Summercon 2019 – 2020

Research Grant Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Supporter Sponsors

We did it! We secured Littlefield for the next installation of Summercon, coming June 12-13, 2020. Get your tickets here

The Summercon 2019 CFP is now officially open!

You can submit your proposals here but if you submit before Jan 15th, you can be eligible for a 2019 Summercon Grant. The grants are for $10,000 up front with the only condition being that you must present your research at Summercon in June 2019.

When making a submission, make sure under the “Is this submission for a 2019 grant?” section to select the option “Grant Eligible.” The deadline for submission is Jan 15, 2019.

We are delighted to announce the Summercon 2019 Speaker Selection Committee, chaired by Summercon alumnus Collin Mulliner. Collin has been a part of the Summercon family for years, and has presented on our stage three times (2012, 2013, 2015). He has been chairing the speaker selection process since Summercon 2018.

The full committee is:

• Collin Mulliner, Chair
• Nicole Becher
• Sophia D’Antoine
• Zach Lanier
• Quiessence Phillips

Learn more about the people who make Summercon happen on the contact page.

With the opening of the Summercon 2019 CFP, we thought we’d provide a few friendly tips for what we think makes a great Summercon presentation. These seven points represent the kinds of things that we are evaluating when we look at CFP proposals.

1. Technical
   • While we occasionally incorporate talks of a non-technical nature, almost every presentation that shows up at Summercon is deeply technical. They’re not sales pitches, and they’re not about righting social wrongs. So if you’re planning on submitting a talk about why people should buy your company’s particular security snake oil, or why your company has the best culture (and you can too!), consider carefully that we’re not that kind of conference. Try somewhere else.
2. Novel
   • From time to time, in the interest of getting important content in front of the best audience in the world, we let people present something they’ve already shown at events of lesser stature. But we prefer totally new presentations instead of rehashed talks. New content has a better chance of getting shown on the Summercon stage.
3. Irreverant
   • While the presentations are technical, the way that successful presentations get their point across is through non-traditional means. This is not the place to read slides. One memorable presentation used an Android-shaped pinata as a prop. Another invited participation through an AA-meeting style format. The sky’s the limit ( within the limits of our code of conduct, of course).
4. Revels in the Journey
   • If you like talking about the trials and tribulations of research, we are all ears. Even though your final results may be super polished and look effortless, everyone knows you had at least three major setbacks and went down two totally worthless paths before you arrived at a good solution. Share those. People love that, especially our speaker selection committee.
5. Sticks it to The Man
   • Despite all the sponsorships, corporate attendance, and more buttoned-up nature of Summercon (see our Code of Conduct, which is totally reasonable, by the way), we are still, at heart, a hacker conference. Challenge authority. Show you’re not a patsy for The Man. Engages the Audience
6. Engages the Audience
   • Summercon speakers are a special breed, because Summercon attendees are a special breed. Prepare to have people call out your mistakes, heckle if you’re less than prepared, and generally push your buttons. But successful presentations channel this misplaced audience enthusiasm. We still fondly recall a choose-your-own-adventure presentation, where randomly selected audience members got to dictate the direction of the talk. Engage your audience, and they won’t turn on you. (This can be good life advice, too.)
7. Fits into the Allocated Time
   • We cannot overstate this: fill the time, generally 45 minutes of speaking with 10 minutes of Q&A. Our speaker selection committee has been around the block, so if you’re going to try to pretend that a six hour seminar fits into 55 minutes of speaking slot, it’s probably not going to get selected.

Do you have an idea that will make an important contribution to the information security community? Some of the most important work ever presented at Summercon, through any of a zillion other conferences, journals, or whispered in mall food courts around the world, have been entirely self-funded, independent efforts.

Our Chairman Emeritus, Chris Valasek, has had a long history of doing independent work, and had an idea: what if Summercon could help fund this important vehicle for information security innovation?

After a major restructuring of Summercon, we are proud to announce the Summercon Research Grants Program.

Through our two funds-granting sponsors, Capsule8 and Trail of Bits, Summercon can help you realize your security research dreams. Apply today!

When making a submission, make sure under the “Is this submission for a 2019 grant?” section to select the option “Grant Eligible.” The deadline for submission is Jan 15, 2019.

The Summercon Fellowship grant program is now open. Please submit your application to the conference review process portal.

Submissions will be reviewed by the Summercon Speaker Selection Committee, and two representatives each from Capsule8 and Trail of Bits.

Updated: 23 December 2018

What it is:
Get $10,000 to pursue independent information security research. Show your results at Summercon 2019.

What we’re looking for:
Details to come.

How to apply:
Apply by submitting an application at the conference review process portal!

• Applications are accepted through until January 15th. Recipients will be notified by January 31st.

Updated: 23 December 2018

We’re looking for emerging security researchers with excellent project ideas. Fellows will get to explore their research topics with our guidance and then present their findings at Summercon 2019. If you’re interested in applying, read on!

What is it?

The Trail of Bits SummerCon Fellowship gives monetary support and mentorship for great security research ideas.

Applicants who are awarded Fellowships will receive:

• $10,000 grant to fund a five-month security research project
• Dedicated research mentor from a security engineer at Trail of Bits
• An invitation to present findings at Summercon

Applicants of all genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities are encouraged to apply. The Fellowship seeks to bolster inclusion in the security industry. 50% of the program spots are reserved for minority and female-identifying candidates.

What are we looking for?

Applicants should be focused on security engineering with strong skills in low-level or systems programming, reverse engineering, program analysis (including dynamic binary instrumentation, symbolic execution, and abstract interpretation), or vulnerability analysis.

We’re looking for research ideas that align with our areas of expertise. That way, we can better support your process! Topics relevant to our interests include:

• Binary analysis
• Static/dynamic analysis techniques
• Blockchain and smart contract security
• Cryptography
• LLVM engineering
• Software verification

How do I apply?

Apply here!

We’re accepting applications until January 15th. We’ll announce fellowship recipients by January 31st.

Interested in applying? Go for it!

Submissions will be judged by a panel of experts from the SummerCon foundation, including Trail of Bits. Good luck!

As promised at Summercon 2018, there is a totally new, totally exciting CFP process for Summercon. In the past, we’ve had no CFP, instead, electing to use our considerable contact lists to curate the best and brightest of information security and bring them to you. But we’ve had this gnawing feeling that we’ve been missing out on other really great content. So here we are, going back to a formal CFP.

Maybe you have an idea for something that you’d like to talk about, but you don’t know if you’ve got what it takes to do it at Summercon. We’ve got a whole group of past speakers in the Summercon Alumni Network, who can help you work on your proposal, craft your talk to the unique needs of the Summercon audience, and practice your delivery.