BSides Ottawa2026
A grassroots cybersecurity conference built for the people who break things, defend things, research things, question things, and occasionally wonder who controls the stack in the first place.
- When
- November 19–20, 2026
- Where
- Ottawa Conference & Event Centre
- Early bird
- Ends October 25
The Policy Village.
Neutral, non-partisan ground where cybersecurity practitioners and Canadian policymakers meet as people — honest panels, a mock committee hearing, and the Chatham House Rule. The Policy Village CFP is now open — pitch a talk, a panel, or a voice for the hearing.
Operation
Northstorm.
The BSides Ottawa 2026 CTF is rolling in over the capital. Read the briefing, sharpen your tools, and be ready when the first flag drops.
> storm_status: building
Save Your Seat.
Tickets for BSides Ottawa 2026 are on sale now. Join us November 19–20 for two days of talks, villages, hands-on activities, challenges and cybersecurity community in the National Capital Region.
Show up curious.
Leave levelled up.
November 19–20 is two full days of talks, hands-on villages, challenges and the hallway conversations that turn into jobs, collaborations and friendships. Plan your route through it.
View The Agenda ↗Main Stage
Keynotes and headline talks from people who run security at national scale, hunt threat actors for a living and build the programs everyone else copies. Get the big-picture view of where the threat landscape is heading.
- Mike HolcombKeynote speaker
- Bryson TanUnit 42, Palo Alto Networks
- Joanna MurphyShared Services Canada
- Amy YeeC3SA
Go deep
Parallel tracks of research, tooling, offence, defence and policy. Pick the talks that match the work on your desk and walk out with techniques you can try on Monday morning.
VillagesGet hands-on
Lockpicking, embedded systems, malware, defence, policy and careers. Drop in, sit down, touch the thing, and pick up a skill you didn't have that morning.
Things to doPlay to win
Operation Northstorm CTF, the cyber escape room and an interactive tabletop exercise. Go solo or bring a team, and come away with flags, bragging rights and instincts tested under pressure.
The hallway track
Researchers, students, defenders, government folks and hiring managers, all in one building and happy to talk shop. Leave with a pocket full of contacts, and maybe your next job.
Loot the floor
Conference swag, sponsor tables and stickers to trade. Bring an empty bag and a laptop lid with room to spare, and take home proof you were there.
$ ./debrief --after bsides-ottawa-2026
- Saw the research everyone will be talking about next year
- Picked your first (or fiftieth) lock
- Captured a flag under pressure
- Got career advice from people who have hired for the role
- Swapped notes with the person working on your exact problem
- Found a community to come back to every year
$
Every session, workshop and village slot lives on the agenda. Build your schedule before you arrive.
BSides is made out of people.
BSides Ottawa is a grassroots-driven cybersecurity unconference powered by volunteers. It's an open, inclusive place for researchers, practitioners, students, government professionals, defenders, breakers, builders and curious people to exchange ideas without needing a giant expo hall or a corporate sales pitch.
Come teach something. Come learn something. Come meet the person whose weirdly specific research interest overlaps with yours.
Explore The Villages.
Don't spend the whole conference sitting in a chair. Build something, break something, solve something or learn a skill you weren't expecting to learn.
Community Doesn't Self-Compile.
BSides Ottawa exists because people contribute time, expertise, resources and support. There are plenty of ways to get involved.
Help Keep BSides Awesome.
Sponsorship helps us create an accessible, community-driven event without losing the character that makes BSides worth showing up for.
Become Part Of The Crew.
BSides Ottawa is powered by volunteers. If you'd rather help build the conference than simply attend it, there is room for you here.
BSides Is Not Once A Year.
The conference is the big gathering. The community keeps running the rest of the year.
Show Up.
Say Hello.
BSides Ottawa Meetups are volunteer-driven gatherings for learning, discussion and meeting other people in the cybersecurity community.
Student, researcher, government professional, industry veteran, career-changer or curious newcomer: you're welcome.
How To
Get Here.
No VPN required. BSides Ottawa takes place at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre.
Ottawa Conference
& Event Centre
200 Coventry Road
Ottawa, ON K1K 4S3