To Friends in Information Security and IT Industry

When we decided to initiate ISF (abbr. for Internet Security Forum) in 2008, we had a simple idea that although there were some information security meetings at home, most of them were held in Beijing. We thus hoped to hold a small party to enable fellows in southern China to communicate in their neighborhood. Then, a hasty and inconspicuous party with 20 participants or more was convoked in Shanghai.

From then on, this party has become a routine and gone through 5 years’ time.

We strive to broaden the dimension and hotspot of information security. Although we know that the disclosure of vulnerability digging technique and 0day will attract in a very long time the eyes of a small minority of researchers, we still focus more on the subject of defense and products. We attempt to cover the issues throughout the pan-security related areas, from hardware Hack, social privacy digging to industrial control security.

During the five years, Antiy as the organizer has proposed some subjects which are basically not our actual business. The meeting, with no commercial value involved, has presented every little achievements Antiy’s engineers have made in their spare time.

During the five years, we have also been encouraged a lot by speakers and guests.

I have never participated at home such pure information security discussion. My eyes were suffused with excited tears. — Tom

Great thanks ISF for inviting me as the keynote speaker to share social networking privacy data mining research paper. — Dr. Wu Xintao

May ISF be better and more successful. I will certainly support ISF. — Xu Rongsheng

Tons of beers and nice buddies are waiting for you here. — Fyodor

During the five years, we have also got some pertinent advices and criticism.

Two days is too short. The interaction process should be given more time, while not depending on the several speakers. — Little Pig

Hope more information security fellows from foreign companies in Shanghai can be invited. After all, foreign companies occupy a majority part in Shanghai. — York

Fine food and drink are not enough. I hope that ISF can improve the treatment standard for participants. — Archer

As the organizer of the ISF, we thank with great trepidation for the expectation of our colleagues, the elderly and our friends. We in fear and trepidation feel sorry for our deficient organizational capability and the slender meeting budget. But please believe that our colleagues in ISF meeting group will “share the security value together, spend the youth journey jointly” with a sincere heart.

In the past five years, the pattern of information security has undergone great changes. The global security industry has entered the era of merging and acquisition. The past main enterprises have become the swallow object of IT giant. The Internet oligarchy has become stronger than before. On the one hand, it gives consumers better and safer product experience, on the other hand, new privacy threats have come into beings.

As information security industry, we have never got the power and attention like this time. We have never felt so week and confused. Our opponents have never been so powerful that we have to suppress our breath. The boundary between safety and threat has never been so fuzzy and vague that we can only find our direction by striving to open the eyes.

The best age and the worst age cross intertwined all the time.

We should take a more panoramic view of the whole industrial chain, and analyze the value chain and development principle of safety and threat. We should pay more attention to the experience of forerunners, as well as the growth of newcomers. Therefore, we should be more concerned about the education and intelligence training of information security profession. What we need is not only a harmonious party but fire argument and confrontation.

As information security workers, we still have ambitions and passions in our heart. We hope to create a work of historical value in a very limited time. But we also know that:

Time lives longer than any time recorder and history is more alone than any history creator.

Therefore, more communication and cooperation are needed so that every one of us can face time and history not as individual.

Look forward to your support and participation.

http://isf.cisrg.org/index_en.htm

See you in November in Shanghai, China.

ISF founder: Billy

Antiy Labs: Seak