Cybersecurity is a major priority for national and local governments, private industry, all large institutions, and for many tech-savvy individuals as well. To build strong cyber defenses, people from across these sectors must work together to spot threats and design systems for preventing them.
Cybersecurity conferences provide an excellent opportunity for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and inspiration. Events are planned throughout the year all around the world. Below we’ve collected a list of those coming up through the final months of 2021. Some are open to the public to attend, while others are reserved for experts but often publish synopses and interesting findings after the fact. Browse the list below to find a conference that interests you!
IAPP Privacy. Security. Risk. 2021
When: October 21-22
Where: San Diego, CA
Covid Precautions: Vaccination Required
Open to Public? Yes
About:
The two-day conference includes training, workshops, expert panel discussions, networking opportunities, and other social activities. The focus is on the intersection of privacy and technology—how to use technology to maximize privacy protection while making sure our use of tech does not make us vulnerable.
Keynote speakers are FTC Commissioner, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, and Award-Winning Director of CODED BIAS, Shalini Kantayya. Other exciting topics planned for the conference include deep dives into past cyber attacks, AI, a cookieless future, big data, and digital medicine.
Techno Security & Digital Forensics Conference
When: October 25-27
Where: San Diego, CA
Covid Precautions: Masks Required for Non-Vaccinated Attendees
Open to Public? Yes
About:
The three-day conference is a congregation of cyber and digital forensics industry professionals that promotes knowledge sharing and helps to popularize innovations in the field. Hour-long courses for all levels – beginner to advanced – take place throughout the venue and cover topics like malware detection, digital forensics of vehicles, data analytics, digital search warrants, ransomware, dark web, and cryptocurrency.
TechNet Cyber 2021
When: October 27-28
Where: Baltimore, MD
Covid Precautions: Vaccination & Face Covering Required
Open to Public? Yes
About:
Hosted by AFCEA – Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association – this annual conference aims to foster partnership between defense, private industry, and academia in developing robust cyber defenses in the U.S. While the conference is geared toward members of these groups specializing in cybersecurity, registration is open to the public and is free for anyone in active military service.
Speakers include many leaders of D.I.S.A. – the Defense Information Systems Agency – and other members of DoD leadership as well as representatives from Carnegie Mellon University, Cisco, CrowdStrike, SIGNAL Magazine, and CompTIA.
DISA/Joint Service Provider Cybersecurity Stand-Down 2021
When: October 28
Where: Virtual
Covid Precautions: NA
Open to Public? No – only government and military.
About:
The focus on DISA/JSP’s virtual, 6-part event is to help members of federal agencies and the military learn to protect the cybersecurity of their organizations with the latest innovations and best practices. Attendees will learn how to optimize their own cybersecurity and make a positive impact throughout their organizations. Only those with .gov, .mil, or .fed.us email addresses are eligible to register for the digital event.
International Conference on Intelligence and Security Informatics (ISI)
When: November 2-3
Where: San Antonio, TX + Virtually
Covid Precautions: In case of covid-related health risks, the conference will be moved fully online.
Open to Public? Yes
About:
Hosted at the UT San Antonio Student Union, the event is a gathering of information security researchers in which they can share their work and learn from each other. Researchers in IT, security, informatics, AI, and related fields are encouraged to submit their papers to be included as Authors. Those outside of the industry are encouraged to attend as guests.
The event also includes keynote speakers and networking opportunities. Participants will be invited to join all sessions virtually through video conferencing if they do not wish to attend in person.
Human Layer Security Summit
When: November 4
Where: Virtual
Covid Precautions: NA
Open to Public? Yes
About:
This is Tessian’s 6th summit, in which industry cybersecurity professionals gather to discuss innovations, threats, and solutions. The summit features six virtual sessions throughout the morning, covering topics from AI to phishing to recovering from the worst.
Community College Cyber Summit (3CS)
When: TBD
Where: TBD
Covid Precautions: Postponed
Open to Public? Yes
About:
Planned for November, the 2021 conference has been postponed until next year due to concerns about Covid-19. The new data has not yet been released.
The 3CS summit focuses on cybersecurity workforce development by bringing together employers, educators, policymakers, and early professionals to help connect employers with employees and employees with skills. Previous years have included speaker sessions, hands-on workshops, social gatherings and meals, competitions, and student presentations.
Cyber Security Digital Summit for North America 2021
When: November 9-12
Where: Virtual
Covid Precautions: NA
Open to Public? Yes
About:
The virtual summit consists of 45-minute virtual sessions throughout the four days with speakers from the FBI, academia, and private industry. Topics include remote work and cybersecurity, discussion of recent security incidents, cybersecurity workforce development, and threat detection tools.
FutureCon
When/Where:
10/21 Houston, TX (Fully Virtual)
11/10 Newark, NJ (Fully Virtual)
11/17 St. Louis, MO
12/1 Denver, CO (Fully Virtual)
12/2 San Diego, CA
12/9 Des Moine, IA (Fully Virtual)
12/15 Atlanta, GA
Covid Precautions: All of this year’s remaining FutureCon events will have remote attendance options for those who do not wish to join in person. Several have been moved fully online with no in-person activities.
Open to Public? No – only IT professionals.
About:
FutureCon hosts traveling events throughout the year that bring together senior-level cybersecurity professionals to discuss the latest tools and strategies for devising secure networks for their organizations.
Along with a full day of speaker sessions, each in-person event also includes exhibitions, meals, and a networking cocktail event.
CyberSecure 2021
When: November 16-17
Where: Virtual
Covid Precautions: NA
Open to Public? Yes
About:
CyberSecure is hosted annually by MIT Technology Review. At the two-day event, cyber experts will dive into cybercrime and how to develop effective defenses against it.
This year’s speakers include representatives from the FBI and U.S. Secret Service along with industry professionals from Huawei, SolarWinds, and LinkedIn. At the end of each day, MIT Technology Review analysts break down the day’s discussions and analyze major takeaways.
ArticCon 2021
When: December 2
Where: Anchorage, AK
Covid Precautions: NA
Open to Public? Yes
About:
ArticCon brings together IT professionals of all levels and cybersecurity experts to spread education information security best practices and designing secure organizations. Tickets are as low as $20, which is significantly affordable compared with similar events.
This year’s topics include malware, Darkweb, physical security, and password protection. Many of ArticCon’s sessions ask participants to get inside the mind of a hacker and learn to crack puzzles.
Pacific Northwest Summit + Cybersecurity Forum 2021
When: December 14
Where: Virtual
Covid Precautions: NA
Open to Public? Targeted for healthcare and technology professionals.
About:
This summit is hosted by Healthcare Innovation and aims to bring together professionals in tech and healthcare to discuss best practices and innovations for using technology in healthcare settings.
Topics of interest this year include leveraging data, combating security threats, and the benefits of using AI.
Planet Cyber Sec Conference
When: December 15
Where: Virtual
Covid Precautions: NA
Open to Public? Yes
About:
This virtual conference includes a full day packed with 50-minute speaker sessions from cyber professionals. The event will be hosted on an innovative platform called Spatial.Chat that allows participants to ‘move’ around the virtual space and mingle with colleagues.
This year, an unprecedented number of online cyber conferences have been planned. If you don’t live near a major city, it could be a great time to take advantage of these for a day of full immersion in the cyber field. Larger conferences can cost quite a lot, especially for attendees outside of the industry. However, online attendance is sometimes free and cheaper tickets can run around $20. Use this list as a guide to finding one that piques your interest!
