Conference Description
Key Takeaways
- Two-day community-driven cybersecurity conference in Ottawa covering offensive and defensive security, threat hunting, malware analysis, and OT/ICS security
- Hands-on activities include Capture The Flag competitions, escape rooms, tabletop exercises, and interactive villages such as lockpicking
- Designed for security professionals, researchers, students, government employees, and policy makers across all experience levels
- Sponsors include Palo Alto Networks, Google Cloud, KPMG, SANS Technology Institute, Communications Security Establishment, and Bank of Canada
About BSides Ottawa
BSides Ottawa 2026 is a grassroots cybersecurity conference held at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre. The two-day event combines keynote sessions, technical tracks, and interactive villages with practical challenges designed to develop hands-on security skills. Unlike vendor-focused conferences, BSides Ottawa prioritizes knowledge sharing and collaboration among practitioners, researchers, and students.
Technical Focus Areas
The conference programme spans offensive and defensive cybersecurity, with dedicated content on threat hunting, malware analysis, embedded systems, and OT/ICS security. Cloud security, digital sovereignty, and cyber resilience feature alongside policy discussions that connect technical practice with governance frameworks. Application security and practical security tooling round out the technical tracks.
Hands-On Activities
Attendees can participate in Capture The Flag competitions, escape rooms, and tabletop exercises. Interactive villages offer practical experiences including lockpicking. A career village provides networking opportunities for job seekers and hiring managers, supporting recruitment across government, private sector, and academic organizations.
Who Should Attend
BSides Ottawa serves security analysts, penetration testers, SOC analysts, CISOs, security researchers, IT managers, and policy advisors. The conference welcomes attendees from entry-level through senior and executive roles. Government professionals, academic researchers, and non-profit practitioners will find relevant content alongside private sector attendees seeking to stay current with evolving threats and develop practical skills.