Black Hat USA 2011

Black Hat USA 2011 // briefings call for papers

Caesars Palace Las Vegas, NV • July 30 - August 4

The Black Hat USA 2011 Briefings CFP will close on May 15, 2011.

Official terms list for Black Hat USA 2011

Submit proposals by completing the submissions form on the CFP server at https://cfp.blackhat.com/. We strongly suggest that you submit earlier than later since we will close the CFP early if we receive enough quality submissions to fill the slots. All applicants should take the time to closely review the Call for Papers Terms and Conditions PRIOR to making the submission so that you are clear on our expectations and deadlines.

WHAT IS THE BLACK HAT BRIEFINGS?

The Black Hat Briefings was created to fill the need for computer security professionals to better understand the security risks to information infrastructures and computer systems. Black Hat accomplishes this by assembling a group of vendor-neutral security professionals and having them speak candidly about the problems businesses and Governments face as well as potential solutions to those problems. No gimmicks - just straight talk by people who make it their business to know the information security space.

IF YOU WANT TO SUBMIT, PLEASE NOTE

Black Hat does not accept product or vendor related pitches. If your talk is a thinly-veiled advertisement for a new product or service your company is offering, please do not apply.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  1. All presentations must be submitted by the original authors.

    We currently only accept submissions by original authors of the presentations. PR firms, Speaking relation firms, and all other parties who are not direct authors of submitted presentations ARE NOT ALLOWED to submit materials on behalf of speakers or presenters. We require direct contact with presenters to expedite questions from the reviewers and to fulfill Speaker Obligations as detailed on the Call for Papers Terms and Conditions. You MAY NOT submit presentations if you are a third party that wishes to submit materials on behalf of a potential speaker. Only original authors of presentations may submit for the Call for Papers.

  2. Decide which conference you would be able to present at.

    Speakers who are chosen to speak at one are not automatically chosen to speak at another. Selecting the event that you are speaking at will determine if you will meet the deadlines for the event. You are currently on the Black Hat USA 2011 CFP page.

  3. Decide what key subjects/topics your presentation will cover and select the appropriate track.

    • Briefings: Traditional presentation format
      • This year we will not be asking for submissions to fill pre-determined tracks. We will populate the event with best submissions received.
      • We always try to give extra attention to submissions that highlight new research, tools, vulnerabilities, etc. The more technical the content, the better.
    • Turbo Talks: The Turbo Talks track will consist of 20 minute presentations covering subjects that do not require a full length presentation slot. Topics can range widely, and there are no specific guidelines for what must be included. Examples might include the announcement of a new security project or initiative, the release of research data, a quick tip or techniques talk on a very specific topic, a call for participation in a study, a question and answer session surrounding a new law, etc.
    • Workshops: offering hands on environment to delegates.
      • In our experience Security professionals are always looking for the latest tools and resources to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently. Do you have a great tool or app that you have been dying to bring to the attention of the Black Hat community? Is your Ruby, or Python, or Pearl developer toolbox full of scripts and techniques that can be of advantage to fellow pen-testers? Or if you just want to give delegates a teaser on a course you will be instructing (now or in the future)?
      • These sessions are primarily aimed at independent researchers and the open source community that will allow you to showcase your work.
      • The concept is simple:
        • We will be providing either 150 minute or 225 minute timeslots in a session room that will run concurrently with regular Briefings presentations.
        • The sessions will be open to all Briefings delegates to attend – we do not intend to host the workshops “by registration only”. The space is limited to first come, first seated delegates as these sessions will be hosted in smaller rooms.
        • What we hope to achieve: Greater awareness and access to terrific work for the security world at large. These should be deep technical sessions that can give delegates a chance to delve deeply into your tech and hopefully take away practical applications to the information presented.
        • What this is not: an overblown vendor pitch or a place for your soapbox
        • What the delegates want: other than your knowledge in a basket, a takeaway – a copy of your tools, a small sample of the course slides…we can help you get these materials to the masses!

  4. Understand the different time constraints.

    The following time slots are available and it is expected that the presenters will budget time for audience participation and Q&A within this time frame:

    • Briefings: 75 minutes
    • Turbo Talks: 20 minutes
    • Workshops: 150 minutes or 225 minutes

  5. Submit a presentation.

    Please submit all prospective proposals by completing the submissions form on the CFP server at https://cfp.blackhat.com/.
Speakers may submit more than one proposal but each proposal must be submitted via separate submissions. Create an account at https://cfp.blackhat.com, verify your email address, and away you go. You MAY NOT submit presentations if you are a third party that wishes to submit materials on behalf of a potential speaker. Only original authors of presentations may submit for the Call for Papers.
Submissions are due no later than May 15, 2011.

  6. Submit supporting material.

    Please submit any additional materials after completing the online submission form. Additional materials may include but not be limited to items such as white papers, code, demos, proof of concept, references, resume, etc that may enable us to help decide whether your topic would be appropriate. To upload materials, select "ACTIONS" for the appropriate presentation. Materials may also be sent along to: cfp at blackhat.com If you experience problems with https://cfp.blackhat.com, send email to cfp [at] blackhat.com and we will work to resolve the problem.

SELECTION CRITERIA

  • Talks will be reviewed through a voting process by the Black Hat Review Board. Submissions get rated on a one to five scale by each of the reviewers in four areas, and the resulting scores are added up. Those submissions in each category with the highest scores are considered first. In the case of topic overlap a lesser scoring submission may be selected to keep variety in the program. As the complexity and specialization of submissions grow more reviewers are added to the process.
  • People submitting a talk proposal will get email notification that Black Hat has received the proposal generally within 48-72 hours of receipt of the submission. Once selection has been completed you will receive in email a confirmation of acceptance or rejection.
  • Speakers will be contacted if there are any questions about their presentations. If your talk is accepted, you can continue to modify and evolve it up until the materials due date, at which time it is frozen for the printed materials and CD ROM.

All presentations must be vendor neutral (no sales pitches for services or products are permitted). Presentations which demonstrate proprietary tool(s) must provide a copy of the tool(s) for distribution on the Black Hat CD and web site. All sources of information, software, etc should be properly cited.

Things that get our attention:

Talks that are more technical or reveal new vulnerabilities are of more interest than a review of material covered many times before. We are striving to create a high-end technical conference and any talk that helps reach this goal will be given extra attention.

Original content or research that has been created specifically for Black Hat and has not been seen before always gets extra priority as well as demonstrations involving new material, or a new way of presenting information to the attendees.

Submissions with detailed bibliographies acknowledging prior work in the space, distinguishing or highlighting how your presentation is different. We believe this is important to help move the security community to a more professional and respected position, as well as make all of our work easier to reference for those seeking to understand prior art.

Note: By speaking at the Black Hat Briefings you are granting Black Hat permission to reproduce, distribute, advertise and show your presentation including but not limited to http://www.blackhat.com, printed and/or electronic ads, fliers, mailers, etc.

SPEAKING REQUIREMENTS

To meet the goals outlined above, Black Hat expects several things from selected speakers. Full details may be found on the CFP Terms and Conditions page.

  • If you are going to announce or demonstrate a new tool as the primary focus of your talk, that tool must be made available for the conference CD ROM. We don't want a room full of people all excited about what you have demonstrated only to learn the tool is $12,000 and not available to the general public.
  • Delegates expect to receive copies of your presentation, a White Paper supporting your work, RFC’s and tools/code (if applicable). In your presentation or White Paper please include a reference to all of the tool(s), law(s), web site(s) or publication(s) you refer to. This bibliography will greatly help attendees who wish to learn more about your subject, but are not sure where to start. Please do not disappoint them and be mindful of the deadlines as specified in the CFP Terms and Conditions as well as the CFP Letter of Acceptance.
  • Black Hat expects speakers to be available during the lunches and reception in order to meet and mingle with the attendees. Attendees want to meet the presenters and ask questions, so if you cannot do so, for example because of a business commitment, please let us know when you submit your materials.
  • Assume that the attendees already understand the basic concepts regarding your topic. For example, if you are talking about cryptography, assume that everyone knows the difference between public key vs. secret key algorithms. Black Hat strives to be known as a more technical security conference, and as such, expect more high-level details from their speakers. If you must err in one direction or the other, err on the side of more technical.

REMUNERATION

There are several categories of speakers based on the type of presentation delivered. Please review the Call for Papers Terms and Conditions to see what Category presenter you are.

HOTEL INFORMATION

The Black Hat USA 2011 Briefings will take place August 3-4 immediately after the Training at the Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Please see the Black Hat USA 2011 Briefings pages for more information on hotel, venue, schedules, etc (coming soon).

MORE CONVENTION INFORMATION

Please visit https://www.blackhat.com/ for previous conference archives, information, and speeches. Updated announcements will be posted to newsgroups, security mailing lists, and the Black Hat web site when available.

Thank you for your time!

Jeff Moss, Director