CONGREGATE

Being part of vibrant local and online communities is a great thing. Nothing beats a great conference, however. Many of the research projects I have done in the past have been a direct result of people I have met and discussions I have had at conferences around the world. Conferences are a great place to network and meet people with complementary skill sets and areas of expertise.

A good starter list of forensics conferences can be found at http://forensicswiki.org/wiki/Upcoming_events#Conferences. Forensics Magazine lists some conferences as well at http://www.forensicmag.com/events. I have not found a good master list for digital forensics conferences. You might wish to try a few Google searches to locate conferences dedicated to forensics.

There are many excellent information security conferences out there that offer something for people interested in forensics. My two favorite places to find conference listings are Concise Courses (http://concise-courses.com/security) and SECurity Organizer and Reporter Exchange (http://secore.info). SECore offers a call for papers listing with CFP closing dates for various conferences which can be handy if you have something exciting to share with others.

Now that you have found a few conferences to attend, what should you do while you are there? Participate! If there is a forensics competition, and you have the time, consider competing. You might not win, but you are virtually guaranteed to learn a lot. Often there are people who will offer a little coaching for beginners in these competitions. Ask questions. Do not be afraid to talk to conference presenters. With very few exceptions, most are approachable and happy to talk more about their research.

Intentionally meet new people. Even if you traveled to a conference with a group, find someone you do not know with whom to have a meal at the conference. Overcome any natural tendencies toward introversion. I have attended a lot of conferences. I have yet to have a negative outcome from introducing myself and sitting with someone new over lunch. If the conference offers any mixers or networking events, attend them if at all possible. It does not take long to build a network of people whom you can leverage in a future investigation.

Now for the hardest thing to do at conferences: share. Many people falsely assume they have nothing worth sharing because they are new to information security and/or forensics. Everyone is an expert in something. Find an area you enjoy and become an expert in that area. Share your expertise with others. You will quickly find that explaining things to others enriches your own understanding.

Submitting a talk to a conference can be intimidating. Everyone gets rejected from conferences. The key is not to take it personally. A rejected talk may be more of an indicator of poor fit with a theme or other talks offered than a reflection of the quality of your submission. Many conferences will give you feedback that includes suggestions for future submissions.

Regional conferences, such as B-sides, can be a good place to start your career as a conference presenter. I’m not saying do not submit to the big conferences like DEFCON. If you feel comfortable addressing a few thousand people for your very first conference presentation, then go right ahead. If you find public speaking a bit frightening, you might want to start with a conference small enough that you will have less than a hundred people in the room during your talk.