HandsetSec 2009 - The First International Workshop on Mobile Handset Security (HandsetSec 2009) in conjunction with The IEEE 29th International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems

CALL FOR PAPERS
The First International Workshop on Mobile Handset Security (HandsetSec 2009)
June 26, 2009, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
held in conjunction with
The 29th International Conference on Distribut Computing Systems (ICDCS 2009)



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Workshop Objectives
The primary purpose of this workshop is to bring together members of the research community and practitioners from industry to present novel results and approaches in the emerging area of mobile handset security, a topic at the intersection of wireless communications and computer security.

Mobile handsets are handheld computers that are designed for humans to perform a variety of tasks such as planning one's schedule, taking pictures, checking one's email, and communicating with others' handsets via text and multimedia messages. Handsets include smartphones such as the BlackBerry and personal digital assistants (PDAs) such as the Treo that run on embedded operating systems (OSes) such as Symbian OS and Windows Mobile. Due to their form factor and mobility, handset sales dominate the computer market and they are increasingly ubiquitous. Handsets facilitate storage of personal information, Internet browsing, and even financial transactions, among other applications. However, the same traits that attract users to handsets also attract hackers and malware writers, and the quantity of mobile-handset malware has significantly increased from 2004 to 2008, as has its lethality. Today, this malware includes viruses, surreptitious long-distance dialers, and Trojan horse programs that target sensitive information. These developments pose significant security threats that are compounded by closed-source OSes, diverse handset communication networks, and the lack of knowledge about mobile malware.

Due to the sensitivity of data stored on mobile handsets and their ubiquity and low cost, the rise of mobile-handset malware can cause damages greater than those resulting from existing computer malware. To buck this trend, deep understanding of mobile malware and rapid prevention, detection, and response mechanisms are required. The workshop will provide a working forum to discuss research results that address the challenge of mobile malware and communicate the urgent need for such research.

The main topics for the workshop will focus on characterization and modeling of mobile-handset malware and defense approaches for handset software, OSes, and hardware. We seek papers in, but not limited to, the following areas:

* Mobile-handset malware modeling
* Malware-resistant mobile-handset OS design
* Hardware countermeasures against mobile malware
* Secure coding practices for mobile handsets
* Intrusion- and malicious-behavior detection for mobile handsets
* Power-sensitive cryptography for mobile handsets
* Usability issues regarding mobile handset security
* Digital rights management for mobile handsets
* Secure financial transactions using mobile handsets
* Lawful, auditable, and restricted tracking and surveillance using handsets




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Paper Submission
Authors are invited to submit manuscripts reporting original unpublished research and recent developments in the topics related to the workshop. Submit an electronic version of manuscripts, not exceed 6 pages (IEEE Computer Society proceedings Manuscripts: two columns, single-spaced) to handsetsec-AT-gmail.com, including an abstract, 3-5 key words, the corresponding author�s e-mail, figures, and references (http://computer.org/cspress/instruct.htm). Prepare your papers in PDF file only. Submission of a paper should be regarded as an undertaking that, should the paper be accepted, at least one of the authors will register and attend the workshop to present the work.

Each submitted paper will be peer reviewed and the comments will be provided to the authors. Accepted papers will be published by IEEE Computer Society Press, as proceedings of the ICDCS09 workshops.


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Important Dates

Paper submission deadline: Dec. 14, 2008, 11:59 EST.
Acceptance notification: Feb. 11, 2009
Camera-ready papers due: March 13, 2009
Workshop date: Jun. 26, 2009