Conference Description
Key Takeaways
- Community-driven hacker conference featuring technical talks, hands-on workshops and a Capture The Flag competition
- Covers cybersecurity, security research, reverse engineering (including IoT) and practical security tools
- Designed for security professionals, ethical hackers, researchers and students at all experience levels
- Family-friendly, inclusive environment welcoming youth attendees with guardians
About Guild Con 2026
Guild Con 2026 is Pittsburgh’s community hacker conference, organized by Hackers Guild Pittsburgh. The day-long in-person gathering brings together security professionals, hackers and enthusiasts for technical education and networking. The conference combines presentations with practical learning opportunities, positioning itself as a platform for sharing security research and techniques within the local cybersecurity community.
Technical Focus and Format
The conference program includes technical talks, hands-on workshops and a Capture The Flag competition. Workshop content covers practical security skills, with IoT reverse engineering among the featured topics. Some presentations may be streamed locally within the venue, though the event operates as an in-person conference rather than a hybrid format.
Core subject areas span cybersecurity fundamentals, hacking techniques, security research methodologies and practical tool usage. The CTF competition provides attendees with opportunities to apply technical skills in a competitive environment.
Who Should Attend
Guild Con targets a broad range of cybersecurity practitioners and learners. The conference welcomes attendees from entry-level to experienced professionals across multiple roles:
- Security engineers and analysts
- Penetration testers
- Security researchers
- IT professionals
- Students pursuing cybersecurity careers
Attendees typically work in information security, technology and academia. The family-friendly policy allows youth to participate when accompanied by guardians, supporting early exposure to cybersecurity concepts and career paths.
Community and Professional Development
The conference addresses common challenges facing security practitioners: staying current with evolving threats and techniques, developing practical skills beyond theoretical knowledge, and building professional networks. Guild Con provides a venue for researchers to share findings and for practitioners to learn directly from peers working on similar problems. The emphasis on hands-on workshops helps bridge the gap between academic understanding and real-world application of security concepts.