CYBR.SEC.CON. 2026 brings the cybersecurity community to Houston Sept. 15–16 for two days of hacking, AI security, operational technology, executive leadership, threat research, career development and hands-on learning. Follow all of CYBR.SEC.Media’s coverage here, including the latest conference news, keynote speakers, specialized tracks, AI.SEC.CON., interviews, agenda highlights and stories from the people shaping this year’s event.
Post-event coverage:
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 Recap: AI Hacking and Community
CYBR.HAK.CAST hosts Michael Farnum and Phillip Wylie recap CYBR.SEC.CON 2026, exploring AI hacking, practitioner training, BSides Houston and more.
Bill Brenner
BSides Houston: The Next Generation of Cybersecurity
BSides Houston offered a powerful reminder that the next generation has the brains, passion and enthusiasm to tackle cybersecurity’s biggest challenges.
Bill Brenner
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 and BSides Houston: Hacker Takeaways
Phil Wylie and Michael Farnum recap CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 and BSides Houston, exploring AI-powered CTFs, offensive security, OT/ICS and hacker community.
, and CYBR.SEC.Media
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026: Winn Schwartau’s Key Takeaways
Winn Schwartau shares his observations from the Innovation Station at CYBR.SEC.CON 2026, where emerging technologies, fresh ideas and the people driving cybersecurity innovation took center stage.
Winn Schwartau
Live from the event:
9 AI Security Lessons From CYBR.SEC.CON 2026
Nine AI security lessons for CISOs on agents, identity, governance, compliance, cognitive risk, open source and human resilience.
George V. Hulme
Cybersecurity Burnout Needs an Incident Response Plan
In his CYBR.SEC.CON. 2026 keynote, Joe Marshall introduces the Human Incident Response Framework, a practical playbook for recognizing cybersecurity burnout, secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma and moral injury — and responding before the human incident becomes a crisis.
Bill Brenner
8 CISO Leadership Lessons for the Age of AI
Ann Delenela, VP and CISO at Entergy, on the lessons surviving the fall of South Vietnam, hang gliding over the Pacific and leading through a personal health crisis can teach security leaders about the age of AI.
George V. Hulme
Open Source Security Risk Goes Beyond the Code
At CYBR.SEC.CON 2026, OISF President Kelley Misata explains why critical open source security projects like Suricata depend on more than developers — and why funding, governance, licensing and succession planning are now cybersecurity issues.
Bill Brenner
Astelia wins CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 LaunchPad competition
The exposure management startup beat four other early-stage cybersecurity companies at CYBR.SEC.CON 2026, pitching an approach that focuses remediation on vulnerabilities attackers can actually reach.
Bill Brenner
How AI Could Exploit Human Decision-Making
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 speaker Andy Ellis explores how AI, algorithms and human cognitive shortcuts could combine to undermine the decision-making systems that helped humanity thrive.
Bill Brenner
Cognitive Security: Why Critical Ignoring Matters
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 opening keynote argues that critical thinking is no longer enough in an age of AI, algorithms and information overload. Security starts with knowing what deserves our attention.
Bill Brenner
AI Security Failures Start With the Security Basics
At CYBR.SEC.CON 2026’s first AI.SEC.CON track, Elizabeth Wharton argues that headline-grabbing AI disasters keep exposing familiar failures in validation, least privilege, data governance, trust boundaries and change control.
Bill Brenner
Previous coverage:
IoT Security: Your Toothbrush Is a Computer Too
Stephen Cravey’s CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 talk explores the security blind spots inside smart locks, appliances and everyday IoT devices — and why organizations may have little idea what is actually running on them.
Bill Brenner
IoT Security: The Hidden Risks Inside “Dumb” Devices
Stephen Cravey explains how connected locks, toothbrushes and other overlooked IoT devices can introduce serious security risks.
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Iran Cyberattacks Target U.S. Critical Infrastructure
Iranian cyber threats against U.S. water, energy and telecom infrastructure are escalating. Here’s what’s happening, what’s at risk and how defenders should respond.
Bill Brenner
Four Cybersecurity Failures That Derail Security Programs
viLogics CRO Wil Klusovsky will bring nearly three decades of cybersecurity experience to CYBR.SEC.CON 2026, examining the recurring mistakes that derail security programs and how leaders can keep them focused on what matters.
Bill Brenner
Cybersecurity Failure: Wil Klusovsky on What Goes Wrong
Wil Klusovsky explains four common cybersecurity failures and how leaders can keep security teams focused on what matters most.
, and CYBR.SEC.Media
CYBR.SEC.Community + LaunchPoint Collective Partnership
LaunchPoint Collective and CYBR.SEC.Community are teaming up to bring 20-plus cybersecurity startups to CYBR.SEC.CON 2026, connecting emerging security technology with CISOs, practitioners and early adopters.
Bill Brenner
AI-Driven SOCs: How to Separate Hype From Reality
Alfred Huger explains what separates a serious AI-driven SOC from hype, including baselines, costs, business context, RBAC and human oversight.
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AI Attacks Are Closing the SOC’s Human Oversight Window
As attackers automate cyberattacks at machine speed, SOC teams may soon have to let AI agents act without human approval — making RBAC, business context and autonomous-response guardrails critical security controls. (Sponsored by Command Zero)
Bill Brenner
AI SOC Buying Guide: What CISOs Need to Know
AI-driven SOC platforms promise faster investigations, lower costs and fewer repetitive tasks for security analysts. But before CISOs buy in, they need to understand the baselines, business context, pricing and access controls. (Sponsored by Command Zero)
Bill Brenner
Vulnerability Prioritization Is Solving the Wrong Problem
CYBR.SEC.CON LaunchPad finalist Astelia uses attack-path reachability to determine which vulnerabilities can actually lead to a breach, helping enterprises cut through millions of findings and focus remediation where it matters.
Bill Brenner
Enterprise AI Governance Has a Growing Control Gap
CYBR.SEC.CON LaunchPad finalist Singulr AI is tackling the enterprise AI control gap with runtime governance, security and controls designed to let companies adopt AI and agents without losing visibility or control.
Bill Brenner
Stolen Credentials: Why Dark Web Monitoring Is Too Late
CYBR.SEC.CON LaunchPad finalist MokN “phishes the phishers” to uncover stolen credentials while attackers are actively using them, closing a blind spot left by traditional dark-web monitoring.
Bill Brenner
AI SOCs Need Better Threat Intelligence to Work
CYBR.SEC.CON LaunchPad finalist VisionHeight is building a pre-attack intelligence layer designed to give AI-driven SOCs the external threat data they need to move from reactive detection to proactive defense.
Bill Brenner
Above Security Uses AI to Tackle Insider Risk
CYBR.SEC.CON LaunchPad finalist Above Security is using AI-driven behavioral analysis and real-time employee coaching to prevent insider risk before it becomes a security incident.
Bill Brenner
Why Cybersecurity Startups Fail—and How to Fix It
AI is flooding the cybersecurity market with new startups and products, making it harder to separate real innovation from noise — while CISOs risk compounding the problem when practitioners are left out of security tool decisions.
Bill Brenner
Cybersecurity Has a Startup Discovery Problem
Security leaders need emerging cybersecurity technology faster than ever, but finding the startups actually worth their time is getting harder as AI accelerates both innovation and cyber threats. Starting with CYBR.SEC.CON, we plan to do something about it.
Bill Brenner
CISOs: Let Practitioners Help Choose Security Tools
Cybersecurity tool selection works better when CISOs give security practitioners a voice in buying decisions, improving adoption, security outcomes and team retention.
Bill Brenner
CYBR.SEC.CON LaunchPad: 5 Cybersecurity Startups to Watch
Five early-stage cybersecurity companies will pitch before CISOs, investors, marketing and revenue leaders at the CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 LaunchPad competition in Houston.
Bill Brenner
John Barrow on Cybersecurity Startups and Innovation
John Barrow explains how CISOs can find emerging cybersecurity startups, evaluate new tools and give practitioners a voice.
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CYBR.SEC.CON 2026: Cybersecurity Community in Action
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 unites cybersecurity professionals, hackers and students around education, mentorship and workforce development.
Bill Brenner
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 Keynotes: AI, Cyberwar and Burnout
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 keynotes from Winn Schwartau, Andy Ellis, Ann Delenela and Joe Marshall will tackle AI, cyberwar, critical infrastructure, leadership and burnout.
Bill Brenner
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 Adds AI.SEC.CON Cybersecurity Track
CYBR.SEC.CON. 2026 expands to 10 cybersecurity tracks with the debut of AI.SEC.CON., reflecting record AI submissions and AI’s growing impact across security.
Bill Brenner
One Month to CYBR.SEC.CON 2026: 16 Years in the Making
CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 is one month away, bringing 3,000+ cybersecurity professionals to Houston for two days of hacking, AI, OT security, leadership, learning and community.
Bill Brenner
HOU.SEC.CON. Is Now CYBR.SEC.CON.
CYBR.SEC.CON. didn’t replace HOU.SEC.CON. It grew from it, expanding from a Houston conference into a national cybersecurity event. (Includes infographic)
Bill Brenner
