Security Onion's own Doug Burks, doing a demo at BSides Augusta

Beginner's Guide to Cyber: Conferences

Jul 22, 2024

Part of being an active member in the community means attending local events. It's a great way to learn more about your industry, network with other professionals, and learn more about what interests you in Cyber.

So, start local. Find local conferences and put them on your calendar. (If you're a student, you can likely get a discount.) Show up, attend talks that seem interesting, and talk to other industry professionals. Heck, if the event is putting on a CTF, give that a go too. You'll make friends and learn more about how other people are solving problems in this field.

Where can I go though?

Google local conferences for infosec or cybersecurity. I'll list some good ones for the Atlanta area, which is where I got my start.

Atlanta Area Conferences for 2024:

  • BSides Atlanta - September 14th - A small conference hosted by Kennesaw State University. Great for college students and industry professionals alike, and a good conference to dip your toes into. Affordable and close to home.
  • BSides Augusta - October 5th - Much larger than it's brother in Atlanta, Augusta University hosts this BSides. Being near the U.S. Army's Cyber Center, it's a much larger area for cyber. Still affordable but much larger in scale.
  • Hacker Halted - October 30th - 31st - ECCouncil's conference in the area. Their reputation is questionable at best, but the conference is still fun. When I went, college students got in for free.
  • TechNet Augusta 2024 - August 19th - 22nd - Military-oriented conference. Great for those looking for DoD or government jobs in general.

At the end of the day, conferences are a great way to learn more about your industry, fellow professionals, and yourself. Of course, when the time comes you can give back by giving talks or volunteering.

Josh Swartzell