Symposium Overview
The USENIX Security Symposium brings together researchers, practitioners, system administrators, system programmers, and others interested in the latest advances in the security and privacy of computer systems and networks. The 30th USENIX Security Symposium will be held as a virtual event on August 11–13, 2021.
Important: The USENIX Security Symposium moved to multiple submission deadlines in 2019 and included changes to the review process and submission policies. Detailed information is available at USENIX Security Publication Model Changes.
All researchers are encouraged to submit papers covering novel and scientifically significant practical works in computer security. The Symposium will span three days with a technical program including refereed papers, invited talks, posters, panel discussions, and Birds-of-a-Feather sessions.
Important Dates
Summer Deadline
- Refereed paper submissions due:
Thursday, June 11, 2020, 11:59 pm AoEThursday, June 18, 2020, 11:59 pm AoE (Extended) - Early reject notification: July 24, 2020
- Rebuttal Period: August 31–September 2, 2020
- Notification to authors: September 11, 2020
- Final paper files due: October 13, 2020
- Video presentations due: Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Fall Deadline
- Refereed paper submissions due: Thursday, October 15, 2020, 11:59 pm AoE
- Early reject notification: November 20, 2020
- Rebuttal Period: January 11–13, 2021
- Notification to authors: January 21, 2021
- Final paper files due: February 22, 2021
- Video presentations due: Thursday, May 20, 2021
Winter Deadline
- Refereed paper submissions due: Thursday, February 4, 2021, 11:59 pm AoE
- Early reject notification: March 12, 2021
- Rebuttal Period: April 19–21, 2021
- Notification to authors: April 30, 2021
- Final paper files due: June 2, 2021
- Video presentations due: Wednesday, July 7, 2021
- Invited talk and panel proposals due: Thursday, February 4, 2021
Symposium Organizers
Program Co-Chairs
Program Committee
Invited Talks Chair
Invited Talks Committee
Test of Time Awards Committee
Steering Committee
Symposium Topics
Refereed paper submissions are solicited in all areas relating to systems research in security and privacy, including but not limited to:
- System security
- Operating systems security
- Web security
- Mobile systems security
- Distributed systems security
- Cloud computing security
- Network security
- Intrusion and anomaly detection and prevention
- Network infrastructure security
- Denial-of-service attacks and countermeasures
- Wireless security
- Security analysis
- Malware analysis
- Analysis of network and security protocols
- Attacks with novel insights, techniques, or results
- Forensics and diagnostics for security
- Automated security analysis of hardware designs and implementation
- Automated security analysis of source code and binaries
- Machine learning in a secure systems context
- Program analysis
- Data-driven security and measurement studies
- Measurements of fraud, malware, spam
- Measurements of human behavior and security
- Privacy-enhancing technologies and anonymity
- Usable security and privacy
- Language-based security
- Hardware security
- Secure computer architectures
- Embedded systems security
- Methods for detection of malicious or counterfeit hardware
- Side channels
- Research on surveillance and censorship
- Social issues and security
- Research on computer security law and policy
- Ethics of computer security research
- Research on security education and training
- Information manipulation
- Online abuse and harassment
- Applications of cryptography
- Analysis of deployed cryptography and cryptographic protocols
- Cryptographic implementation analysis
- New cryptographic protocols with real-world applications
This topic list is not meant to be exhaustive; USENIX Security is interested in all aspects of computing systems security and privacy. Papers without a clear application to security or privacy of computing systems, however, will be considered out of scope and may be rejected without full review.
Refereed Papers
Papers that have been formally reviewed and accepted will be presented during the Symposium and published in the Symposium Proceedings. By submitting a paper, you agree that at least one of the authors will attend the conference to present it. Alternative arrangements will be made if global health concerns persist. If the conference registration fee will pose a hardship for the presenter of the accepted paper, please contact conference@usenix.org.
A major mission of the USENIX Association is to provide for the creation and dissemination of new knowledge. In keeping with this and as part of USENIX’s open access policy, the Proceedings will be available online for registered attendees before the Symposium and for everyone starting on the opening day of the technical sessions. USENIX also allows authors to retain ownership of the copyright in their works, requesting only that USENIX be granted the right to be the first publisher of that work. See our sample consent form for the complete terms of publication.
Go to Paper Submission Policies and Instructions page for more information.
Artifact Evaluation
View the Call for Artifacts.
Invited Talks and Panel Discussions
Invited talks and panel discussions will be held in parallel with the refereed paper sessions. Please submit topic suggestions and talk and panel proposals via email to sec21it@usenix.org by Thursday, February 4, 2021.