Infosec Conferences

This section of the web site provides a list of infosec conference events that are based in or around the Northern Virginia (NoVA) area. If there are any mistakes or information we should add, please let us know through our Contact Us form. For recent posts regarding this information, see the Recent Posts area below. Look for a complete list of all related posts on the Infosec Conferences category page.

Northern Virginia Infosec Conference Events

ShmooCon (February/March): ShmooCon, organized by The Shmoo Group, is an annual East coast hacker convention hell-bent on offering three days of an interesting atmosphere for demonstrating technology exploitation, inventive software & hardware solutions, and open discussions of critical infosec issues. For more information on The Shmoo Group, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

BlackHat DC (February/March): The Black Hat Briefings are a series of highly technical information security conferences that bring together thought leaders from all facets of the infosec world - from the corporate and government sectors to academic and even underground researchers.

OWASP NoVA AppSec: The OWASP AppSec conference series is dedicated to bringing together industry, government, and security researchers to discuss the state of the art in application security. Periodically, OWASP holds a conference in the metropolitan DC area. For more information on OWASP, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

SANS Training/Conference Events: Although primarily focused on training, many of their larger venues include conference-like events such as vendor exhibits and speakers. For more information on SANS, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page. The following is a list of typical local events.

  • SANSFIRE (July)
  • SANS Cyber Defense Initiative (December)

AFCEA Conferences: AFCEA holds many conferences throughout the year. Below is a listing of some of the common ones. For a listing of all AFCEA conferences sponsored by the parent organization, visit the events calendar on the main AFCEA site and search in VA, DC, and MD. This calendar also contains conferences (e.g., NoVA’s Air Force IT Day and Belvoir’s Industry Days) organized by local AFCEA chapters. For more information on AFCEA, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

  • Fall Intelligence Symposium (Chantilly, VA - October)
  • Homeland Security Conference (Washington, DC - February/March): The AFCEA Homeland Security Conference has become the premier event in the Washington, D.C. area to learn about the most current homeland security issues facing our nation. The conference agenda is set by an advisory board made up of the government and industry individuals that are accountable for carrying out the DHS mission. This is THE venue where you will hear first hand about the critical issues facing our country in the fight against terrorism. The conference offers an opportunity for you to engage in the dialogue on critical issues with key government and industry executives.
  • NGA Industry Day (Chantilly, VA - September)
  • SOLUTIONS Series (Washington, DC - 4 times a year): The AFCEA SOLUTIONS Series promotes a detailed dialogue between government and industry on issues of national importance. They seek a balanced approach wherein the government can share current thinking and direction, and industry can offer their perspective and input on current and projected capability. These events are compact, with focused tracks, to promote interactive dialogue. All events are held in the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.
  • Spring Intelligence Symposium (Washington, DC - April)
  • George Mason University Symposium: Critical Issues in C4I (Fairfax, VA - May)

Drivable from NoVA Infosec Conference Events

Since most decent conferences are at least two days, we thought we would add a category for infosec conference events in locations that are drivable from Northern Virginia.

The Last HOPE (New York City - July/August): The Last HOPE is a summer hacker conference sponsored by 2600 Magazine. Presenters and artists from all nationalities and disciplines are invited to participate in this forum. The Last HOPE covers all aspects of hacking, the community surrounding it, and its effects across the world. For more information on 2600, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

OWASP NYC AppSec: (New York City): The OWASP AppSec conference series is dedicated to bringing together industry, government, and security researchers to discuss the state of the art in application security. OWASP usually holds at least one conference in New York City each year. For more information on OWASP, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

SANS Training/Conference Events: For more information on SANS, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

  • SANS Virginia Beach (August)

AFCEA Conferences: For a listing of all AFCEA conferences sponsored by the parent organization, visit the events calendar on the main AFCEA site and search in VA, DC, and MD. This calendar also contains conferences organized by local AFCEA chapters. For more information on AFCEA, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

Other Security Conference Events

ToorCon (San Diego - October/November): ToorCon is San Diego’s hacker conference bringing together the top security experts to present their new tricks of the trade and have fun in the sunny and beautiful city of San Diego.

OWASP AppSec: The OWASP AppSec conference series is dedicated to bringing together industry, government, and security researchers to discuss the state of the art in application security. This series was launched in the U.S. in the Fall of 2004 and in Europe in the Spring of 2005. In 2005-2006 OWASP held two conferences each year, one in the U.S. and one in Europe. Starting in 2007, they started adding additional locations, which now includes Asia, Australia, and Israel. For more information on OWASP, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

BlackHat (Europe (Amsterdam) - March/April, USA (Las Vegas) - July/August, Asia (Tokyo) - October): The Black Hat Briefings are a series of highly technical information security conferences that bring together thought leaders from all facets of the infosec world - from the corporate and government sectors to academic and even underground researchers. The environment is strictly vendor-neutral and focused on the sharing of practical insights and timely, actionable knowledge. Black Hat remains the best and biggest event of its kind, unique in its ability to define tomorrow’s information security landscape. In addition to the large number of short, topical presentations in the Briefings, Black Hat also provides hands-on, high-intensity, multi-day Trainings. The Training sessions are provided by some of the most respected experts in the world and many also provide formal certifications to qualifying attendees. Arrangements can also be made to bring Black Hat’s trainers to your location for private and customized training.

DefCon (Las Vegas - July/August - the weekend after BlackHat USA): Per Wikipedia, DEFCON is the world’s largest annual hacker convention, held every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first DEFCON took place in June 1993. In 2006, at DEFCON 14, there were roughly 6,500 people in attendance. Many of the attendees at DEFCON include computer security professionals, journalists, lawyers, federal government employees, crackers, and hackers with a general interest in computer code and computer architecture. The event consists of several tracks of speakers about computer- and hacking-related subjects, as well as social events and contests in everything from creating the longest Wi-Fi connection and cracking computer systems to who can most effectively cool a beer in the Nevada heat. Other contests include lockpicking, robotic-related contests, art, slogan, coffee wars, and Capture the Flag. Capture the Flag (CTF) is perhaps the best known of these contests. It is a hacking competition where teams of hackers attempt to attack and defend computers and networks. CTF has been emulated at other hacking conferences as well as in academic and military contexts.

CanSecWest (Vancouver - March/April): CanSecWest is about bringing the industry luminaries together in a relaxed environment which promotes collaboration and social networking. The conference lasts for three days and features a single track of thought provoking presentations, each prepared by an experienced professional and talented educator who is at the cutting edge of his or her field. They give preference to new and innovative material, highlighting important, emergent technologies, techniques, or best industry practices. The same organization also runs conferences in Japan (PacSec) and London (EUSecWest).

ChicagoCon (Chicago - March): ChicagoCon, run by The Digital Construction Company, combines a professional security conference, certification training and a hacker con into a single, unique event. ChicagoCon is poised to become the premier security event in the industry by bringing together the biggest names in education and certification under one roof for a week of security training like no other. In the city of broad shoulders, we plan to not only work hard but play hard. And when all is said and done, your career will be leaps and bounds ahead of where it currently is. For more information on The Digital Construction Company, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

RSA Conference (San Francisco - March, Tokyo - April, London - October): RSA Conference is the unbaised resource thousands of information security professionals around the world have come to rely upon for unparalleled networking and knowledge sharing opportunities. For more information on RSA, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

SANS Training/Conference Events (Orlando - April, Las Vegas - September): Beyond NoVA SANS offers training/conference events around the would. Two of their key events include SANS Network Security in Las Vegas, NV and SANS Orlando. For more information on SANS, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

AFCEA Conferences: For a listing of all AFCEA conferences sponsored by the parent organization, visit the events calendar on the main AFCEA site and search in VA, DC, and MD. This calendar also contains conferences organized by local AFCEA chapters. For more information on AFCEA, see its description on our Infosec Organizations page.

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