Top Cybersecurity Conferences and Events
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. In celebration, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular cybersecurity conferences and events around the world.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore security the rest of the year. We’ve compiled a list of noteworthy annual cybersecurity conferences and events. Since the events don’t always fall on the same dates, we’ve categorized them by season. These events provide IT professionals with opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development in the always-changing, never-boring world of cybersecurity.
In this article
Fall Cybersecurity Conferences and Events
ISC2 Security Congress
Thousands of cybersecurity professionals attend the ISC2 Security Congress to learn new skills, discover the latest security strategies, earn continuing education credits, and obtain resources to advance their careers. Around 100 sessions will cover topics including AI in cybersecurity, protecting critical infrastructure, privacy and data protection, and more.
- Conference Details: https://www.isc2.org/professional-development/events
- Planning: Typically held in mid-October. October 12-16, 2024
- Attendance: In-person and virtual. Registration ranges from $1,495 to $1,995. Discounts are available for ISC2 members and full-time students.
Black Hat
Over 15,000 information security fans attend the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas each year for six days of cybersecurity talks, training sessions, seminars, and briefings. Attendees come from all walks of life, including academia, government, and the private sector, to hear briefings on the latest security topics, trends, and research.
- Conference Details: https://www.blackhat.com/
- Planning: Typically held in early to mid-August; Next event will be August 2-7, 2025
- Attendance: In-person and on-demand; 2024 pricing ranged from $749 to $3,299. Limited on-demand access is available for free.
DEF CON
DEF CON is one of the largest and most popular events for computer enthusiasts. The annual conference has been running since 1983 and draws around 30,000 attendees. Presenters often include current and former employees of government agencies, security team members from Big Tech firms, and hackers who prefer to remain anonymous and use their handles.
- Conference Details: https://defcon.org/
- Planning: Typically held immediately following the Black Hat conference in early-to-mid August; Next event will be August 7-10, 2025
- Attendance: In-person and on-demand; 2024 on-site registration was $460.
Mandiant Worldwide Information Security Exchange (mWISE)
The annual mWISE Conference is where security professionals meet to discuss the latest cyber threats, solutions, and trends. While Mandiant hosts it, the organizers work hard to maintain a vendor-neutral environment. Around 1,500 attendees participate in over 50 sessions, including keynotes, breakout sessions, and expert panels.
- Conference Details: https://mwise.mandiant.com/
- Planning: Typically held in mid-September; 2025 dates and location TBA
- Attendance: In-person and digital; 2024 pricing ranged from $50 (Expo and Keynotes Only) to $1295
GoSec
The GoSec conference has been one of Canada’s top cybersecurity events for two decades, attracting 1400 attendees to Montreal for two days of research, education, and training. The conference features more than 30 speakers and three dozen sessions covering the latest trends and emerging challenges in IT security.
- Conference Details: https://gosec.net/
- Planning: Typically held in mid-September. The specific dates for 2025 have not been announced, but it will be held in September 2025 in Montreal, Canada.
- Attendance: In-person and virtual. 2024 pricing ranged between $299 and $499
InfoSec World
Security is a big business, and InfoSecWorld is where security professionals meet to discuss real-world solutions and share their industry experiences. Around CISOs, CTOs, CIOs, and developers attend the event. Over 100 expert speakers present the latest information via workshops, on the expo floor, and in conference sessions.
- Conference Details: https://www.infosecworldusa.com/
- Planning: Typically held in late September. The 2025 event will be in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, October 27-29, 2025.
- Attendance: In-person. Registration for 2025 is open and ranges from $1,695 to $4,195. Discounts are available for early registration and the government, non-profit, and education industries.
Winter Cybersecurity Conferences and Events
Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit
Gartner is known for its Magic Quadrant™ benchmark rating system, so its summit events are a popular destination for leading research and practical advice. The Identity and Access Management (IAM) Summit showcases the latest best practices for safeguarding digital identity from a corporate perspective. Over three days, 1800 attendees can network with more than 90 exhibitors and hear from more than two dozen experts.
- Conference Details: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/identity-access-management-us
- Planning: The event is typically held in early to mid-December. The 2024 event will be in Grapevine, Texas, on December 9-11, 2024.
- Attendance: In-person. Pricing starts at $3,850. Discounts are available for early registration and members of the public sector.
Black Hat Europe
The European leg of the Black Hat conference lasts four days, two of which are filled with cybersecurity briefings. It also features exclusive training sessions on both offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies.
- Conference Details: https://www.blackhat.com/eu-24/
- Planning: This year’s event will be in London on December 9-12, 2024.
- Attendance: In-person and on-demand. Pricing starts at £1599. The Business Pass provides limited on-demand access for free.
Forrester Security & Risk Summit
IT professionals who want to learn about the latest trends in cybersecurity and risk management attend the annual Forrester Security & Risk Summit. Attendees discuss security operations, rethink security awareness training, and imagine solutions for today’s ever-changing cyber risks through workshops, one-on-one meetings with analysts, and sessions.
- Conference Details: https://www.forrester.com/event/security-risk/
- Planning: This year’s event is in Baltimore, MD, on December 9-11, 2024.
- Attendance: In-person. Pricing starts at $3,295.
SANS Cyber Threat Intelligence Summit
This event is for professionals who have made it their business to hunt down cyber threats. Attendees will experience two days of technical content on cyber threat analysis and threat intelligence. For an additional fee, attendees may select one of 10 SANS multi-day certification training sessions.
- Conference Details: https://www.sans.org/cyber-security-training-events/cyber-threat-intelligence-summit-2025/
- Planning: Typically held in January. The 2025 event will be in Alexandria, VA, from January 27-February 3, 2025.
- Attendance: In-person and virtual. In-person registration is $495, and curated access to virtual sessions is free. Training sessions cost $8,525, and the certification exam adds $979.
Spring Cybersecurity Conferences and Events
RSA Conference
The theme of the 2025 RSA Conference is “Many Voices. One Community.” The annual conference, now over 30 years old, has labeled itself “where the world talks security.” Over 40,000 cybersecurity professionals from 140 countries attend the annual event, which features more than 400 sessions and 650 speakers.
- Conference Details: https://www.rsaconference.com/
- Planning: Typically held in early May. The 2025 event will be in San Francisco, CA, on April 28-May 1, 2025.
- Attendance: In-person and on-demand. 2024 pricing ranged from $99 for an expo-only pass to $2,995 for a complete conference pass. Registration is scheduled to open in November 2025.
Summer Cybersecurity Conferences and Events
FIRST Conference
The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), a non-profit organization that encourages cooperation in incident prevention, has held its annual conference for nearly four decades. The event includes training, keynotes, networking sessions, and even a Capture the Flag team event.
- Conference Details: https://www.first.org/conference/
- Planning: Typically held in June. The 2025 event will be in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 22-27, 2025.
- Attendance: In-person and virtual. 2024 in-person pricing ranged from $1,700 to $3,900; virtual attendance was $100. Training sessions, which can be attended without attending the conference, were priced at $300.
Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit
At the Security and Risk Management Summit, attendees will spend three days surrounded by Gartner analysts, chief information security officers (CISOs), IT security leaders, and other executives. Through roundtable sessions, small group discussions, and social engagements, attendees will have the opportunity to solve real-world business problems together.
- Conference Details: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/security-risk-management-us
- Planning: Typically held in mid-June. The 2025 event will be in National Harbor, Maryland, on June 9-11 2025.
- Attendance: In-person. Pricing starts at $4,525. Discounts are available for early registration and members of the public sector.
AWS re:Inforce
Amazon Web Services’ re:Inforce cloud security conference is relatively new to the conference scene. It’s only been held five times since it started in 2018. The event primarily covers securing the Amazon cloud platform and provides attendees with technical, hands-on, and expert learning opportunities across over 250 sessions.
- Conference Details: https://reinforce.awsevents.com/
- Planning: Typically held in mid-June. The 2025 event will be in Philadelphia, PA, on June 16-18, 2025.
- Attendance: In-person and on-demand. Pricing in 2024 was $1,099. Registration is scheduled to open in early 2025.
Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE)
Unlike other conferences on this list, the three-day Hackers on Planet Earth event is family-friendly and encourages attendees of all ages. The security conference has featured workshops on lockpicking, talks on personal security, and themed “villages” where attendees can meet with like-minded security aficionados.
- Conference Details: https://www.hope.net/
- Planning: Typically held in mid-July. 2025 dates and location TBA.
- Attendance: In-person and on-demand. Pricing in 2024 was $225.
Academic Conferences and Symposia
Academic security conferences and events can often identified by the appearance of “Symposium” in the name. These events are a bit different than the standard industry conference. Rather than provide a place for industry experts and businesses to share best practices, network, and highlight their latest wares with consumers, these conferences typically discuss research, scientific papers, or academic theories. While industry leaders may attend, the audience primarily consists of professors, educators, graduate and PhD students, academic publishing houses, and industry organizations. These events typically feature numerous keynotes, panel discussions, and workshops. Researchers present their papers via talks or poster sessions. Presenters must submit their topics well in advance of the event and have their final papers completed three to six months before their presentation.
International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security
Now in its 20th year, the provides researchers, practitioners, and scholars with the opportunity to discuss the latest advances in cyber warfare and security. Accepted papers are presented in the conference proceedings. They may be featured in the Journal of Information Warfare, the International Journal of Cyber Warfare and Terrorism, or the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics.
- Conference Details: https://www.academic-conferences.org/conferences/iccws/
- Planning: Typically held in March; Next event will be March 28-29, 2025, in Williamsburg, VA.
- Call for Papers: The call for abstract submissions deadline was September 26, 2024
- Attendance: In-person and virtual; Registration starts at £280 for in-person attendees and £90 for virtual attendees.
IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy
This event brings together security researchers and practitioners to share academic developments on computer security and electronic privacy. Topics include how to manage security in the real world, cryptography, human factors of security, managing the software supply chain, and more.
- Conference Details: https://sp2025.ieee-security.org/
- Planning: Typically held in May; Next event will be May 12-15, 2025, in San Francisco, CA.
- Call for Papers: The second paper submission deadline is November 14, 2024; the Workshop proposals deadline was September 26, 2024
- Attendance: In-person; 2024 on-site registration ranged between $970 and $1,600.
IEEE International Conference on Cyber Security and Resilence
This academic conference, hosted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), explores how to improve the security, privacy, trust, and resilience of networks, systems, and services. Topics include cyber security, cyber resilience, and securing physical cyber systems.
- Conference Details: https://www.ieee-csr.org/
- Planning: Typically held in May; Next event will be May 12-14, 2025, in Chania, Crete, Greece.
- Call for Papers: The paper submission deadline is February 10, 2025; the Workshop proposals deadline is December 16, 2024
- Attendance: In-person; 2025 on-site registration ranges between 675€ and 1100€ through June 2025.
USENIX Security Symposium
The USENIX Security Symposium brings together researchers, practitioners, and system programmers to discuss security and privacy in computer systems and networks. Topics covered include system security, network security, software analyses, machine learning/AI security and privacy, and more. The event is co-hosted with the Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) and Workshop on Offensive Technologies (WOOT).
- Conference Details: https://www.usenix.net/conference/usenixsecurity25
- Planning: Typically held in mid-August; Next event will be August 13-15, 2025
- Call for Submissions: Cycle 1 submissions due September 4, 2024; Cycle 2 submissions due January 22, 2025
- Attendance: In-person; 2024 on-site registration was $1400.
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