The vibe on the RSAC expo floor this year is truly something to behold.
There's a dark anticipation of impending apocalypse, whether it comes from AI supplanting the need for humanity or nuclear disaster in the face of geopolitical strife, a feeling that has deepened since the start of the Iran War.
And yet with it comes a sense of, dare I say, fun? I've always considered one of humanity's greatest strengths to be our ability to laugh in the face of danger, and to keep making plans for a better world. Keep calm and all that.
Here are some photos I took that capture that, followed by what I think it all means.
I'm not in the business of shaming companies on the expo floor. Most, I believe, are doing their best to be part of the potential solution to all that makes us anxious. I won't climb aboard the high horse and pass judgement on what the cybersecurity marketing departments came up with this time. Y'all can judge for yourselves. In some photos you'll see the company logos and in some you won't. For this exercise, the overall vibe was more important to me than the companies creating it.
It's The End of the Word As We Know It, And We Feel Fine
With this morning's exploration of the expo floor, the graveyard humor came on strong.
It started with this booth, where those impatiently waiting to get their selfies amid the rubble of societal collapse can get a jump on things and get their picture taken in front of the chaos now:
The vendor turns the pics into futuristic trading cards, where participants can be shown saving the world. And why not?
Others were less apocalyptic and framed the AI revolution as the stuff of horror movies. Who doesn't like a good horror movie, am I right?
I'm reminded of a haunted house I visited with one of my sons one Halloween, where the ghoul out front assured visitors that they wouldn't be scared – they'd be terrified.
But fear not, other vendors are here to provide comfort in troubled times. And what could be more comforting than a big old Teddy bear. Teddy Roosevelt would be proud:
Diner cuisine is also a comfort during troubled times, and the host of this one is Elvis Presley, brought back to life by the magical abilities of AI. Here he is with CYBR.SEC.Community CEO Michael Farnum:
So, what do I think all this means?
Security vendors tend to use our anxieties to market their products. That's not unique to the cybersecurity community. With all the noise of the information age it's a challenge making your message heard, so this is where we are in 2026.
It's an improvement over the exploitation of women in years past (booth babes, we used to call them). And you have to admire the creativity that went into this year's booths.
We all know the world is a dangerous place right now. We no longer feel shock when we see headlines warning of WWIII. With all we've been through these last 25 years, from 9-11 to the Great Recession to the pandemic and a political discourse soured by a growing inability to tell the difference between fact and fiction, we can all be excused for trying to find a little fun – and do a little business – among the flames.
That's what we do. We keep going and do our best to help each other. There's no better example of that resilience than the people who chose cybersecurity as their career path.
Maybe it will all burn down. But we may yet keep that from happening.
