A year can pass quickly at the best of times, but after another landmark year in cybersecurity we already find ourselves in October once again. That means it's time for ISC2 Security Congress. Next week attendees will head to the stunning Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN, for three days of Congress from October 25-27, along with two days of add-on pre-conference workshops available on October 23-24. As with last year, ISC2 Security Congress is also available as a live and on-demand virtual event.

The headline theme of this year’s Congress is Lead with Confidence, with content appealing to three distinct but related audiences: those who are already leaders and want to strengthen their leadership; and those who are yet to reach a position of leadership but have their sights on rising to the top in years to come, along with those taking their first steps into a cybersecurity career and professional development.

Nine themes and over 100 sessions

Each of the sessions of the week sits under one of nine headings: career development; cloud security; cyber leadership; diversity, equity and inclusion; emerging technologies; governance, risk and compliance (“GRC”); network security; security operations; and software security. On top there are over a dozen opportunities to network with peers and other delegates to help fill your book of cyber contacts.

The Monday and Tuesday before Congress itself are dedicated to pre-conference workshops, covering material that’s specific to ISC2 certifications (including two-day CCSP, CGRC and CISSP readiness sessions) and more general subjects around how to conduct table-top exercises, contract management, board security awareness and women in cyber.

Setting the agenda

Congress kicks off on Wednesday October 25th with a bang. The opening keynote will come from Andy Greenberg – WIRED journalist and author of Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency – who will describe what’s reputed to be the biggest successful Dark Web investigation so far. The afternoon’s keynote speaks to the subject at the front of everyone’s mind right now: Artificial Intelligence – specifically how to do it responsibly and ethically. Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, Harvard Fellow and former director of AI Ethics at Twitter will take delegates on a deep dive into the world of ethical AI. Through the day delegates will be part of a variety of workshops including Your Path to CISO, Crafting Your Career with Certifications and Levelling Up to Management, and learning streams cover topics including Public Key Infrastructure, dealing with shadow data and how to communicate cyber risks within the business.

Dr. Nita Farahany, a renowned specialist in the field of the ethical, legal and social implications of up-coming tech, opens proceedings on Thursday with a keynote entitled Technology That Reads Minds – Motivation, Not Regulation in the Workplace. From there, delegates have 73 sessions to choose from across the day, including: leadership sessions on top-down security culture, collaborative response planning and challenges to the cyber workforce; GRC-focused discussions on machine learning in GRC, a reality check on cyber insurance and tips on how to grow your cyber budget; along with software-focused topics including endpoint security and how bad actors see your applications.

As we head into day three on Friday, the depth and range of sessions does not ease up, with the opening keynote from British social engineering specialist Jenny Radcliffe. Her session is: Social Engineering, Culture and Coincidence: “People Hacks” are Getting Personal and What You Can do to Stop Them. Radcliffe has gained legend status for her physical security testing, as described in her autobiographical book People Hacker. The morning continues with a range of sessions across the nine core subject areas including: cloud security (cloud-agnostic microsegmentation); GRC (personal data as an economic asset); and emerging technologies (ChatGPT as a defensive security tool).

ISC2 Security Congress 2023 is set to be an intensive, busy, fast-moving event (both for those joining virtually and in-person in Nashville) but one that will be informative, educational and above all rewarding (with CPE credits for members attending virtual and in-person sessions). The agenda is packed with a total of 184 items, from light-hearted introductions through LinkedIn-expanding networking opportunities right up to keynotes by world-leading, globally renowned leaders in the cyber industry. We look forward to seeing you in Nashville and online next week.