Conference Description
Key Takeaways
- Community-driven information security conference held in Tallinn, Estonia
- Technical focus spanning blue teaming, red teaming, DevSecOps, incident response and security research
- Programme developed through community submissions and independent review
- Hands-on workshops, hardware hacking activities and informal networking opportunities
- Open to security professionals, researchers, students and newcomers to the field
Introduction
BSides Tallinn 2026 brings the globally recognised BSides conference format to Estonia’s capital, offering an information security event built around community participation rather than commercial exhibition. The conference addresses practitioners across the cybersecurity spectrum, from defensive blue team analysts to offensive red team researchers, while maintaining accessibility for students and those entering the profession. At a time when organisations face increasingly sophisticated threats and struggle to recruit skilled security personnel, events that combine technical depth with inclusive community building serve an important function in developing the broader talent pipeline.
About BSides Tallinn
BSides events originated as an alternative to larger commercial security conferences, providing a platform for talks and research that might not fit mainstream programmes. BSides Tallinn continues this tradition through a non-profit structure supported by volunteers and sponsors. The programme committee operates independently, selecting presentations from community submissions rather than curating content around sponsor interests.
The 2026 edition takes place at T1 Mall in Tallinn, combining formal conference sessions with workshop spaces and dedicated areas for hands-on activities. This format reflects the BSides philosophy that valuable learning happens through direct engagement and peer interaction, not solely through passive attendance at presentations.
Technical Programme and Discussion Areas
The conference programme spans defensive and offensive security disciplines. Blue team content addresses threat detection, incident response and the operational challenges of maintaining security visibility across complex environments. Red team sessions explore offensive techniques and the methodologies used to identify vulnerabilities before adversaries exploit them. This dual perspective reflects the reality that effective security programmes require understanding both defensive controls and attacker tradecraft.
Practical DevSecOps features prominently, addressing the integration of security practices into software development workflows. As organisations accelerate release cycles and adopt cloud-native architectures, embedding security into continuous integration and deployment pipelines has become essential rather than optional. Sessions in this area bridge the gap between security teams and development organisations.
Hardware hacking activities, including badge firmware modification, provide hands-on experience with embedded systems security. These sessions appeal to participants interested in the intersection of physical and digital security, an area gaining relevance as connected devices proliferate across industrial and consumer environments.
Community-Centred Approach to Security Education
BSides Tallinn positions itself explicitly as accessible to participants regardless of existing professional networks or experience levels. This approach addresses a persistent challenge in cybersecurity: the field’s rapid evolution makes continuous learning essential, yet traditional conference formats often assume substantial prior knowledge and established industry connections.
The village area and informal networking sessions create opportunities for knowledge exchange outside structured presentations. For practitioners working in smaller organisations or isolated security roles, these interactions provide access to peer perspectives that might otherwise require extensive professional networks to obtain.
Who Should Attend
The conference serves security engineers, analysts and architects working in operational roles, as well as researchers exploring emerging threats and defensive techniques. IT managers and security leaders benefit from exposure to practitioner perspectives and emerging technical trends. Students and career changers gain insight into the breadth of security specialisations and the practical skills valued by employers.
Organisations represented typically span private enterprise, government agencies, academic institutions and independent consultancies. This diversity creates networking value beyond any single presentation, connecting participants across sectors that face common security challenges despite different operational contexts.
Supporting Organisations
BSides Tallinn 2026 receives support from organisations including Clarified Security, Riigi Infosüsteemi Amet, Practical DevSecOps, Swedbank, Bolt, Entain, Phishtriage, Dynatrace, Shelldot/Tuoni and Zone.ee. The involvement of Estonia’s national information systems authority alongside private sector technology and financial services companies reflects the event’s relevance across public and commercial security contexts.