Hotel Rates at the Granvia Have Been Extended!
The Hotel Granvia has agreed to honor discount rates through the rest of June! Don’t forget to book your room at the official conference hotel as space is becoming limited.

Click here.

No Late Fees for Registrations!
There will not be a late fee for registering after June 5th.  Fees will remain $2200 US for non-members and $1800 US members. 

If you have questions regarding costs, please feel free to email us at first-2009@first.org.

What to expect as we approach conference week…
Keep an eye out for our announcements over the next couple of weeks!  Reminders about travel and things to do will be going out.  If you are a FIRST2009 registered attendee, you will be receiving more detailed emails.

2009 Network Privacy Statement & Conference Monitoring
Cisco’s CSIRT has developed a mobile monitoring and networking solution for providing on-site network and computer security monitoring during conferences and events.

Read more about Cisco CSIRT’s Mobile Networking and Monitoring @ https://www.first.org/conference/monitoring/.

Have you missed our other announcements?
View the archive here.

On Twitter?
Follow us @ www.twitter.com/firstdotorg. 

On LinkedIn?
Find our event at http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906 and share it with your other LinkedIn colleagues!

Don’t Forget to Book Your Hotel Reservations!
If you haven’t booked your lodging at the Hotel Granvia, please be sure to do so quickly!  Discounted rates expire this Monday, June 1st! 

Space is limited!  Click here. 

Some Conference Tid Bits…

1. Interpretation from English to Japanese will be available every morning for opening remarks and keynotes.
2. Continental breakfast for attendees Monday-Friday starting at 7:30AM.
3. Come meet the SC candidates during Wednesday’s afternoon break!
4. Special surprise entertainment at the Ice Breaker and Banquet!  We aren’t telling…
5. Stop by the High Tech Experience Lounge (aka Geek Lounge) during conference week for some networking and fun!

 2009 Network Privacy Statement & Conference Monitoring
Cisco’s CSIRT has developed a mobile monitoring and networking solution for providing on-site network and computer security monitoring during conferences and events.

Read more about Cisco CSIRT’s Mobile Networking and Monitoring @ https://www.first.org/conference/monitoring/.

Have you missed our other announcements?
View the archive here.

 On Twitter?
Follow us @ www.twitter.com/firstdotorg. 

 On LinkedIn?
Find our event at http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906 and share it with your other LinkedIn colleagues!

We are all looking forward to seeing everyone next month!

Episode 5 with IBM’s Jeff Crume is Now Available for Download!
Available here.

Jeff Crume is an Executive IT Security Architect for IBM Tivoli Compliance Solutions with over 25 years experience in the IT industry.  He is also the author of “Inside Internet Security: What Hackers Don’t Want You To Know” and will be presenting “What Hackers Don’t Want You To Know” at the 2009 conference.

Hurry and Book Your Hotel Reservations!

If you haven’t already, please be sure to book your hotel reservations.  Discounted rates expire June 1st!
Click here.

2009 Network Privacy Statement & Conference Monitoring

Cisco’s CSIRT has developed a mobile monitoring and networking solution for providing on-site network and computer security monitoring during conferences and events.

Read more about Cisco CSIRT’s Mobile Networking and Monitoring @ https://www.first.org/conference/monitoring/.

Have you missed our other announcements?
View the archive here.

On Twitter?
Follow us @ www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

On LinkedIn?
Find our event at http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906 and share it with your other LinkedIn colleagues!

Dear Attendee,

We have received several inquiries regarding planning and awareness for the Kyoto Conference in regards to the “Swine Flu” outbreaks.  I’d like to pass along a note from FIRST Conference Liaison, Peter Allor who recently sent the following note out to FIRST membership and team representatives:

“All,

This week we have received several inquiries about planning and awareness for the Kyoto Conference in regards to the "Swine Flu" outbreaks.

Please be assured that the Conference Planning has considered this issue from the flu's outbreak and that the Steering Committee has also discussed this issue. We are keeping in contact with various authorities and health groups to maintain a situational awareness on this important issue.

The thrust of our concern of course is our safety and health, while also looking to host our Annual Conference, planned for Kyoto the last week of June 2009. Just as we have incorporated planning measures for the economic downturn that have reduced the risks to FIRST for the conference and to continue hosting a full schedule, we have done the same for this concern as well.

Our considerations were to let this work through its course and to evaluate the situation in stages as we were months away from the conference. Our next review takes place at the end of this month, then again at two weeks and one week prior. We will communicate our thoughts at each of these decision points to ensure that the full membership is aware.

Our consideration was to not overreact, yet to be thoughtful and to the extent possible, pre-emptive. To date, we do not have cause for canceling the conference.

We are in discussions/communications with our Hosts in Japan, the Japanese authorities and have contacts with WHO, CDC and other recognized elements who provide guidance and information so that we may be fully informed in our considerations.

Currently, the swine flu has some cases in most countries and that the authorities have a handle on these situations. The only point of note for your consideration that we have at this time is that the Japanese authorities are checking each inbound flight to Japan from North America and talking with each passenger. This is delaying the inbound NA flights from leaving the airports by an approximate one hour. You should consider this as part of your planning in traveling to the conference if coming from North America (ah the advantage of coming from Asia and Europe this year).

We look forward to welcoming you all to the 2009 Kyoto Conference and to having a great meeting.

If you have questions, please send them to me for review and response.

On behalf of the SC, kind regards,
Peter

Peter Allor
Steering Committee Member
SC Conference Liaison
Member, FIRST Board of Directors, FIRST.ORG

Peter.Allor@first.org
pallor@us.ibm.com”

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to email Peter Allor copying first-2009@first.org.

Kind regards,
Traci

Episode 4 is Now Available for Download!
Available here.

Episode 4 is a short interview with your FIRST conference coordinator Traci Wei. Traci talks briefly about how attendees can earn their CPEs by attending the conference.

Did you know that you can earn CPEs towards (ISC)2 and ISACA certifications?

FIRST conference attendees have an opportunity to earn up to 25.5 hours towards (ISC)2 CISSP and up to 30 hours towards ISACA CISA, CISM and CGEIT.  Attendees are responsible for submitting their own credits.

For more information on CPEs, visit: here.

2009 Best Practices Contest

Thank you to all parties that submitted entries for the 2009 Best Practices Contest sponsored by CERT/CC.  Winners will be announced during conference week!

2009 Network Privacy Statement & Conference Monitoring

Cisco’s CSIRT has developed a mobile monitoring and networking solution for providing on-site network and computer security monitoring during conferences and events.

Read more about Cisco CSIRT’s Mobile Networking and Monitoring @ https://www.first.org/conference/monitoring/.

Have you missed our other announcements?
View the archive here.

On Twitter?
Follow us @ www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

On LinkedIn?
Find our event at http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906 and share it with your other LinkedIn colleagues!

Episode 3 is Now Available for Download Now! Available here.
Episode 3 features Gib Sorebo of SAIC.  Gib Sorebo is Chief Security Engineer and Assistant Vice President for Technology for SAIC where he assists government and private sector organizations in complying with legal and regulatory requirements related to information security and privacy.  Gib leads the SAIC-IRT and is also presenting at this year’s conference.  Look for his presentation “The Next Generation of Incident Response” on the program available here.

A special thanks to our 2009 Podcast Sponsor, Martin McKeay of the Network Security Blog and Podcast (http://netsecpodcast.com).

Have you registered for the conference yet?  Register now at https://registration.first.org/registration/2014/boston

On Twitter? Follow us at www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

On LinkedIn? Find our event and share it with your colleagues. http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906

See you in Kyoto!

Don’t forget to register and book your hotel by Saturday!

Early Bird Rates Expire on Saturday, April 25th @ 18:00 GMT.

Register for the conference at: https://registration.first.org/registration/2014/boston
Book your lodging here

Why Attend the FIRST Conference?
As companies across the globe tighten their budgets, we wanted to take some time to provide you with some advice on how best to approach your management.

• Be Proactive – Be prepared to discuss the conference in detail.  Review the conference program and prepare a tentative schedule of sessions you plan on attending.  Review speaker bios for each of your tentative sessions. 
• Show the Benefits – The FIRST conference aims to provide attendees with security best practices.  Attendee takeaways include – learning advanced techniques in security incident prevention, detection and response; latest advances in computer and network security tools; shared views, experiences and resolutions in the computer security incident response field.
• Share your Knowledge – Come back from the conference and hold lunch and learn sessions for your colleagues that were unable to attend.  Bring back materials such as presentation slides and handouts.  Go over key items that will provide your organization and colleagues the most benefit.

 2009 Best Practices Contest, Time is Running Out to Submit!
We want your submissions for the Best Practices Contest!  Cash prizes will be awarded at the conference:

• First Prize receives USD 5,000
• Second Prize receives USD 2,500

All interested parties are encouraged to submit the best practices they use to improve and maintain a high standard of information security in the topic area described below.

Submissions are due by May 11 2009 at 11:59pm (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-4).

An evaluation committee will review the submitted best practices and award the top two. FIRST and the CERT/CC will present the awards during the 2009 FIRST annual conference.

For full details on the contest and how to enter, please visit: https://www.first.org/global/practices/

On Twitter?
Follow us at www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

On LinkedIn?
Find our event at http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906

Early Bird Rates Expire this Saturday, April 25th @ 18:00 GMT.

Register and book your hotel by April 25th in order to receive special Early Bird rates!

Register for the conference at: https://registration.first.org/registration/2014/boston
Book your lodging here

 Podcast Episode 2 Available for Download Now!

Episode 2: Featuring Jeffrey Carpenter of CERT/CC
Available here.

 On Twitter?
Follow us at www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

 On LinkedIn?
Find our event at http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906

Episode 1 Available for Download Now!

Episode 1: Featuring Mick Creane of BT, 2009 Program Chair
Available @ http://media.first.org/podcasts/FIRST_podcast_ep1.mp3.  

A special thanks to our 2009 Podcast Sponsor, Martin McKeay of the Network Security Blog and Podcast (http://netsecpodcast.com).  Martin has been busily interviewing contributors to the FIRST 2009 conference, including FIRST Steering Committee and conference presenters (members and non-members). 

Thoughts? Opinions?
Send your mail to first-2009@first.org.

On Twitter?
Follow us at www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

 On LinkedIn?
Find our event at http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906

See you in Kyoto!

Dear Colleague,

 Can you believe it’s April already!  Don’t let the month pass you by! 

Early Bird Rates
Early Bird rates for both lodging and registration expire April 25th at 18:00 GMT.   
Register and book lodging here.

2009 Best Practices Contest
We want your submissions for the Best Practices Contest!  Cash prizes will be awarded at the conference:

• First Prize receives USD 5,000
• Second Prize receives USD 2,500

All interested parties are encouraged to submit the best practices they use to improve and maintain a high standard of information security in the topic area described below. Submissions are due by May 11 2009 at 11:59pm (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-4).

An evaluation committee will review the submitted best practices and award the top two. FIRST and the CERT/CC will present the awards during the 2009 FIRST annual conference.

For full details on the contest and how to enter, please visit: https://www.first.org/global/practices/

 On Twitter?
Follow us at www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

 On LinkedIn?
Find our event at http://events.linkedin.com/21st-Annual-FIRST-Conference/pub/45906

What’s up next?
Look for next week’s announcement with more helpful travel tips!  If you have any travel questions you’d like answered, feel free to send them our way: first-2009@first.org.

See you in Kyoto!

What’s the deal folks?

We want your submissions for the Best Practices Contest!  Did I mention that there are cash prizes?

• First Prize receives USD 5,000
• Second Prize receives USD 2,500

Don’t pass up this opportunity to shine!

All interested parties are encouraged to submit the best practices they use to improve and maintain a high standard of information security in the topic area described below. Submissions are due by May 11 2009 at 11:59pm (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-4).

An evaluation committee will review the submitted best practices and award the top two. FIRST and the CERT/CC will present the awards during the 2009 FIRST annual conference.

For full details on the contest and how to enter, please visit: https://www.first.org/global/practices/

If you are planning to enter, please reply to this email for office purposes.

Good luck!

Dear Colleague,

As we face these trying economic times together, our conference office has been carefully re-evaluating the conference budget and has taken several minor steps to ensure a successful event.  Many of these changes have been behind-the-scenes.  However, as a courtesy to our much appreciated membership, conference presenters and general attendees, we would like to inform you of a couple of noticeable changes to this year’s conference:

Power
We have opted to cut back on the number of powerstrips available in each meeting room.  If you plan on bringing your laptop to a session, please ensure you have sufficient battery life.  Power outlets can be found throughout the meeting facility and you can always feel free to ask conference staff for any needed advice, or suggestions.

As mentioned in Travel Tips #1, Japan utilizes 100 volt power requiring a two-prong adapter.  Please visit here for a reference picture.  A limited number of adapters will be available for rent at the Hotel Granvia.

Terminal Room
There will not be a terminal room this year.  There is a business center located within the Hotel Granvia.  The hotel and conference staff will be happy to direct you to the business center.

…Now how about a bit of good news?

Hotel Granvia has EXTENDED the Early Bird discount!
Reserve your room by April 25th to take advantage of Early Bird rates offered to conference attendees at the official conference hotel.  Book now here. 

Have you registered for the conference yet?
April 25th is also the deadline to register for the conference at the early discount rate!  Register now at: https://registration.first.org/registration/2014/boston. 

Are you bringing your spouse?
If you plan on bringing your spouse with you to Kyoto, please let us know!  We are happy to refer you to our contacts at the Kyoto Convention Bureau.  There are many fantastic things to do in Kyoto from sightseeing to handicraft with the Women’s Association of Kyoto (WAK). 

Looking for a previous conference email announcement?
Check out the email announcement archive here

Follow conference updates @Twitter!  http://www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

HAVE YOU RESERVED YOUR HOTEL ROOM?
Reserve your room by March 31st to take advantage of Early Bird rates offered to attendees at the official conference hotel. Book now here.

AFTERMATH: Crafts and Lessons of Incident Recovery
The global economy is facing trying times.  As the world’s premier body of Computer Incident Response and Recovery Teams, FIRST has unique experience of crises and crisis management.  Join us at the 21st Annual Conference and connect with your fellow CSIRTs, law enforcement representatives, security solution providers, telecommunications organizations, ISPs , and general computer and network security personnel.

Attend sessions in your field of interest – Incident Response, Management and Technical

• Learn advanced techniques in security incident prevention, detection and response.
• Learn about the latest in computer and network security tools.
• Network with peers – share views, experiences, and resolutions in the computer security incident response field.

Keynotes this year include:

• Suguru Yamaguchi, Advisor on Information Security, National Information Security Center, Cabinet Office Japan
• Kurt Sauer, Founder of Spinlock Technologies, Japan
• Bruce Schneier, Chief Security Technology Officer, BT
• Vladan Todorovic, Information Security Manager, Atos Origin (IT Integrator of the Olympic Games)
• Takayuki Sasaki, Vice President and Representative Director, JR West
• Ray Stanton, Global Head, Business Continuity, Security and Governance Practice, BT

View the latest Program updates: here. Program is subject to change.

Looking for a previous conference email announcement?
Check out the email announcement archive: here

Follow conference updates @Twitter!  http://www.twitter.com/firstdotorg

Readership Survey: Do you partake in social networking?
We’d like to know!  Please email us at first-2009@first.org with what you do – i.e. Twitter, Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. – and why you feel it is important to the security industry to keep in touch with your peers.  All responses are for office use only and will be kept strictly confidential. 

Dear Colleague,

We’ve received several questions on how best to access money and use credit cards in Japan:

Accessing Cash
Accessing cash in Japan can be a bit of a task as many ATMs do not accept credit cards and debit cards issued outside of Japan.

We recommend making your first stop upon arrival to one the currency exchanges located in either Narita airport or Kansai airport.  It will be useful to have some pocket money available in case you’d like to purchase a beverage or snack.

For Narita Airport, please visit the following site for currency exchange locations:  http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_11.html.  

For Kansai Airport, please visit the following site for currency exchange locations:  http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/service/money/index.html.

ATMs
As mentioned earlier, many ATMs in Japan do not take credit cards or debit cards issued outside of Japan.  However, all Post Office facilities and 7-Eleven convenient stores do! 

The following is a listing of ATM’s located near the Hotel Granvia. 

• Kyoto Central Post Office (next to the Hotel Granvia)
• 7-Elevan at the corner of Shiokoji Street and Higashinotoin Street

You can download a printable map with additional address details here.

Credit Cards
Most major credit cards are accepted in Japan (AMEX, Mastercard, Visa and Discover).  We do however HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you contact your credit card company prior to traveling to Japan.  We also recommend that upon return trip you keep an eye on your statement for any suspicious charges.

For more information and directions on how best to travel from either Narita or Kansai to the Hotel Granvia, please click here.  Train is the quickest and most cost effective mode of transportation between airports and the Hotel Granvia.

Please feel free to contact the conference staff at first-2009@first.org if you have any additional questions, or would like more specifics.  The conference staff has had experience traveling the routes to and from Narita and Kansai to and from the Hotel Granvia utilizing the directions located on the conference website. 

Can’t find a previous announcement?
Past email announcements can be found here

Follow conference updates on Twitter!  http://www.twitter.com/first_dot_org

Dear Colleague,

Getting ready to travel to Japan?  Here are a couple of tips to make your travel a bit easier:

Visas & Letters of Invitation – If you are unsure of your visa requirements to enter Japan, please visit http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/essential/visa.html or http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/02.html.  If you do require a letter for visa purposes and/or corporate purpose, please email first-2009@first.org.  Please don’t delay this process, get your request in as soon as possible. 

Electricity – Japan utilizes 100 volt power requiring a two-prong plug.  For a picture, please, click here.  A limited number of adapters are available for rent at the  Hotel Granvia.

Mobile Phones – Many cellular and data services typically available in Europe and in the Americas are unavailable in Japan.  While there are many simple solutions – i.e. renting a phone and using your SIM card, utilizing WiFi at the hotel (free wired internet in each hotel room), we highly recommend that you check with your carrier prior to traveling.  Please visit: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/essential/telephone.html or http://euc.jp/misc/cellphones.en.html#tech if you’d like more information.

Basic Customs & Etiquette

1. Bowing is a very important gesture in Japan. For more info, visit: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2000.html
2. Tipping is not a common practice in Japan.
3. When using a taxi, the taxi driver will open and close the rear left door for you automatically.  Please do not try to open or close the door yourself.
4. Be aware of signs at restaurants and in the trains for “No Mobile Phones.”
5. Bring your business cards!  Exchanging business cards is important and done very formally.  Please ensure you extend both hands when accepting a card and when presenting your card and do take the time to put the card away nicely.

Language – Please visit: http://www.cnfj.navy.mil/phrases.html.  This is a great printable website.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the conference staff.

The wait is over! 

The 21st Annual FIRST Conference Program is now available for viewing here. 
Please note that the program is subject to change as submissions are still being added.

Have you taken advantage of the Early Bird rates?
Grab the most savings by registering for the conference and booking your hotel room now! 

Hotel Granvia is offering Early Bird Rates as low at 18,000 JPY.  Book now here.  Offer expires March 31st.

Early conference registration fees are $1500 for members and $1900 for non-members. 
The conference fee covers:

1. Attendance
2. Entry to the Sunday evening Ice Breaker
3. Meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Breaks)
4. One ticket to the Wednesday evening banquet

Early conference registration fees expire April 25th.  
Register at: https://registration.first.org/registration/2014/boston.

Have you booked your hotel reservations for the 21st Annual FIRST Conference?

Did you know special Early Bird Rates (ah hem, aka recession rates) are being made available to conference attendees that book prior to March 31st? 

Visit here to book your reservations now!

Don’t miss out! 

See you in Kyoto

Konnichiwa!

Conference Registration is Now Open!

Online registration is now available for the 21st Annual FIRST Conference - Aftermath: Crafts and Lessons of Incident Recovery! 

Register now to take advantage of the Early registration rates!

Early registration is $1900 USD
Early Member registration is $1500 USD

To register, go to: http://conference.first.org and click on “Register Now!”

To read more about Conference Fees, go to: kere.

Hotel Reservations

*** Early Bird Rates are Available at the Hotel Granvia! ***

*** Book Now!  Offer Expires March 31st! ***

The 21st Annual FIRST Conference will be held at Hotel Granvia Kyoto at Kyoto Station, Japan. A block of rooms is being held for conference attendees at a discount rate of 21,500-25,000 JPY* depending on room type and dates of arrival and departure (Early Bird rates as low as 18,000 JPY). These rates will be honored four days before and four days after the official meeting dates, based on availability. To receive the discount rate, you must make your reservation prior to June 1, 2009, and mention that you are attending the FIRST Computer Security Conference.

Reservation requests received after June 1st will be accepted on a space and rate availability basis.

It is recommended that all reservations be made online with the group code, “FIRST” through the Hotel Granvia's online reservation service.

Online reservations will be accepted from January 1-June 1, 2009.

For more information or to book your hotel room now, please visit: here.

*Exchange rates are subject to change. Check exchange rates at: http://www.xe.com/.

About the Conference

The Annual Conference is a five-day event running from Monday through Friday with registration starting at 14:00 on Sunday.  Each day will begin with a keynote address and be followed by one or more invited speakers. The following presentations, SIGs and panel sessions will be split into three tracks; one focusing on issues central to Incident response, one focusing on managerial issues and the third on more wide ranging technical topics.
Features planned for this year's conference include: Specialist tracks, Case Studies, Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings, Vendor Showcase, and more!
Learn more at: https://www.first.org/conference/2009.
About the Conference Location

Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, Kyoto is considered the traditional heart of Japan. Kyoto is part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area with a population close to 1.5 million and is Japan's 7th largest city.

Rich in history, heritage, and culture, Kyoto offers endless opportunities to gain meaningful hands-on experiences.

Learn more about Kyoto kyoto/about.aspx.   
See you in Kyoto!

Dear Colleague,

The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is currently seeking sponsorship partners who are interested in leveraging networking and business opportunities at the 21st Annual FIRST Conference to be held at Hotel Granvia, Kyoto Station, Kyoto, Japan, June 28-July 3, 2009. 

Sponsorship provides a unique opportunity to show your organization's commitment to best practice security. For those in the operating system environment, computer security, networking, and telecommunications industries, sponsorship opens the doors to gain focused access to a highly influential group of computer security incident response experts from around the globe.

When you sponsor the event, you will:

1. Reach an expected target audience of 400-450 attendees
2. Increase worldwide awareness of your organizations products and services
3. Gain access to computer security decision-makers from governments, corporations and educational institutions
4. Be recognized as a key supporter of FIRSTs goals of worldwide coordination and cooperation for the handling of computer security incidents
5. Demonstrate your organizations commitment to best practice security in a fast-growing community of security practitioners

Attendance will include representatives from the more than 194 member teams of FIRST including Merrill Lynch, Cisco, Microsoft, Deutsche Bank, Symantec, Citigroup, Siemens, HP, Goldman Sachs, CERT/CC, British Telecom, and Oxford University to name a few. You do not need to be a member of FIRST to attend or sponsor. Attendees include:

1. Any incident response and security team with responsibility for coordinating computer security incidents
2. Policy and decision makers who direct overall computer security
3. Senior managers directly charged with protecting their corporate infrastructure
4. Technical staff who determines security product needs and implements solutions
5. Anyone wanting to learn more about computer security in general or just aspiring to set up an incident handling team
6. Technical staff who determine security product requirements and implement solutions
7. Law enforcement staff who are involved in investigating cyber crimes
8. Legal counsel who work with policy and decision makers in establishing security policies
9. Government managers and senior executives who are responsible for protecting Government systems and National critical infrastructures

Sponsorship is not limited to financial support per se, but can also take the form of provision of hardware/software etc.

Want to become a sponsor? 
Contact us at first-2009@first.org.  For more details, clique here. 

Dear Colleague,

The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is issuing a Call for Presentations for the 21st Annual FIRST Conference to be held in Kyoto, Japan, June 28 – July 3, 2009.

The 2009 Program will have three tracks focusing on Management, Incident Response and Technical Topics Relevant to CSIRTs. The FIRST program committee solicits original contributions for this conference, which are broadly based on the theme of Aftermath: Crafts and Lessons of Incident Recovery. See here for details as well.
All submissions must reflect original work and must adequately document any overlap with previously published or simultaneously submitted presentations or papers from any of the authors. If authors have any doubts regarding whether such overlap exists, they should contact the program chairs prior to submission.

Presentations will be scheduled as part of the Main Conference.

Timeslots are available in two lengths:
a) 30 Minutes, which includes 10 minutes question period
b) 60 minutes, which includes 10 minutes question period

The Program Committee is also looking for proposals that will deliver specialist technical presentations, where presentations may last for up to three hours and which are aimed at a smaller more technical audience. These presentations are intended to include live demos and involve their audiences in active participation.

It is important that your presentation be:
• Topical
• Unique

Of special interest this year, the Program Committee and Steering Committee seek submissions for consideration on the following topics / themes across each of the three tracks (Technical, Managerial and Incident Response): Virtualization; Domain Name Servers; and, Process Control Systems (sometimes known as SCADA). For these three themes, we are looking for presentations from within a FIRST team, or from an organizations knowledge
outside the FIRST Team. We also seek input from Non-FIRST members for these topics. The themes would be best from the following perspectives: OEM Vendors; Enterprise Users / Vertical Industries; CSIRT/CERTs; and / or National infrastructure bodies. Team Reps, we look especially to you to propose to Mick Creane and Peter Allor, possible presenters for these topics.

You should not present with the aim of gaining the audience's interest in any commercial application or product, in other words: NO MARKETING PRESENTATIONS.

All submission must be in English in MS Office, OpenOffice or PDF format.

Process of Selection
All submissions will be handled electronically thru the Presentation Management Site available at: https://cfp.first.org/?/presenter.

The program committee will evaluate all submissions based on quality and relevance. All accepted submissions are held in confidence for publication until after the conference.

Submissions received after November 1, 2008 will not be considered. Where employer, client, or government authorization is needed, it is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain such authorization prior to submitting the final materials.

Accepted speaker submission shall be presented by their author(s). After the conference the presentations will be published on the FIRST website.

Speakers Privileges
A discount off the conference fee(s) will be offered for each accepted presentation or Hands on Class delivered.

Important Dates
Submission Deadline: November 1st, 2008
Notification of Acceptance: January 15th 2009
Final Submission: April 30th, 2009

Questions
If you have any questions about the conference submission process or require more information, please send your query to first-2009chair@first.org.

Hope to see you in Kyoto!

Dear Colleague,

The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is issuing a Call for Presentations for the 21st Annual FIRST Conference to be held in Kyoto, Japan, June 28 – July 3, 2009.

The 2009 Program will have three tracks focusing on Management, Incident Response and Technical Topics Relevant to CSIRTs. The FIRST program committee solicits original contributions for this conference, which are broadly based on the theme of Aftermath: Crafts and Lessons of Incident Recovery. See speakers.aspx for details as well.
All submissions must reflect original work and must adequately document any overlap with previously published or simultaneously submitted presentations or papers from any of the authors. If authors have any doubts regarding whether such overlap exists, they should contact the program chairs prior to submission.

Presentations will be scheduled as part of the Main Conference.

Timeslots are available in two lengths:
a) 30 Minutes, which includes 10 minutes question period
b) 60 minutes, which includes 10 minutes question period

The Program Committee is also looking for proposals that will deliver specialist technical presentations, where presentations may last for up to three hours and which are aimed at a smaller more technical audience. These presentations are intended to include live demos and involve their audiences in active participation.

It is important that your presentation be:
• Topical
• Unique

Of special interest this year, the Program Committee and Steering Committee seek submissions for consideration on the following topics / themes across each of the three tracks (Technical, Managerial and Incident Response): Virtualization; Domain Name Servers; and, Process Control Systems (sometimes known as SCADA). For these three themes, we are looking for presentations from within a FIRST team, or from an organizations knowledge
outside the FIRST Team. We also seek input from Non-FIRST members for these topics. The themes would be best from the following perspectives: OEM Vendors; Enterprise Users / Vertical Industries; CSIRT/CERTs; and / or National infrastructure bodies. Team Reps, we look especially to you to propose to Mick Creane and Peter Allor, possible presenters for these topics.

You should not present with the aim of gaining the audience's interest in any commercial application or product, in other words: NO MARKETING PRESENTATIONS.

All submission must be in English in MS Office, OpenOffice or PDF format.

Process of Selection
All submissions will be handled electronically thru the Presentation Management Site available at: https://cfp.first.org/?/presenter.

The program committee will evaluate all submissions based on quality and relevance. All accepted submissions are held in confidence for publication until after the conference.

Submissions received after November 1, 2008 will not be considered. Where employer, client, or government authorization is needed, it is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain such authorization prior to submitting the final materials.

Accepted speaker submission shall be presented by their author(s). After the conference the presentations will be published on the FIRST website.

Speakers Privileges
A discount off the conference fee(s) will be offered for each accepted presentation or Hands on Class delivered.

Important Dates
Submission Deadline: November 1st, 2008
Notification of Acceptance: January 15th 2009
Final Submission: April 30th, 2009

Questions
If you have any questions about the conference submission process or require more information, please send your query to first-2009chair@first.org.

Hope to see you in Kyoto!

Dear FIRST Colleague,

The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is issuing a Call for Speakers for the 21st Annual FIRST Conference being held June 28 – July 3, 2009 in Kyoto, Japan. 

The 2009 Program will have three tracks focusing on Management, Incident Response and Technical Topics Relevant to CSIRTs. 

The FIRST program committee solicits original contributions for this conference, which are broadly based on the theme of Aftermath: Crafts and Lessons of Incident Recovery. 

All submissions must reflect original work and must adequately document any overlap with previously published or simultaneously submitted presentations or papers from any of the authors. If authors have any doubts regarding whether such overlap exists, they should contact the program chair prior to submission.   

Presentations will be scheduled as part of the Main Conference.

Timeslots are available in two lengths:

a) 30 Minutes, which includes 10 minutes question period
b) 60 minutes, which includes 10 minutes question period

The Program Committee is also looking for proposals that will deliver specialist technical presentations, where presentations may last for up to three hours and which are aimed at a smaller more technical audience. These presentations are intended to include live demos and involve their audiences in active participation.   

It is important that your presentation be:

• Topical
• Unique

You should not present with the aim of gaining the audience's interest in any commercial application or product, in other words:  NO MARKETING PRESENTATIONS.

All submission must be in English in MS Office, OpenOffice or PDF format.

Process of Selection
All submissions will be handled electronically through the Presentation Management Site available at: https://cfp.first.org/?/presenter.

The program committee will evaluate all submissions based on quality and relevance. All accepted submissions are held in confidence for publication until after the conference. 

Submissions received after November 1, 2008 will not be considered. Where employer, client, or government authorization is needed, it is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain such authorization prior to submitting the final materials.   

Accepted speaker submissions shall be presented by their author(s). After the conference the presentations will be published on the FIRST website.  

Speakers Privileges
A discount off the conference fee(s) will be offered for each accepted presentation or Hands on Class delivered.

Important Dates
Submission Deadline:  November 1st, 2008
Notification of Acceptance: January 15th 2009
Final Submission: April 30th, 2009

Questions
If you have any questions about the conference submission process or require more information, please send your query to first-2009chair@lists.first.org.

See you in Kyoto!