The Fourth Layered Assurance Workshop (LAW)
6-7 December 2010
The Four Seasons, Austin, Texas

LAW is a unique opportunity for interchange on the topic of compositional 
(or modular) assurance. It is founded on the bold proposition that it is 
possible to build assured systems from compositions of previously assured 
components, while being able to derive the system level properties (e.g., 
safety & security) systematically from the properties of the 
components.  LAW spans the theoretical, engineering, and certification 
challenges to be met in making compositional assurance for such systems a 
reality.

We say "layered" assurance, rather than compositional assurance, to 
encompass the multiple aspects of assurance for component composition, 
incremental certification (incremental cost for incremental changes), and 
leveraging assurance effort within a product family (i.e., assurance that 
is robust in the face of the variations typical among members of a product 
line).

The LAW Organizing Committee in cooperation with Applied Computer Security 
Associates is pleased to announce that LAW 2010 will be held as an 
affiliated workshop of the 26th Annual Computer Security Applications 
Conference (ACSAC). LAW, previously a small but growing workshop, will now 
be associated with this major conference of high- ranking impact.

LAW is concerned with the fundamental problems of compositional assurance, 
and with a need for principles, methods, and techniques applicable to 
achieve the assurance necessary for security-critical, safety-critical, and 
mission-critical components and systems. LAW spans the theoretical, 
engineering, and certification challenges to be met in making compositional 
assurance for such systems a reality.


TOPICS OF INTEREST for LAW submissions include: theoretical foundations for 
compositional and incremental assurance compositional and incremental 
certification combining methods of assurance (multi-legged assurance) 
component-based and compositional interpretations of hazards, verification, 
and assurance arguments composability of component properties, to achieve 
system security and safety explicit assurance cases for security, safety, 
correctness standards for measuring assurance (e.g., security, safety) case 
studies from diverse application domains (e.g., aerospace, critical 
infrastructures, automotive, medical, Department of Defense and 
Intelligence Community) outstanding challenges from diverse application 
domains assurance for product families role of architecture and the 
relationship of architecture to assurance of system properties 
architectural frameworks that can enhance assurance tools and techniques to 
support compositional and incremental assurance impediments to 
compositional assurance, such as properties that defy composition or 
architectures that thwart compositional assurance

The preceding list of topics above is not intended to be exhaustive. 
Submissions are encouraged on any topics that prospective authors consider 
relevant to the Layered Assurance Workshop.


IMPORTANT DATES

Paper submissions due: 15 October 2010
Notification of acceptance/rejection: 1 November 2010
Final papers due: 1 December 2010
LAW is held: 6-7 December 2010


INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF PAPERS

Since LAW is a workshop rather than a conference or symposium, submissions 
do not have to be entirely novel, but they do have to be interesting and 
relevant to LAW.

We solicit two categories of papers: practical and research. We request a 
maximum of 5 pages for practical papers and a maximum of 10 pages for 
research (2500 or 5000 words respectively). Papers exceeding these limits 
will be truncated for review. Please indicate with your submission the 
category (practical or research) for which it is intended.

Papers should be capable of being printed on US letter size paper. The text 
should be 10 point or larger with reasonable margins. Formatting to common 
single-column conference proceedings standards is acceptable.

To submit a paper, please go to 
http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=law2010


PRESENTATIONS AT THE WORKSHOP

Authors are expected to give a 30 minute presentation of their paper at the 
Workshop, and are requested to provide their presentation slides at the 
time of the workshop for publication on the LAW web page along with the 
final papers.

We will operate under a "No Paper, No Podium" and "No Podium, No Paper" 
policy. We need your final paper by the December 1 deadline.


WORKSHOP REGISTRATION

Speakers with accepted papers will be required to register for LAW. 
Registration may be done at the ACSAC 2010 web site, http://www.acsac.org .


PROCEEDINGS

LAW will not publish paper proceedings. Accepted submitted papers and 
presentation slides will be published on the LAW 2010 web page the week 
that LAW is held and will be archived there indefinitely. By submitting a 
paper an author agrees to online publication of the final version of the 
paper and presentation material if the paper is accepted.


SPONSORSHIP

LAW is sponsored again this year by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory 
and the Air Force Cryptographic Modernization Program Office. This year 
marks a transition for LAW from its present and past sponsorship to being 
an ACSAC affiliated workshop.


CONTACT

Either through EasyChair link above, or rdelong "at" engr.scu.edu


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group of professionals who are working to facilitate information sharing 
among colleagues. We're an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization.  Our 
postal address is 2906 Covington Road, Silver Spring, MD  20910-1206.
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