Abu Dhabi selections keep rolling in

Black Hat Abu Dhabi is now just a little more than a month away. And as Black Hat HQ prepares for its trip to the incredible UAE desert, we are also busily accepting the last few rounds of Call for Paper submissions. Time grows short, so be sure to check back later in the week for more selections.

But now, here are a few of our most recently accepted briefings.

The Open Data Protocol is a new data access protocol supported by many major software vendors and open-source software libraries. However, very little public security knowledge is currently available. Gursev Singh Kalra will help us change that with his presentation Attacking ODATA.

Many organizations are constantly tested by cyber criminals, and they spend a great deal of money on defenses they hope will thwart the attacks. Beyond the marketing hype, how do these defenses stand up against harsh real-world testing? Francisco Artes will share his data and present a live demonstration of successful evasion of malware detection, in his presentation Cybercrime Kill Chain vs. Effectiveness of Defense Layers.

That sound you hear is your Android Device waving the white flag. Aditya Gupta and Subho Halder's Android Framework for Exploitation, AFE for short, delivers the sort of firepower that could make any inanimate device give up hope. Loading in your own exploits and payloads, building custom exploits, and repurposing malware to make it full undetectable are just a few of AFE's scary capabilities. Don't miss the Droid Exploitation Saga.

In the world of smart phones, it can be difficult to distinguish between criminal malware or overly aggressive apps when it comes to the user's privacy. Even the smallest of apps and websites will seek our GPS Coordinates. Ashkan Soltani proposes a solution in his presentation Mobile Privacy: Transparency & Control.

There are few reliable truths in this world. However, as Shane MacDougall will tell you, one thing is certain: Social engineering works. Time and time and time again, it just does. People are often the weakest link in the security chain, and therefore the easiest to exploit. Learn what you can do about this in Shane's presentation, Social Engineering Threats and Countermeasures in an Overly Connected World.

So much great research, and more is on the way. But the clock is ticking, so be sure to check back soon.

Sustaining Partners