CALL FOR PAPERS - 13th ESCAR USA 2026

OVERVIEW AND TOPICS

Information technology is the driving force behind most innovations in mobility, supporting connectivity, infotainment, software-defined vehicles (SDVs), and automation applications. 

A crucial aspect of most vehicle electronic applications is cybersecurity. The escar conference series, held annually in Europe and the U.S., has established itself as the premier forum for information, discussion and exchange of ideas on all aspects of vehicle cybersecurity and privacy. 

The escar USA 2026 program will once again include our traditional Industry Track of invited talks and selected submitted papers and presentations. We are excited to announce the addition of an Academic Track focused on academic vehicle cybersecurity research projects for the 2026 event! Our goal is to highlight research that vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, and policymakers can directly engage with — innovations that are implementable, scalable, and validated under realistic conditions. Selected Academic Track submissions will be featured in a dedicated session to encourage dialogue between academic researchers and practitioners. 

On this page you will find all information about the Call for Papers of escar USA 2026. 

Submissions open

Nov. 3, 2025

Submission deadline:

Jan. 19, 2026

Speaker notification:

March 30, 2026

escar USA Call for Papers Information and Submission Link

Areas of focus for both tracks include:

  • Cybersecurity for autonomous vehicles

  • Cybersecurity of sensors and cyber-physical systems

  • Design of resilient vehicles architectures and applications

  • Privacy and data protection issues in vehicular settings

  • Vehicular hardware security and hardware security modules

  • Security of vehicular communications

  • Electric vehicle charging security

  • Legal aspects of automotive cybersecurity

  • Security economics and metrics

  • Cybersecurity process and regulations

  • Vehicle cyber intrusion detection systems, forensics, and incident response

  • Security of legally mandated applications (e.g., event data recorder, ELDs, tachograph)

  • Security of automotive cloud-based infrastructure

  • Security of vehicle theft prevention and theft response solutions

  • Vehicle-related fraud and data tampering (odometer, warranty fraud, etc.)

  • Security of vehicular rights control and audit (e.g., feature activation)

  • Security of vehicular position, navigation, and timing

  • Security aspects of self-driving vehicle sensing systems

  • Security implications of AI used in a vehicle context

  • Security of vehicle-driven business, maintenance, and service models

  • Cybersecurity-related engineering, formal methods, software assurance, development & validation, and security standardization

  • Tools to support development and security of vehicles and modules

  • Application Programming Interface (API) vulnerabilities

  • New standards and regulations (e.g.,ISO/SAE 21434 and UNECE WP.29 R155/R156)

INDUSTRY TRACK: SUBMISSION DETAILS

escar USA welcomes submissions focused on lessons-learned, innovative practices, case studies and descriptions of real-world experiences. All submissions will be double-blind peer-reviewed by members of the escar USA Program Committee. 

Two types of submissions will be accepted:

  • Full papers (up to 10 total pages): Examples of these submissions include new research results, case studies or state-of-the-art reports. The value to the escar community should be clearly demonstrated.
  • Presentation abstracts (3 or more full pages): These submissions should focus on contributions from industry and government. The submitted abstract should clearly outline the content of the planned presentation and its value to the escar community – a full paper is NOT required.

ACADEMIC TRACK (NEW FOR 2026): SUBMISSION DETAILS

escar USA invites submissions of applied, pre-competitive vehicle security research that bridges the gap between academic rigor and real-world impact. We seek contributions that move beyond theory to demonstrate experimentally verified results, working proof-of-concept systems, leveraging open or publicly available datasets. 

All submissions will be double-blind, peer-reviewed, primarily by academic members of the escar USA Program Committee, with additional insight from industry Program Committee members. Submissions will be evaluated on technical soundness, innovation, experimental rigor, and practical relevance to the automotive industry.

Submission requirements:

  • No more than 6 pages in length, excluding references 
  • Emphasize applied contributions in security and safety, including:
    • Experimental validation through prototypes, testbeds, or simulation environments
    • Quantitative results supported by open datasets or reproducible methodologies
    • Insights that are directly relevant to automakers, Tier suppliers, or mobility operators

IMPORTANT SUBMISSION NOTES:

  • All submissions must be written in English with a minimum 10-point font, single-spaced, anonymous (i.e., no identifying features such as obvious references) and in a PDF format.
  • Submitted abstracts that are less than 3 full, single-spaced pages (Industry Track) or more than 6 full, single-spaced pages (Academic Track) will be rejected without review.
  • We reserve the right to reject marketing-driven submissions and those that lack enough details to warrant a review.
  • Do not submit if you are unable to provide final presentation slides by the posted deadline.



Industry and Academic Track submissions for escar USA 2026 will be accepted at escar USA’s submission site.  

Submit here

EVENT ORGANIZER

isits AG International School of IT Security AG has established itself throughout Europe as a vocational education and training institute in the field of Cyber and IT Security.
Moreover, isits AG organizes symposiums, workshops and conferences.
isits AG initiated escar conference in 2003.

EVENT ORGANIZER USA

ETAS has been a mainstay in the automotive industry for nearly thirty years, designing and producing hardware and software tools for engineers who develop and calibrate electronic control systems. Our tools are widely deployed in automotive and adjacent segments of the embedded industry.
Following the takeover of the ESCRYPT brand, etas acts as the organizer of escar USA.

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