Wherever you may be in the world, chances are there’s a cyber security event happening near you this year. Cyber security conferences are important and necessary for the industry and for each of us, individually, because they help bring together the community. What’s more, innovation often spurs after having a meaningful discussion with a peer or a mentor, or after being part of a conversation on your favorite topic in the field of information security.

Sharing knowledge, asking questions and meeting exceptional specialists are only some of the activities you can engage in at such an event. This is why we put together a list of some of the most relevant cyber security conferences around the world, so you can use it as a guide to find the right one for you.

44 Conferences on Cyber Security that are Worth Attending

October 12-16, 2015

Denver, Colorado, US

ACM-CCS is one of the longest running cyber security conferences in the world. It’s been going on since 1993, and this year it will celebrate its 22nd edition. This flagship conference brings together information security researchers, practitioners, developers, and users from all over the world to explore cutting-edge ideas and results in information security.

December 7–11, 2015

Los Angeles, California, USA

ACSAC is also one of the most important cyber security conferences in the world, and the oldest information security conference held annually. Researchers, government representatives, academia and security professionals of all types gather at ACSAC to discuss the latest developments in the infosec industry. The core mission of this conference is investigating practical solutions for computer security technology. This year’s edition will especially focus on security and privacy in the Internet of Things era.

June 2-3, 2015

Albany, New York, USA

ASIA is an event held jointly with the 18th Annual New York State Cyber Security Conference (NYSCSC), aiming to attract researchers and practitioners alike for engaging talks about information security in all sectors. For a challenging industry such as the cyber security field is, getting up to speed with the latest developments is crucial and that’s exactly what ASIA does.

BLACK HAT ASIA | March 24-27, 2015 |Singapore

BLACK HAT USA |August 1-6, 2015 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

BLACK HAT EUROPE | November 10-13, 2015 | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Black Hat prides itself with being “the most technical and relevant global information security event series in the world”. For the past 16 years, the Black Hat events have given their attendees the opportunity to explore the latest research and developments in information security, while also taking into account the concrete needs of the participants.

March 18-20th, 2015

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

CanSecWest is a cyber security conference that has a history of 15 years of focusing on applied digital security. The event boasts with creating an environment fit for networking and collaboration between various categories of specialists and researchers from the infosec industry. The speakers are always top-notch, and the subjects cover both emergent technologies and new challenges for infosec specialists, and industry best practices to help guide their efforts.

March 20th -22nd, 2015

Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

This regional technology and network security conference is a great opportunity to share knowledge about technology, security and information rights with other peers from the industry. Its efforts to increase awareness about cyber security threats have been rewarded by having an inflow of enthusiastic attendees over the years.

Date for 2015 has not been announced

Washington, D.C., USA

This particular event has 12 years of tradition that recommend it as one of the most successful conferences in the US. Its objective? To empower the civilian, defense, and government digital forensics communities (legal, IT, and Criminal Investigative) to work together in the battle against cyber crime. You can expect hands-on digital forensics training and plenty of opportunity to network if you decide to attend the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Conference.

September 17-18, 2015

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

This event is one that’s very appealing because of its goal: to raise international awareness towards increased education and ethics in IT Security. Hacker Halted is actually a series of cyber security conferences that approaches subjects that are crucially important at the moment, which is why this year the theme will be the plague that is afflicting our society at all levels: The Cyber Pandemic.

November 4-6, 2015

Washington, D.C., USA

ICMC core focus are cryptographic modules, FIPS 140-2, ISO/IEC 19790 and cryptographic algorithms. Specialists from all over the world gather in Washington to discuss about commercial cryptography and share their expertise on the subject. Conference topics may include the underlying the implementation of a cryptographic module including physical security, key management, side-channel analysis, cryptographic algorithm implementation testing, standardization, validation programs and more.

May 18-20, 2015

San Jose, California, USA

From 1980 to this day, the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy has rightfully gained and maintained its reputation as a top-tier information security conference. The 36th edition will include topics such as Cryptocurrencies and Cybercrime, Hardware-Aided Security, Android Security and more.

April 28-30, 2015

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

INFWARCON takes a look at how the balance has flipped in the past 20 years in the cyber security industry. Back then, governments had the upper hand, and could not imagine that cyber criminals could ever gain the power they have today. Right now, political leaders, military representatives, academics and commercial partners need to come together to see how we can increase protection against the potentially hostile use of cyber and related information technologies.

February 8-11, 2015

San Diego, California, USA

This annual security conference from the Internet Society is worth attending due to its presentations about originals research and talks provided by industry leaders. From malware and spam to web security and privacy, intrusion detection and attack analysis, anonymity and cryptographic systems, and many more subjects, this event covers essential topics for any current cyber security specialists and business owner.

January 13-16, 2015

Miami, Florida, USA

This is highly technical conference dedicated to those interested in how cyber weapons will be forged, deployed, used and defended against. Security researchers collaborate with historians, economists, war scholars, politicians and other specialists to discuss this topics and many others.

Date for 2015 has not been announced

Various locations across the US

SecureWorld Expo is a very complex event, offering education and CPE training opportunities, ans also occasions for networking with other cyber security professionals. Among the attendees you’ll find security leaders and experts, senior executives from all types of companies, but also policy makers. The events happen in 14 cities throughout the United States.

Various locations across Europe and the USA

May 25-28, 2015 for Boston, Massachusetts, USA

SOURCE is a computer security conference happening in Boston, Seattle, and Dublin that is focused on offering education in both the business and technical aspects of the security industry. The event’s vision is to bridge the gap between technical excellence and business acumen and bring the best of both worlds together.

August 12-14, 2015

Washington, D.C., USA

The USENIX Security Symposium reunites researchers, practitioners, system administrators, system programmers, and others specialists interested in the latest advances in the security and privacy of computer systems and networks.

April 10-12, 2015

Austin, Texas, USA

InfoSec Southwest is an annual information security and hacking conference held in Austin, Texas, home of the famous SXSW festival. This is an event dedicated to the wider audience, because it provides comprehensive and valuable information about more general aspects of the cyber security industry. It thus covers a gap left out by other similar events which might be too technical for a certain segment of the audience.

April 15, 2015

Washington, D.C., USA

The 2015 Symantec Government Symposium is a great opportunity for leading government IT security and management professionals to discuss information management methods, risk mitigation strategies, and mobilize workforces to achieve big results.

April 20 – 24, 2015

San Francisco, California, USA

The RSA Conference has a very clear purpose: to help conference attendees to learn about the most important issues in cyber security through first-hand interactions with peers, experts, but also emerging and established companies. Since 1991, the event has been delivering on this promise by offering top notch content and providing a context for sharing the latest knowledge and advancements in the area of Internet security.

May 18, 2015

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Participating in this full-day event can be a great opportunity if you’re interested in critical privacy, network security and cyber insurance issues that security specialists are dealing with on a daily basis. Leaders in network security, regulation, law enforcement, risk management and cyber risk insurance will join the attendees list to offer their insights on managing risk in a rapidly evolving and increasingly dangerous threat landscape.

June 29 – July 1, 2015

Washington, D.C., USA

The NSA Information Assurance Directorate (IAD)’s is a forum hosted by the National Security Agency (NSA) with the purpose of delivering vital and relevant answers, direction, and best practice advice for carrying out the Information Assurance mission set by the US. Training and networking opportunities on policy, governance and technology are also available during the event.

August 6-9, 2015

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

DEF CON needs little to no introduction, being one of the world’s largest annual hacker conventions! DEF CON was started in 1993 by the Dark Tangent, and has become the world’s longest running and largest underground hacking conference. Last year, about 14,000 people attended the event, so you can expect to be part of a huge, enthusiastic crowd.

September 28 – October 1, 2015

Anaheim, California, USA

The ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits boasts to be one of the world’s most influential events for security professionals. Its mission is to provide industry-leading education, countless business connections, and the latest product and service innovations from 600+ exhibitors from the information security sector.

October 26 – 29, 2015

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

The ICS Cyber Security Conference is the longest-running cyber security-focused conference dedicated to the industrial control systems sector. The event caters to critical infrastructure organizations in the following sectors: energy, utility, chemical, transportation, manufacturing, and many more.

September 25-27, 2017

Warsaw, Poland

After a 3 years break, CSS is returning in 2017 with another great look at the evolution of cryptography and its role for the cyber security industry. This event is focused on presenting original and unpublished research and developing activities related to all aspects of cryptography and network security. From theory to practice, this conference might be right up your alley if you’re interested in cryptography.

Date for 2015 has not been announced

Vienna, Austria

DeepSec is one of those conferences that creates a bridge between security professionals, academia, government and the underground hacking community. The event aims to make an impact by focusing on facts and inspiring honest talks about relevant and important cyber security issues. The organizers also support young researchers and they don’t steer away from controversy either.

Date for 2015 has not been announced

Luxembourg

This Luxembourg-based open convention/conference is a great opportunity for attendants to discuss issues about computer security, privacy, information technology and their cultural implications for the entire society.

Date for 2015 has not been announced

Paris, France

This conference happening in the heart of France deals with cyber security research topics, but also practical aspects in the field. This is why attendees vary from academia representatives to specialists of all sorts.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

May 26 – 29, 2015

HITBSecConf prides itself in being a “deep- knowledge security conference” happening in both the Netherlands and in Malaysia. The event has created a platform for openly and thoroughly discussing about a platform the dissemination of next generation computer security issues. If you’re looking for cutting-edge hardcore technical talks, then this is the right event for you. PS: you can also check where the next location for a HITBSecConf will be.

September 8-11, 2015

Twente, Netherlands

Although NSPW is more of a workshop than a conference, it has earned its right to be included in this list. Since 1992, NSPW has been offering a unique forum for cyber security specialists involved in researching high-risk, high-opportunity paradigms to present their ideas. The discussions always challenge the current limitations of information security tools and technology, while disputing ng-held beliefs or the very foundations of security. You’re bound to get fresh, new ideas from attending this workshop!

October 21, 2015

KKL Lucerne, Switzerland

Swiss Cyber Storm 2015 is an international IT security conference that provides essential information about national cyber security issues, critical for both government and private infrastructures. The event also includes a cyber challenge competition held beforehand, which offers the best security talents a chance to be invited to the conference.

March 18-19, 2015

Heidelberg, Germany

Although this year’s edition of TROOPERS is over, the 2016 edition has already been announced. It will feature the world’s leading IT-Security experts and hackers and their latest research. High-end workshops and hands-on experiences are all part of the event, so you’ll leave having gained valuable practical experience as well.

September 30 to October 2, 2015

Prague, Czech Republic

The Virus Bulletin Conference is an annual security conference held late September or early October since 1989! In its 24-year history, the Virus Bulletin conference has grown to become a major highlight of the IT security calendar. You can expect for the conference to focus on discussions about methods and technologies and for it to set new standards for the cyber security industry. One of the highlights is the chance to meet with – and learn from – the experts who put their technologies into practice in the real world.

April 14 – 15, 2015

Prague, Czech Republic

One of the more focused events in the industry is the Cyber Security Summit happening in Prague. The summit discusses the cyber security challenges that the financial industry is facing and how vulnerabilities in this area can be addressed and effectively mitigated.

April 22-23, 2015

Hagenberg, Austria

The Security Forum happening in Ausria offers both technical and management-oriented talks to its attendeed. The talks are delivered by business representatives, researchers and public service representatives. The event has a tradition of over 12 years and has distinguished itself through the presence of renowned lecturers such as Prof. Louis Marinos (ENISA), Prof. Reinhard Posch (CIO of the Federal Government of Austria), Prof. Edward Humphreys (“father” of the ISO/IEC 27000 family) and many, many more.

May 07, 2015

London, UK

ISMG’s Fraud Summit is a one-day event focused exclusively on the top fraud trends impacting organizations and the mitigation strategies to overcome those challenges. These type of industry-focused events are highly valuable for actors involved in both the cyber security industry and the financial sector.

May 11-13, 2015

Geneva, Switzerland

The MIS Training Institute (MISTI) announced the 12th CISO Summit & Roundtable which will focus on building trusted contacts and discussing specific priorities in the cyber security industry. You can expect to participate in sharing successes and failures in information security and cyber risk management, as well as collaborating for coming up with better solution to current challenges in the industry.

August 24-26, 2015

Cambridge, UK

Decepticon is one of those specialized events that’s both intriguing and provides plenty of learning opportunities. Its objective is to bring together researchers and practitioners in the detection and prevention of deception. Before this event, deception research has been fragmented across conferences in many different disciplines, sub-disciplines and countries, which is why it’s great to have the chance to have focused discussions on the subject. Psychology, behavioral economics, computing, law, security, communication, anthropology and philosophy will be some of the various approaches discussed at the conference.

October 7 – 8, 2015

Luxembourg

Privacy and cyber security go hand in hand, which is why we added the Annual Privacy Forum to this list. The event aims to set for public debate issues such as the lack of transparency regarding the functionality and interconnection of electronic surveillance, but also the risk of uncontrollable processing of personal data. Other organizers involved in the event: the European Commission Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) and the University of Luxembourg.

November 19 – 20, 2015

Bucharest, Romania

DEFCAMP is the most important conference on Hacking & Information Security in Central Eastern Europe, bringing hands-on talks about the latest research and practices from the information security field. At the event you’ll find gathered under the same roof security specialists, entrepreneurs and developers, managers from both private and public sector.

June 2-4 2015

London, UK

Infosecurity Europe claims to be Europe’s number one information security event, featuring over 345 exhibiting vendors and services suppliers from the cyber security industry. The conference also features a well-structured education program, and over 15,000 industry professionals travel from over 70 countries to attend the event.

September 28-29 2015

Krakow, Poland

Cyber security is not only one company’s job, so cooperation in this field is instrumental. “CYBERSEC’S mission,” as stated by its organizers, “is to build a platform for cooperation among the representatives of governments, non-governmental organizations, and key private sector entities in order to develop strategic decisions enhancing the level of cybersecurity in Europe.”

This forum is the first of its kind in Poland and one of the very few public policies conferences in Europe that devotes itself to discussing strategic issues for cybersecurity. Practical recommendations will follow as a result of these talks, which make it an important event for any organization on the continent.

November 30 – December 1 2015

Berlin, Germany

The Global Cyber Security Leaders 2015 is an integral part of the Global Summit Series, gathering a global, exclusive community of IT and information security executives and leaders to discuss key challenges in the infosec field. Key decision makers in companies and organizations all over the world are invited to attend and participate in meaningful discussions that can help shape the future of cyber security in Europe and beyond.

February 6-7, 2015

Delhi and Goa, India

Nullcon was founded in 2010 with the objective to provide a common platform to exchange ideas and information about the latest attack methods, Zero Day vulnerabilities and unknown threats. The conference focuses on the future of information security, showing how the currently technology is ineffective against modern cyber criminals, and trying to search for methods to fight back.

September 8-10, 2015

Sochi, Russia



The 8th International Conference on Security of Information and Networks will feature contributions from all types of specialists in the cyber security field, from papers and special sessions to workshops and tutorials on both theory and practice. If you want to gain up to date knowledge on the latest developments in information security, that don’t miss this conference.

April 14-16, 2015

Singapore

INTERPOL World is a biyearly trade event that promotes public private partnerships. This is a great opportunity for security manufacturers and service providers to interact with law enforcement agencies, government officials and security professionals from the commercial sectors and establish lucrative partnerships. The event is also a good venue for public-private cooperation is identifying, developing and driving security initiatives for real world security situations.

April 26-28, 2015

Dubai

GISEC is the UAE’s only large-scale information security platform, gathering industry, government and thought leaders to discuss and tackle threats, issues and countermeasures in cyber security. GISEC 2015 is highly focused on addressing security concerns for key sectors in the region, such as IT, Oil & Gas, Banking & Finance, Government, Legal, Healthcare and Telecoms industries. Key industry decision makers have the assemble and meet companies providing top-notch solutions across dedicated industry verticals.

Conclusion

As you can imagine, this list is far from being exhaustive, because there are plenty more conferences, workshops and summits around the world, big and small, that may cater to your specific needs. And then there is an entire list of hacker conferences that have their own agenda and public. But what we tried to do is give you an idea of the important events that you can attend to learn, network and build relationships with key industry specialists.



Did you attend any of these events? How valuable was it for your goals?