the benefits of automation, standardisation, and collaboration in digital forensics and how to implement these strategies to help alleviate the strain on digital forensics teams. The presentation will also share how HTX intends to support investigations across different devices and platforms, while keeping things simple. Overall, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of streamlining digital forensics and how it can lead to quicker results, and a higher probability of successful investigation outcomes.

Future Challenges in Digital Forensics and Cybercrime Investigations from a Prosecutor's Perspective

Thomas Goger | Deputy Director of the Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime

This presentation will explore the complex interplay between forensic science and evolving technology from a prosecutor's perspective. The speaker will highlight the profound opportunities and significant challenges presented by advances such as digital forensics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The presentation will explore the impact of such technologies on evidence gathering, courtroom proceedings and jury perceptions. It will also address issues of privacy, the veracity of digitally-derived evidence, and the potential for technological bias. Finally, the presentation will highlight the need for legal professionals to gain a broader understanding of these technological tools in order to ensure justice while mitigating risk.

Prof. Kwok Yan Lam | Executive Director, Digital Trust Centre (DTC)

Bio:The DTC is a national centre for research in trust technology, spearheading efforts to advance scientific research capabilities at the forefront of trust technology and to grow Singapore’s trust technology industry and build a strong core of talent.

Participation

DFRWS APAC invites contributions in the categories listed below and follow the submission guidelines (https://dfrws.org/submission-criteria/): 

FULL RESEARCH PAPERS that align with the topics of interest undergo double-blinded peer review, and the proceedings are published by Elsevier (10 pages, blinded). 

PRESENTATIONS / DEMOS require a brief proposal (~500 words; not a paper) and undergo a light review process. Accepted proposals will be given a presentation slot (~15min) during the conference. 

POSTERS / DEMOS allow for the presentation of current research efforts and the discussion of preliminary results with the Digital Forensics Community during a dedicated poster session. 

WORKSHOPS can be 2 to 4 hours (please indicate) and ideally include hands-on participation by attendees, allowing for an in-depth, detailed exploration of tools and techniques of interest to DFRWS attendees. DFRWS will provide one free conference registration for each workshop accepted.

Birds of the Feather are informal gatherings and discussions of a specific topic without a pre-planned agenda. You may propose a topic that you feel is of interest to the community. 

PRESENTATION DELIVERY MODE

All presentations must be delivered in-person, either from the primary conference venue in Singapore or the secondary venue in Hong Kong. Delivery remotely may be accepted by the organizing committee in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the organising committee. 

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

We ask you to submit all contributions via EasyChair (select the appropriate track during submission). Please make sure to follow the submission criteria (https://dfrws.org/submission-criteria/) on the website. Organizers may reject work that does not follow the listed criteria. 

Easychair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=dfrwsapac2023

Contact Information

For questions relating any kind of submissions contact the corresponding chair or send an email to: apac[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.
Please apply using the Google form below.

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, but are not limited to:

  • Anti-forensics and anti-anti-forensics
  • Artificial intelligence-assisted digital forensics
  • Case studies and trend reports
  • Copyright infringement response
  • Cryptocurrency investigation
  • Data decoding, deserialization and decryption
  • Deleted/Damaged data recovery methods and tools
  • Development of digital forensic infrastructures
  • Digital evidence sharing and exchange
  • Digital forensic preparedness / readiness
  • Digital forensic tool validation
  • Digital forensics in smart cities
  • Digital investigation case management
  • Event reconstruction methods and tools
  • Forensic analysis of anonymous network based activities
  • Forensic analysis of cloud and virtualized environments
  • Forensic analysis of cloud-based services
  • Forensic analysis of databases
  • Forensic exploration of newly emerging devices, OSes, apps and services
  • Incident response on malware and targeted attacks
  • Laws and policies for digital evidence
  • Machine learning and data mining for digital forensics
  • Memory acquisition and analysis
  • Methodological frameworks for digital forensic activities
  • Mobile and embedded device forensics
  • Multimedia (image, audio, video) data analysis
  • Multi-source data integration and correlation analysis
  • Network and distributed system forensics
  • Non-traditional forensic scenarios / contexts
  • Steganography and steganalysis
  • Vehicle forensics (e.g., drones, cars, vessels)
  • Visualization methods and tools for forensic analysis

Click Here For Proposal Requirements

Deadlines

DateEvent
March 17, 2023 Call for papers announced
May 15, 2023 Full papers: Submission via EasyChair
June 28, 2023 Full papers: Acceptance notification
June 30, 2023 Workshops : Submission via EasyChair
July 10, 2023 Full papers: Camera-ready submission
July 14, 2023 Workshops: Acceptance notification
July 31, 2023 Presentations: Submission via EasyChair
August 14, 2023 Presentations: Acceptance notification
September 15, 2023 Posters: Submission via EasyChair
September 22, 2023 Posters: Acceptance notification
October 17, 2023 Conference date (Hong Kong & Singapore)

Committees

Organizing Committee

Academic Outreach

Manoranjan Mohanty (University of Technology Sydney)

General Chair

Dr Matthew Sorell (University of Adelaide)

Commercial Outreach

Sylvain Hirsch (Mandiant)

Conference Vice Chair (Hong Kong)

Prof KP Chow (University of Hong Kong)

Conference Vice Chair (Singapore)

Prof KY Lam (Nanyang Technological University)

Singapore Local Chair

Dr Tan Teck Boon (Nanyang Technological University)

COO

Daryl Pfeif (Digital Forensics Solutions)

Emeritus Chair

Dr Bradley Schatz (Apple)

Keynote Chair

Dr Hans Henseler (University of Applied Sciences Leiden and Netherlands Forensic Institute)

TPC Chair

Jungheum Park (Korea University)

TPC Co-Chair

Prof SM Yiu (University of Hong Kong)

Poster Chair

Dr Nilay Mistry & Dr Dinil Divikaran

Presentation Chair

Dr Raymond Chan (Singapore Institute of Technology) & Dr Darren Quick

Production

Daryl Pfeif (Digital Forensics Solutions)

Project Manager

Dr Richard Matthews (RHEM Labs)

Proceedings Chair

Saed Alrabee (United Arab Emirates University)

Proceedings Co-Chair

Andrew Marrington (Zayed University)

Quality Assurance

Dr Frank Breitinger (University of Lausanne, CH)

Rodeo Chair

Dr Raymond Chan (Singapore Institute of Technology)

Secretary (Ex officio)

Frank Adelstein (NFA Digital)

Web & Social Media Chair

Yogesh Khatri (CyberCX)

Web & Social Media Co-Chair

Bhargav Rathod (Salesforce)

Workshop Chair

Manoranjan Mohanty (University of Technology Sydney)

Workshop Co-Chair

Asanka Sayakkara (University of Colombo)

Technical Program Committee

Andrew Marrington

Zayed University

Andrew Case

Volaitility

Asanka Sayakkara

University of Colombo

Bradley Schatz

Apple

Bruce Nikkel

UBS AG

Changhoon Lee

Seoul National University of Science and Technology

Ching-Bon Chan

Singapore Institute of Technology

Christian Riess

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

David Billard

University of Applied Sciences in Geneva

Dohyun Kim

Catholic University of Pusan

Doowon Jeong

Dongguk University

Felix Freiling

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Frank Breitinger

University of Lausanne

Frank Adelstein

DFRWS

Gibum Kim

Sungkyunkwan University

Goh Weihan

Singapore Institute of Technology

Guo Lili

Institute of Forensic Science Ministry of Public Security P.R.C

Hans Henseler

Leiden University of Applied Sciences

Harald Baier

Universität der Bundeswehr München, Research Instiute CODE

Irfan Ahmed

Virginia Commonwealth University

Jan-Niclas Hilgert

Fraunhofer FKIE

Jewan Bang

Korean National Police Agency

John Sheppard

Waterford Institute of Technology

Jongsung Kim

Kookmin University

KP Chow

University of Hong Kong

KY Lam

Nanyang Technological University

Kyounggon Kim

Naif Arab University for Security Sciences

Luke Jennings

University of Adelaide

Manoranjan Mohanty

University of Technology Sydney

Mark Scanlon

University College Dublin

Matthew Sorell

Tallinn University of Technology

Min Yu

Institute of Information Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nhien-An Le-Khac

University College Dublin

Ondrej Rysavy

Brno University of Technology

Patrick De-Smet

Nationaal Instituut voor Criminalistiek en Criminologie

Peng Liu

Pennsylvania State University

Richard Matthews

University of Adelaide

Richard Overill

King's College London

Rune Nordvik

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Saed Alrabaee

United Arab Emirates University

Taeshik Shon

Ajou University

Vivek Balachandran

Singapore Institute of Technology

Wietse Venema

DFRWS

Yong Guan

Iowa State University

Zeno Geradts

Netherlands Forensic Institute

Registration

Early Bird Discount Code: EarlyBird!
$100 off In-Person Tickets until September 14th, 2023

Register Now

In Person Conference Prices


Type of RegistrationEarly Bird RateRegular RateLast Chance Rate
Available through...September 14, 2023
Full $595 $695
Law Enforcement $495 $595
Student $395 $495

Virtual Conference Prices


Type of RegistrationTriple - All 3 ConferencesDouble - Any 2 ConferencesSingle - Just DFRWS APAC 2023
Virtual $150

Sponsors

Sponsors help DFRWS to produce quality events and foster community. Click a logo to learn more about the sponsor.

Information about sponsorship opportunities is available at: http://www.dfrws.org/sponsorship-opportunities

Image Engine - Supporting Organization

Image Engine is a B2B technology event producer and organiser conceived to deliver innovative content, critical business intelligence and connectivity across a community of end-users, vendors and government agencies.

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Nanyang Technological University, Singapore - Supporting Organization

Ranked amongst the world’s top universities, the University’s main campus is also frequently listed among the world’s most beautiful, NTU is a great global university founded on science and technology, nurturing leaders and creating societal impact through interdisciplinary education and research.

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Hong Kong Forensic Foundation - Supporting Organization

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In Collaboration with Hong Kong University

The University of Hong Kong, Asia’s Global University, delivers impact through internationalisation, innovation and interdisciplinarity. It attracts and nurtures global scholars through excellence in research, teaching and learning, and knowledge exchange. It makes a positive social contribution through global presence, regional significance and engagement with the rest of China.

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In Collaboration with FinTech Academy

The HKU–SCF FinTech Academy strives to help Hong Kong develop as a global FinTech hub and create a sustainable impact on the financial services sector in the Greater Bay Area. The mission of the HKU–SCF FinTech Academy is to leverage the combined strength of academics and industry to stimulate cutting-edge research, groom world-class talents, and reach out to the community to advance FinTech innovation.

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Cybersecurty and Technology Crime Bureau - Satellite Site Sponsor

The Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau (CSTCB) is responsible for handling cyber security issues and carrying out technology crime investigations, computer forensic examinations and prevention of technology crime. CSTCB establishes close liaisons with local and overseas law enforcement agencies for combating cross-border technology crime and experience exchange.

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Hong Kong Police Force - Satellite Site Sponsor

The vision of the HKPF is to maintain Hong Kong as one of the safest and most stable societies in the world. In this fast-changing world, emerging crime trends, global terrorism threats and unprecedented disasters have remained relevant in the global context. This endeavour involves the combined efforts of all. The support from citizens, and the rest of the community, provides strong backup which is crucial to upholding the safety and stability of our beloved city.

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APNIC - Best Paper Awards Sponsor

APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Centre) is an open, member-based, not-for-profit organization, whose primary role is to distribute and manage Internet number resources (IP addresses and AS numbers) in the Asia Pacific region’s 56 economies. These number resources are the building blocks for the Internet to operate and grow.As part of this service, APNIC is responsible for maintaining the public APNIC Whois Database and managing reverse DNS zone delegations. APNIC also provides forums for Internet policy development that are bottom-up and open to everyone.Furthermore, APNIC helps build essential technical skills across the region, supports Internet infrastructure development, produces insightful research, and is an active participant in the multistakeholder model of Internet cooperation and governance. APNIC performs these activities as part of its commitment to a global, open, stable and secure Internet that serves the entire Asia Pacific region.

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MSAB - Student Scholarship Sponsor

MSAB is the global leader in digital forensic technology for mobile device examination and analysis. The company has, since its founding in 1984, set the global standard for the digital forensics industry. The MSAB vision is to empower every investigation with digital forensic solutions – for a safer world.

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Magnet Forensics - Student Scholarship Sponsor

Magnet Forensics develops digital investigation software that acquires, analyzes, reports on, and manages evidence from computers, mobile devices, IoT devices and the Cloud. Magnet Forensics also creates lab management solutions to automate and orchestrate intake of evidence and foster agency collaboration. Magnet Forensics products are used by over 4,000 public and private sector organizations in over 90 countries and have been helping investigators fight crime, protect assets and guard national security since 2011.

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DeSalles University - Community Sponsor

At DeSales you will learn the basics of criminological theory and practice while concentrating your studies in the field of digital forensics. As a graduate of this program, you'll gain the knowledge and skills necessary to make an immediate contribution to your field.

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In-cooperation with Interpol (no logo)

INTERPOL is unique. It is the only organization with the mandate and technical infrastructure to share police information globally. Its 195 member countries are connected to each other and to the General Secretariat via a secure communications system called I-24/7. It also allows them to access our databases and services in real-time, from both central and remote locations.Interpol also coordinates networks of police and experts in different crime areas, who come together through working groups and at conferences to share experiences and ideas.

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APAC 2023 Program