Essential cybersecurity conferences

With the pace of cybersecurity innovation continuing to accelerate, the 2026 calendar is packed with high-profile events that cater to academics, businesses, and governmental organisations alike. As global cyber threats evolve, these conferences offer the chance to dive deep into topics such as AI-driven cybersecurity, quantum computing’s impact on cryptography, processor security and more. Whether you are an industry professional, researcher, or just keen to keep up with emerging trends, these events will give you the insights and connections you need to stay at the forefront of the field.

No Hat 2026 – Bergamo, Italy (10 October 2026)

No Hat is a vendor-neutral computer security conference held in Bergamo, Italy, bringing together researchers, professionals, and the wider security community around technical security and privacy topics. It is smaller than the major global events, which is part of its value. 

RAID 2026: Research in Attacks, Intrusions and Defenses – Lancaster, UK (11–14 October 2026)

RAID 2026 edition in Lancaster is a strong UK-based event for those interested in intrusion detection, malware, measurement, threat analysis, adversarial behaviour and the research underpinning defensive systems. 

CHES 2026: Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems – Antalya, Türkiye (11–15 October 2026)

CHES is the key event for those working at the intersection of cryptography, hardware, and embedded systems. It is particularly relevant as security questions move deeper into chips, devices, IoT systems, automotive platforms, hardware roots of trust, and post-quantum implementation. For readers interested in the security of the physical computing layer, CHES is one of the most important specialist events on the calendar.

Hexacon 2026 – Paris, France (16–17 October 2026)

Hexacon is an offensive security conference in Paris built around heavy technical content and the exploit-development community. Its focus on offensive security makes it particularly relevant for researchers, red teamers, vulnerability specialists, reverse engineers, and security engineers who want to understand how attacks are actually developed. Hexacon offers a clear view into the edge cases and attack paths that often become tomorrow’s defensive priorities.

hack.lu 2026 – Luxembourg (20–23 October 2026)

hack.lu is one of Europe’s more distinctive hacker and security conferences, with a long-running community around computer security, privacy, and the broader implications of technology. The 2026 edition marks its 20th year and includes the main conference alongside training and workshop sessions. For readers interested in the intersection of technical security, open exchange, threat intelligence, privacy, and security culture.

Black Hat India 2026 – Bengaluru, India (27–30 October 2026)

Black Hat India brings the Black Hat model into one of the world’s most important technology markets. Taking place in Bengaluru, the event is relevant for those tracking the globalisation of security research, software supply chains, platform engineering, cloud infrastructure, and the growing role of India’s technical ecosystem in enterprise technology. It is broader than some of the niche European events, but the regional importance and Black Hat technical format make it worth watching.

UKSec Cyber Security Summit 2026 – London, UK (10 November 2026)

UKSec is a strategic UK event for senior IT security leaders, focused on digital resilience, evolving threats, and what a cyber-resilient culture looks like in practice. For readers looking at how cyber strategy is being shaped inside organisations, rather than only in labs or hacker communities, UKSec is a useful addition to their event calendar.

ACM CCS 2026: ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security – The Hague, Netherlands (15–19 November 2026)

ACM CCS is one of the world’s leading conferences in computer and communications security. The 2026 edition in The Hague is a major European anchor for the global security research community, covering security and privacy across systems, software, networks, cryptography, data, AI-adjacent security, and communications infrastructure. For researchers, technical strategists, and investors watching where serious cybersecurity work is heading, CCS is close to unavoidable.

Hardwear.io NL 2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands (16–20 November 2026)

Hardwear.io is a specialist hardware security conference and training event. The Netherlands 2026 edition brings together researchers, engineers, innovators, and hardware security professionals around embedded security, chip-level attacks, device security, CTFs, and hands-on technical work. As more critical systems depend on connected devices, sensors, edge infrastructure and specialised hardware, hardware security is moving from niche concern to strategic necessity. 

Black Hat Middle East & Africa 2026 – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1–3 December 2026)

Black Hat Middle East & Africa sits at the intersection of technical security, regional capability-building, and the fast-growing Gulf technology ecosystem. For readers interested in where capital, infrastructure and cyber capability are being assembled at speed, this is a useful global watch point.

Black Hat Europe 2026 – London, UK (7–10 December 2026)

Black Hat Europe brings the Black Hat format of briefings, trainings, tool demonstrations and security research to London, making it relevant for European security teams, researchers, technologists, and investors watching the threat landscape and defensive market. 

ACSAC 2026: Annual Computer Security Applications Conference – Los Angeles, California, USA (7–11 December 2026)

ACSAC is a strong applied security research conference, focused on practical ideas and experiences in information system security. Its value lies in the bridge between research and operational reality: protecting users, enterprises, national infrastructure, and complex information systems. For technologists who want security work grounded in deployable practice rather than abstract debate or vendor messaging, ACSAC is a useful end-of-year anchor.