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The Best Security Conferences & Events 2024

Stephen Watts By Stephen Watts November 17, 2023

For security professionals, your role is more visible than it ever has been, with news of cyberattacks and data breaches making headlines on a routine basis. After all, security relies on good data — and today, we have more data than ever. So, if you’re a security pro and looking to get back to in-person conferences, we’ve got you covered with this round-up of top security conferences and events for 2024.

Attending conferences is a great way to stay up-to-date with your industry and network and experienced and like-minded professionals. You can look for conferences that cover a wide variety of topics, or you can opt for a more niche events that cater to specific platforms, technologies or methodologies. The good news is that these events now cater to a wider audience, with many in-person events continuing to offer a virtual or hybrid experience. These often come with lower price tags and access to knowledge that doesn't require travel.

Interested in other conferences? Be sure to check out our in-depth guides to DevOps, Blockchain, and other conferences:

To add to this list, contact swatts@splunk.com with the conference/event name, dates, location, website and a quick summary.

InfoSec, Cybersecurity & IT Conferences and Events

Black Hat Europe

Dates: December 4-7, 2023
Location: London, UK
Cost: Early bird pricing for in-person attendance starts at £1549

The final Black Hat of 2023 takes place in London, with a hybrid offering for those unable to attend in person. Like its U.S. version, you can expect up to four days of hands-on trainings plus the traditional (for Black Hat, anyway) event space with Briefings, exec summaries, Arsenal and probably some games too.

SANS Cyber Threat Intelligence Summit & Training 2024

Dates: January 29 - February 5, 2024
Location: Washington DC + Virtual
Cost: In-Person $425 / Free Virtual

For anyone in cyber threat intelligence (CTI), from newbies to experienced pros, this is the summit to get hands-on education and new perspectives that challenge traditional CTI assumptions. Learn, connect and share with thousands of global participants and walk away with real-world insights that you can put into action soon.

Innovate Cybersecurity Summit – Nashville 2024

Dates: February 25 – 27, 2024
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Cost: TBD (Invite-Only event)

Innovate Cybersecurity Summit is a highly anticipated summit that brings together Cybersecurity Executives and CISOs from all corners of the country for three days of exclusive, invite-only discussion and learning. Attendees can expect a world-class experience with access to insightful CISO panels and education sessions that explore best practices and real-world challenges, unparalleled networking opportunities, and unique engagement with the industry’s latest cybersecurity technology solutions and vendors. A must-attend event for CISOs and leading Cybersecurity Practitioners looking to stay ahead of the game!

Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit 2024 UK

Dates: March 4-5, 2024
Location: London, UK
Cost: €3,425

In a world where the traditional corporate network perimeter has become obsolete — the identity infrastructure has become the new battleground for bad actors. Identity and access management (IAM) models that rely on legacy approaches to manage identities of users and machines across growing lists of applications and environments have become complex and ill-equipped to adapt to changing needs of business and technological advancements. Security leaders must evolve their IAM toward an identity-first approach that puts identity-based controls at the heart of your organization’s protection architecture to enhance its cybersecurity posture, while delivering digital transformation and business value. Join a community of experts and IAM leaders at Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit and participate in interactive and collaborative sessions, share experiences and access the latest research to equip you with a detailed plan that helps bring your organization into the identity-first era.

RSA Conference

Dates: May 6-9, 2024
Location: San Francisco
Cost: Starting at $495

Known across the cybersecurity landscape, RSA Conference bills itself as “Where the world talks about security”. RSA is committed to sharing a world of diverse knowledge in security, which is why the theme for RSAC 2023 is “Stronger Together”. Like many conferences and events, they’ve also spun up a whole library of live and on-demand security trainings, videos, webinars and more, so check their schedule regularly throughout the year.

(Check our our complete RSA Guide)

Positive Hack Days 12

Dates: May 23-26, 2024
Location: Moscow, Russia
Cost: TBD

Calling IT and InfoSec pros, no matter your career stop. Positive Hack Days, known as PHDays, is similar to other hacker-focused cybersecurity conferences like Blackhat and DEFCON. The forum highlights a different theme annually, but always through the lens of individual and government security.

Major attendees and guest speakers from previous events include experts  from Cisco, IBM, Kapersky and PwC. If you want to experiment with zero-day attacks, cryptography, cyberware and overall digital investigations, PHDays is the place for you. 

45th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy

Dates: May 20-23, 2024
Location: San Franciso
Cost: TBD

The IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy is the premier forum for developments in computer security and electronic privacy — and it’s been so since 1980! The 2024 Symposium will mark the 45th annual meeting. The conference itself spans four days, with one entire day devoted to workshops.

36th Annual FIRST Conference

Dates: June 9-14, 2024
Location: Fukuoka, Japan
Cost: TBD

FIRST is an international non-profit association of security professionals across the private, public, and academic sectors. Aiming to foster cooperation and coordination among computer security and incident response teams (CSIRTs), FIRST's annual conference provides a forum of shared goals, ideas, and information on improving security on a global scale. Held in-person in Fukuoka, or virtually, the 36th annual FIRST conference is a premier meeting ground for those on the front lines of the global response community.

Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit

Dates: June 3-5, 2024
Location: National Harbor, MD
Cost: Starting at $3,650

Leading analyst firm Gartner hosts this annual event aims at security and risk leaders. The most recent event in 2023 focused on key strategic necessities including:

  • Infrastructure Security
  • Application and Data Security
  • Cybersecurity Leadership
  • Market Dynamics
  • Operations

Splunk .conf24

Date: June 10-13, 2024
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Cost: TBD

Of course, as a leader in security, we’d be remiss not to include our own .conf! We are proud that Splunk helps keep organizations secure and resilient with our unified security and observability platform. Our .conf is an extension of our passion for our customers and our offerings.

.conf24 is the latest iteration of Splunk’s annual conference. The 2023 .conf edition saw over 6,000 Splunk enthusiasts and tons of learning hours, including plenty of replays still available online. Sign up now to get the latest updates on .conf24.

(See all the things you can do with Splunk.)

Black Hat USA

Date: August 3-8, 2024
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Cost: TBD

A legend in the field going back 25+ years, Black Hat is the premier meet up of security engineers, developers, ethical hackers and leading companies. At this event, you can expect the absolute latest and biggest InfoSec research, development and trends. Spread over nearly a week, it usually follows a pattern of:

  • Up to four days dedicated to hands-on and technical trainings
  • Two days of main conference events including briefings, Business Hall, Arsenal and more

This setup enables attendees to network with InfoSec professionals from all corners and evaluate a whole slew of products, solutions and services on display that might just suit your needs. And don’t worry: we’ll certainly update our BlackHat Guide for the next event!

DEF CON 32

Date: August 8-11, 2024
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Cost: TBD

Come all ye hackers! DefCon has reached its 32nd year and its grassroots vibe remains, despite its growth. In fact, the hacker convention has developed into its own subculture that has no-filming policies so that every year is a surprise. (Get a sneak peek with this professional documentary from the event’s 20th year.)

Attendees come from all industries, including the federal government, who obviously have a massive stake in hacking as a means to protect their networks. Other smaller “cons” or conventions pop up during the event, with notable ones including Queercon, Quietcon and Linecon.

Pro-tip of experienced attendees? Going to Black Hat and DefCon back-to-back, making this the ultimate week in any security pro’s calendar.

Cyber Security Training at SANS Network Security

Date: September 4-9, 2024
Location: Las Vegas, NV & Virtual
Cost: Starting at $7,785

This is the event to attend for hands-on network security training that is led by real-world experts. Whether you join in person in Vegas or online from home, you'll get to experience interactive training, hands-on labs and tutorials, the NetWars Tournament and professional networking.

An added bonus you won't get from other conferences? Attendees have the ability to take courses that align with GIAC certifications and even access a library of electronic and printed books. Like all SANS events, this one comes with the SANS Promise: that you'll be able to apply what you've learned as soon as you're back to work. 

Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit

Date: September 23-25, 2024
Location: London, U.K.
Cost: Starting at €2,975 + VAT

Analyst firm Gartner's events are some of the most respected in the industry. With this UK edition, returning to fully in-person this year, you can expect both established best practices and insights plus cutting-edge commentary on what's to come across all roles in the security landscape. 

The most recent event in 2023 focused on key strategic necessities including:

  • Infrastructure Security
  • Application and Data Security
  • Cybersecurity Leadership
  • Cloud Security
  • Operations

Innovate Cybersecurity Summit – Scottsdale 2024

Dates: October 6 – 8, 2024
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Cost: TBD (Invite-Only event)

Innovate Cybersecurity Summit is a highly anticipated summit that brings together Cybersecurity Executives and CISOs from all corners of the country to the tranquil Arizona desert, assembling a national community of professionals for three days of exclusive, invite-only discussion and learning. Attendees can expect a world-class experience with access to insightful CISO panels and education sessions that explore best practices and real-world challenges, unparalleled networking opportunities, and unique engagement with the industry’s latest cybersecurity technology solutions and vendors. A must-attend event for CISOs and leading Cybersecurity Practitioners looking to stay ahead of the game!

Gartner Identity & Access Management Summit USA

Dates: December 9-11, 2024
Location: Grapevine, TX
Cost: TBD

This Gartner event is the leading IAM conference to help you make the right decisions about which identity-first security initiatives to prioritize, how to modernize existing staffing models and whether to invest in new tools to take your organization’s security posture into the identity-first era. Join over 1,500 IAM and security peers over 3 days, with 70+ sessions, 60+ vendors and 30+ IAM analysts.

Wrapping Up

Have a Security Conference you'd like to see added to this list? Send the author an email at swatts@splunk.com and provide the location, date, cost, and details to be considered for the list.

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Stephen Watts
Posted by

Stephen Watts

Stephen Watts works in growth marketing at Splunk. Stephen holds a degree in Philosophy from Auburn University and is an MSIS candidate at UC Denver. He contributes to a variety of publications including CIO.com, Search Engine Journal, ITSM.Tools, IT Chronicles, DZone, and CompTIA.