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Introduction ISSA2009 is the annual conference for the information security community that continues on the successful recipe established in 2000. We would like to thank Prof Jan Eloff and Prof Mariki Eloff who stepped down as conference chairs this year. They were founding members of ISSA and we would like to wish them all the best for their future endeavours. The new conference chairs, Prof Hein Venter and Dr Marijke Coetzee in conjunction with Prof Les Labuschagne undertake to build upon the good foundation that has been laid in the past by Prof Jan and Mariki Eloff for many years to come. The ISSA 2009 conference is held under the auspices of the University of Johannesburg Business IT Department, the University of Pretoria Department of Computer Science and the University of Johannesburg Academy for Information Technology. The ISSA2009 Conference will run from Monday, 6 to Wednesday, 8 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. 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.
ISSA 2009 Conference Organisers: 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. 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. In the past ISSA has secured many highly acclaimed international speakers, including:
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. |