In the relentless war against digital adversaries, the conference hall has become the global war room. This is where the world’s sharpest minds—from elite hackers to enterprise CISOs—gather to share intelligence and forge the alliances that form our collective defense.
However, as we enter 2026, the battlefield has fundamentally changed. The industry has shifted from passive tools to Agentic AI systems—autonomous agents that now act as full-time members of the security team. As detailed in our 2026 Cybersecurity Trends Report, this evolution makes physical gatherings more vital than ever. Organisations can no longer rely on "solo defense"; they must build strategic partner ecosystems capable of governing these hyper-connected, autonomous environments.
With hundreds of events vying for your attention, choosing the right venue is a strategic decision in itself. Forget the noise. This is your curated guide to the 30 most important cybersecurity events in 2026. Whether you are hunting zero-days, architecting enterprise resilience, or building a world-class partner program, this is where you need to be.The "Big Three" Global Conferences.
Quick Reference
Top Q1 & Q2 Events 2026
Top Q3 & Q4 Events 2026
These events are crucial for professionals looking to spend their remaining 2026 budget or catch the year's final research breakthroughs.
1. RSA Conference (RSAC)
- Who's it for: The entire cybersecurity industry, from CISOs and practitioners to vendors, policymakers, and investors.
- Country & City: San Francisco, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: 23-26th March 2026
- Pricing: All-Access passes start around $2,500.
- Website: https://www.rsaconference.com/usa
2. Black Hat (USA, Europe & Asia)
- Who's it for: Security professionals, corporate researchers, and ethical hackers seeking the latest in security research and vulnerability disclosures.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸; London, UK 🇬🇧; Singapore 🇸🇬
- Dates: 1-6th August (USA); December (Europe), April (Asia) 2026 Confirmed
- Pricing: Briefings start around $2,500 (Trainings are extra and can be several thousand).
- Website: https://www.blackhat.com/
3. DEF CON
- Who's it for: The global hacker community, cybersecurity researchers, federal agents, and hobbyists. It is the world's most famous hacker conference.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: 6-9th August 2026
- Pricing: ~$450-$500 (traditionally sold cash-only at the door, "cash is king").
- Website: https://www.defcon.org/
Leading Enterprise & Strategy Conferences
4. Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit
- Who's it for: CISOs, security executives, and risk management leaders seeking strategic insights and analyst guidance.
- Country & City: National Harbor, MD, USA 🇺🇸 & London, UK 🇬🇧
- Dates: June (USA) / September (UK) 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: High, standard Gartner pricing (~$4,000 - $5,000).
- Website: https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/
5. Infosecurity Europe
- Who's it for: The entire European information security community, from practitioners to senior decision-makers.
- Country & City: London, UK 🇬🇧
- Dates: 2-4th June 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Free for qualified industry professionals.
- Website: https://www.infosecurityeurope.com/
6. (ISC)² Security Congress
- Who's it for: (ISC)² members, certified professionals (CISSPs, etc.), and cybersecurity leaders.
- Country & City: Aurora, Colorado, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: 24-28th October 2026
- Pricing: Starts around $2,000.
- Website: https://congress.isc2.org/
7. FS-ISAC Summits
- Who's it for: Cybersecurity and risk professionals specifically from the financial services industry.
- Country & City: Orlando, Florida (USA) & Toronto (Canada)
- Dates: 1-4th March 2026 (USA) & 13-14th April 2026 (Canada)
- Pricing: Member-focused event.
- Website: https://www.fsisac.com/events
Top Technical & Offensive Security Conferences
8. TROOPERS
- Who's it for: Highly technical IT security practitioners, researchers, and experts.
- Country & City: Heidelberg, Germany 🇩🇪
- Dates: June 22nd-26th 2026
- Pricing: Starts around €2,000.
- Website: https://troopers.de/
9. CanSecWest
- Who's it for: Security researchers and experts focused on cutting-edge offensive and defensive technologies.
- Country & City: Vancouver, Canada 🇨🇦
- Dates: 24-25th April 2026
- Pricing: Starts around $2,500 CAD.
- Website: https://cansecwest.com/
10. OffensiveCon
- Who's it for: Specialists in offensive security, including exploit development and advanced penetration testing.
- Country & City: Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪
- Dates: 15-16th May 2026
- Pricing: Starts around €1,500.
- Website: https://www.offensivecon.org/
11. BSides Las Vegas
- Who's it for: The security community, from students to seasoned professionals, with a focus on community-driven talks.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: Runs during Black Hat/DEF CON week in August 2026
- Pricing: Low cost (~$300), but tickets sell out instantly.
- Website: https://bsideslv.org/
12. Hack In The Box (HITB) Security Conference
- Who's it for: Technical security researchers, hackers, and practitioners with a deep focus on security research.
- Country & City: Jakarta, Indonesia (changes every year)
- Dates: 22-23rd April 2026
- Pricing: Starts around €1,500.
- Website: https://conference.hitb.org/
13. Billington Cyber Summit
- Who's it for: A mix of security professionals, hackers, and academics interested in creative and innovative security solutions.
- Country & City: Washington, D.C., USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: 810th September 2026
- Pricing: $795USD
- Website: https://billingtoncybersummit.com/
Key Regional Cybersecurity Hubs
14. it-sa Expo & Congress
- Who's it for: IT security professionals and decision-makers, with a strong focus on the European and German-speaking (DACH) markets.
- Country & City: Nuremberg, Germany 🇩🇪
- Dates: 27-29 October 2026
- Pricing: Day tickets start around €50.
- Website: https://www.itsa365.de/
15. GISEC Global
- Who's it for: Cybersecurity professionals, government leaders, and enterprise buyers in the Middle East and Africa.
- Country & City: Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪
- Dates: 5-6th May 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Varies, expo passes are often free.
- Website: https://www.gisec.ae/
16. Les Assises de la Cybersécurité
- Who's it for: High-level CISOs and IT decision-makers, primarily from France and French-speaking regions.
- Country & City: Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪
- Dates: Mid-October 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Primarily an invite-only/application-based event for qualified leaders.
- Website: https://www.lesassises.com/
17. Cyber Security World Asia
- Who's it for: IT security professionals, enterprise leaders, and decision-makers in the APAC region.
- Country & City: Singapore 🇸🇬
- Dates: Early October 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Free to attend for qualified industry professionals.
- Website: https://www.cybersecurityworldasia.com/
18. Cybertech Global
- Who's it for: A mix of government leaders, military officials, and corporate executives.
- Country & City: Tel Aviv, Israel 🇮🇱
- Dates: 26-28th January 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Varies.
- Website: https://www.cybertechisrael.com/
Top Vendor & Ecosystem Conferences
19. Microsoft Secure
- Who's it for: Security professionals who use or partner with the Microsoft security stack (Sentinel, Defender, Entra ID).
- Country & City: Digital / In-person components
- Dates: March 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Often free for the virtual event.
- Website: https://ignite.microsoft.com/en-US/home?wt.mc_ID=Ignite2025_marx_corp_em_oo_Community_Tech_Security
20. Palo Alto Networks Ignite
- Who's it for: Palo Alto Networks customers, partners, and cybersecurity leaders.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: Mid-November 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Starts around $2,000.
- Website: https://ignite.paloaltonetworks.com/
21. Cisco Live
- Who's it for: Cisco customers and partners. The event has a very large and influential security track.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸 & Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱
- Dates: Early June (USA) / Early February (Europe) 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Starts around $2,500.
- Website: https://www.ciscolive.com/
22. Fortinet Accelerate
- Who's it for: Fortinet customers and partners, from technical engineers to C-level executives.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: Early April 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Varies, often customer/partner-focused.
- Website: https://www.fortinet.com/accelerate
23. CrowdStrike Fal.Con
- Who's it for: CrowdStrike customers, partners, and professionals focused on endpoint security and threat intelligence.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: Mid-September 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Starts around $1,500.
- Website: https://www.crowdstrike.com/falcon/
Specialised & Niche Cybersecurity Events
24. SANS Institute Events
- Who's it for: Cybersecurity professionals seeking intensive, hands-on technical training and certifications.
- Country & City: Multiple events globally and online.
- Dates: Year-round.
- Pricing: Primarily training-focused, courses cost several thousand dollars.
- Website: https://www.sans.org/
25. FIRST Conference
- Who's it for: Incident response and security team (CSIRT/CERT/PSIRT) members from around the world.
- Country & City: Varies globally (e.g., Seattle, USA)
- Dates: June 2026 (Projected)
- Pricing: Starts around $2,000.
- Website: https://www.first.org/conference/
26. Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) SECtember
- Who's it for: Professionals focused on cloud security, governance, and compliance.
- Country & City: Seattle, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: Mid-September 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Starts around $800.
- Website: https://www.csaSECtember.com/
27. KubeCon + CloudNativeCon
- Who's it for: Cloud-native developers, architects, and security professionals (DevSecOps) with a focus on Kubernetes security.
- Country & City: North America & Europe
- Dates: March (Europe) / November (NA) 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Starts around $1,800.
- Website: https://www.cncf.io/events/
28. Identiverse
- Who's it for: Professionals in the digital identity and access management (IAM) space.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: Late May 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Starts around $2,000.
- Website: https://identiverse.com/
29. IAPP Global Privacy Summit
- Who's it for: Data privacy professionals, lawyers, and compliance officers.
- Country & City: Washington, D.C., USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: Early April 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Starts around $2,000.
- Website: https://iapp.org/conference/global-privacy-summit/
30. The Diana Initiative
- Who's it for: An event focused on supporting women and underrepresented individuals in cybersecurity.
- Country & City: Las Vegas, USA 🇺🇸
- Dates: Co-located with the Black Hat/DEF CON week in August 2026 (Confirmed)
- Pricing: Low cost, typically under $100.
- Website: https://www.dianainitiative.org/
Wrap Up
In cybersecurity, our strength comes from working together. That's why building technology partnerships with resellers, MSPs, MSSPs, and distributors is so important. These events are where those critical alliances are forged, allowing us to create a stronger, more unified defense for everyone.
Explore how Journeybee helps you strategically build a world-class partner program.
Frequently Asked Questions
For those new to the field, BSides events are the gold standard because they are community-driven, affordable (~$300), and highly welcoming. Additionally, Infosecurity Europe and GISEC Global often provide free expo passes, making them excellent low-risk options for students or career-switchers to network and explore the vendor landscape without a $2,000+ investment.
Pricing has stayed high for 2026, with "Big Three" events like RSA Conference and Black Hat starting at approximately $2,500 for standard briefings. High-level executive summits, such as the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, often exceed $4,000. To save money, professionals should look for "Early Bird" windows which typically close 3–4 months before the event date.
Yes, several major events offer free tiers. Infosecurity Europe (London) and Cyber Security World Asia (Singapore) are traditionally free for qualified industry practitioners who register in advance. Many vendor-specific events, like the virtual components of Microsoft Secure, also provide free digital access to keynotes and technical sessions.
While both occur during "Hacker Summer Camp" in Las Vegas, they serve different purposes. Black Hat is a corporate-friendly environment focused on high-end research, briefings, and a massive vendor hall (best for enterprise pros). DEF CON is more informal, technical, and community-centric, featuring "villages" for hands-on hacking, lock-picking, and social engineering (best for researchers and hobbyists).
The 2026 conference circuit is heavily focused on Agentic AI (autonomous security agents), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) readiness, and Operational Resilience under new regulations like NIS2 and DORA. You will find that almost every keynote this year addresses how to secure AI-driven supply chains and manage the explosion of machine identities.