ACM CCS 2024 Conference Experience: A Week of Inspiration

I’ve just returned from a whirlwind week in Salt Lake City for the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS) 2024, and I’m still processing everything.

Attending a top-tier conference is always an incredible learning experience, but this one was truly special.

Presenting our paper, “Jäger: Automated Telephone Call Traceback,” was a highlight. It’s one thing to work on a project for months in the lab, but it’s another to share it with a room full of the leading experts in your field. The questions and discussions that followed were insightful and gave me new perspectives on our work.

The most surreal moment of the week, however, came during the awards ceremony. Hearing “Jäger” announced not once, but twice—for both the Distinguished Paper Award and the Distinguished Artifact Award—was an absolute shock. To receive that level of recognition for my first Ph.D. paper, from a community I respect so deeply, is an honor I find difficult to put into words. It was a powerful validation of our team’s hard work and our belief that building practical, deployable systems is crucial for security research.

Beyond our own presentation, the week was packed with fascinating talks on everything from new cryptographic methods to the security of large language models. The “hallway track” was just as valuable, offering a chance to connect with researchers whose papers I’ve admired and to spark ideas for future collaborations.

I’m leaving CCS feeling energized, inspired, and more motivated than ever. This experience was a powerful reminder of why I chose this path and the incredible potential our community has to solve meaningful problems. Now, it’s time to get back to work.