• Home

• Preface

• Introduction and Focus

• Conference Committee

• Review Committee

• Review Process

• Peer-reviewed Papers

• Research-in-Progress Papers

• Invited Speakers

• Sponsors & Organisers

• Contact

Introduction

ISSA2008 is the annual conference for the information security community that continues on the successful recipe established in 2000. The upcoming conference is held under the auspices of the University of Johannesburg Business IT Department, the University of Pretoria School of Information Technology and the University of South Africa (Unisa) School of Computing.

The ISSA2008 Conference will run from Monday, 7 to Wednesday, 9 July at the University of Johannesburg's School of Tourism and Hospitality facility, in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

The conference has grown each year in various ways. Not only have delegate and presenter numbers been on the rise, but interest from industry has also grown and been displayed through sponsorship of the conference or aspects thereof. We believe that the quality and relevance of the information presented by industry practitioners and academics has also evolved over the years, as have the opportunities for senior research students to present their research to a critical and representative audience.

Conferences have become a major focus area - and often a money spinner - in many industries, so at any time you will see a number of conferences being advertised in fields such as information security. What sets the ISSA conference apart is that it is not intended to generate a profit for an organisation, and it does not encourage marketing of products and services through presentations. Instead, the proceeds from registration fees are reinvested to ensure that the conference grows each year. In exchange for their investment in the conference, sponsors are afforded an opportunity to present company-specific information that has a bearing on the conference themes, and presentations submitted by potential speakers are sent through a vigorous review process, managed by a team of respected international experts in information security.

The ISSA2008 conference (http://www.infosecsa.co.za) addresses topical issues that can assist in a better understanding of how to control the Internet. Dario Forte, a former police detective and founder of DFLabs in Italy will present a talk on how to make the important transition between the “old” and “new” course of digital investigations. This talk will illustrate the current trend in Digital Investigations, with particular reference to Technologies, research and law. Other companies that will participate amongst others include KPMG, Deloitte, Ernest and Young, Exponent and Chetty Law. The research side of how to “control the Internet” will be discussed by researchers from the following South African universities: University of Pretoria, Unisa, University of Johannesburg, Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, North West University and Tshwane University of Technology, University of Fort Hare, University of the Witwatersrand. An international perspective will be given by universities from Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Colombo and Finland, SriLanka, and the UK.

We trust that the annual ISSA conference will continue to be recognised as an platform for professionals from industry as well as researchers to share their knowledge, experience and research results in the field of information security.

To ensure ongoing improvement, we again encourage input from all those interested in the field of Information Security, particularly those who are actively seeking to progress the field, to take part and share their knowledge and experience.  

We look forward to seeing old friends and new participants at ISSA2008.

ISSA 2008 Conference Organisers:
Jan Eloff
Les Labuschagne
Mariki Eloff
Hein Venter
June 2008

Focus

Information security has evolved and in the last few years there has been renewed interest in the subject worldwide. This is evident from the many standards and certifications now available to guide security strategy. This has led to a more clear career path for security professionals.

The convergence of technologies together with advances in wireless communications, has meant new security challenges for the information security fraternity. As hotspots become more available, and more organisations attempt to rid their offices of "spaghetti" so the protection of data in these environments becomes a more important consideration.

It is this fraternity that organisations, governments and communities in general look to for guidance on best practice in this converging world.

Identity theft and phishing are ongoing concerns. What we are now finding is that security mechanisms have become so good and are generally implemented by companies wanting to adhere to good corporate governance, so attackers are now looking to the weak link in the chain, namely the individual user. It is far easier to attack them than attempt to penetrate sophisticated corporate systems. A spate of spyware is also doing the rounds, with waves of viruses still striking periodically. Software suppliers have started stepping up to protect their users and take some responsibility for security in general and not just for their own products.

The conference focuses on all aspects of information security and invites participation across the Information Security spectrum including but not being limited to functional, business, managerial, theoretical and technological issues. 

Invited speakers will talk about the international trends in information security products, methodologies and management issues.

In the past ISSA has secured many highly acclaimed international speakers, including:

• Alice Sturgeon manages the area that is accountable for identifying and architecting horizontal requirements across the Government of Canada. Her topic made reference to An Identity Management Architecture for the Government of Canada

• Dr Alf Zugenmaier, DoCoMo Lab, Germany. His topic was based on Security and Privacy.

• William List, WM List and Co., UK. His topic was: Beyond the Seventh Layer live the users

• Prof. Dennis Longley, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. His topic was: IS Governance: Will it be effective?

• Prof. TC Ting: University of Connecticut, and fellow of the Computing Research Association, United States

• Prof. Dr. Stephanie Teufel: Director of the International Institute of Management in Telecommunications (iimt). Fribourg University, Switzerland

• Rich Schiesser, Senior Technical Planner at Option One Mortgage, USA

• Rick Cudworth, Partner, KPMG LLP, International Service Leader, Security and Business Continuity - Europe, Middle East and Africa

The purpose of the conference is to provide information security practitioners and researchers worldwide with the opportunity to share their knowledge and research results with their peers.

The objectives of the conference are defined as follows: 

• Sharing of knowledge, experience and best practice
• Promoting networking and business opportunities
• Encouraging the research and study of information security
• Supporting the development of a professional information security community
• Assisting self development
• Providing a forum for education, knowledge transfer, professional development, and development of new skills
• Promoting best practice in information security and its application in Southern Africa
• Facilitating the meeting of diverse cultures to share and learn from each other in the quest for safer information systems