Internet Commerce Security Laboratory (ICSL)

Malware & Reverse Engineering Conference 2023

Following the easing of pandemic restrictions we are pleased to announce that the Malware & Reverse Engineering Conference will be held on Monday and Tuesday, 20-21 of February, 2023. We will provide high quality speakers as in previous conferences in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017,2018 and 2019 .

MRE-2023 is a bridge between industry, law enforcement and academia, with a strong focus on practical results from research and development projects in malware reversing.

The conference aims to cover:

  • Threat intelligence
  • Incident response
  • Binary program analysis, and reverse engineering
  • Behavioural and attribution analysis of malware
  • Impacts into the financial sector and government agencies
  • Advanced monitoring schemes for Malware attacks

Venue

Microsoft,
Coffey Room Theatre,
Level 5 / 4 Freshwater Place,
Southbank,
Melbourne CBD.

Registration

Registration for MRE 2023 (20-21/02/2023) is now open, and tickets are available from Eventbrite,

2023 program and keynote speakers

The speakers for MRE 2023 ha) ve all come forward, however, if you are prepared to wait on ny potential speaker drop outs, please contact Dr Paul Black.

Thomas Roccia - Microsoft

Thomas Roccia is Senior Security Researcher at Microsoft. He works in the Defender team to improve detection and research novel techniques. Previously Thomas was working at McAfee in the Advanced Threat Research team. He worked on threat intelligence, tracking cybercrime campaigns, and collaborated with law enforcement agencies. He performed worldwide incident response, malware hunting, and helped customers during major outbreaks. He speaks regularly at security conferences. The title of Thomas' keynote talk is:Binary Instrumentation for Malware Analysis: Practical Tools and Techniques.

Chathura Abeydeera - KPMG

Chathura is a Director in the Forensic practice of KPMG Australia where he leads the Cyber Attack and Response services. He is a highly technical Cyber security practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in offensive Cybersecurity and Incident Response.  He is a CREST Certified Tester and an examination assessor for the CREST International. He is also an advisory board member of CREST Australasia. He has delivered complex technical Cyber security assessment programs and Incident Response engagements for a number of high profile Australian and global organisations. The title for Chathura's keynote talk is: Keep Calm and Respond: An Adversarial Mindset Approach to Incident Response.

Matt Tett - Enex Test Lab

Matt Tett is the Managing Director of Enex TestLab (Enex Pty Ltd). He is well known globally across industry and government as a very well connected, highly technical straight shooter. Effectively applying science to translating complex technology for the lay person, ensuring customers receive what they are paying for. Enex TestLab’ objective is to use science to keep tech vendors honest by rigorously testing their product claims and ensuring consumer requirements are met factually. The title of Matt's keynote talk is:IoT Security Trust Mark ~ Securing Connected Devices ~ >15 Years of Lessons Learned.

Speakers

The confirmed speakers for MRE 2023 include:

NameOrganisationTopic
Chathura AbeydeeraKPMGKeep Calm and Respond: An Adversarial Mindset Approach to Incident Response
Sharif AbuadbbaData61Malware Field: Insights and Trends from the Top 4 Security Conferences
Scott AinslieUniversity of MelbourneThe use of traditional intelligence in cyber defence practices: a research agenda.
Tao BanNICT JapanResearch on IoT Anti-Malware Technologies Beyond CPU Architectures
Stephen CheyIBMDemocratising Cybersecurity Skills
Negar ShababMicrosoftMalicious Browser Extensions -  How important they are, and how to analyse them
Gyle Dela Cruz   Demystifying OSINT  for a Future SOC Analyst
Karl Denton CybermercCan we script it? Scripting Malware Analysis
Priya GnanasekaranLab3Web3 Security: Navigating the Risks and Rewards of the Decentralised Web
Daisuke InoueNICT Japan (Virtual)Cybersecurity Activities in Japan for Security IoT Environment
Joarder KamruzzamanFederation UniversityRobust Malware Detection Using Adversarial Retraining
Jemima MiddisMonash University (NZ virtual)The Biggest Bugs in the Net - An Assessment of Ransomware Attacks Targeting Australian Big Business
Jon OliverVmWareHandling Alert Fatigue at Scale using a Combination of Machine Learning and Fast Search
David Ormrod & Jamie NortonMcGrathNicolMalware and Threat Intelligence Economies and their impact on cybersecurity risks
Sean ParkTrend MicroA Day of the Adversary Hunter
Thomas Roccia Microsoft Binary Instrumentation for Malware Analysis: Practical Tools and Techniques
Matt TettEnex Test LabIoT Security Trust Mark - Securing Connected Devices - 15 Years of Lessons Learned
Alex Rohl & Chris Davey University of Adelaide & University of Southern Queensland Automated Protocol Reverse Engineering using Deep Learning and Heuristics
Noushin ShababKasperskyTopic Trooper - Targets High Profile Victims Using Newly Discovered MQTT Backdoor
Paul WattersIonizeIndustry-Academic Collaboration with an ICSL Retrospective
Yang XiangSwinburneSoftware Vulnerability Detection by Fuzzing and Deep Learning

2023 Organising Committee

Our organising committee is composed of security researchers and engineers from academia and industry.

  • Paul Pang, Chair - Acting Director, ICSL, Federation University Australian,
  • Paul Black -  Post Doctoral Fellow - Cybersecurity, ICSL,
  • Joarder Kamruzzaman,  Co-Director, Centre of Smart Analytics,
  • Iven Mareels - Executive Dean, Institute of Innovation, Science and Sustainability,
  • Syed Islam - Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation),
  • Alana Auden, Research Centre Support Officer - Research  Services,
  • Pooja Mishra - Masters by research, -  Cybersecurity,  ICSL.
  • Thomas Roccia - Senior Security Researcher, Microsoft,
  • Stephanie Williams - Principal Information Security Consultant, Westpac,

Sponsors

There are plenty of opportunities for sponsorship support and we welcome interest in sponsorship from the security industry and other partners. Please contact Dr Paul Black, if you are interested in discussing sponsorship opportunities.

Westpac