SANS Cyber Defense Initiative 2025 Presents: Community Night, An Exclusive Experience

You're invited to join an evening of complimentary food, beverages, and networking with fellow SANS Community

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Join Us for SANS Community Night

You're invited to the industry's most powerful gathering of cybersecurity professionals. This invite-only, all-access celebration will be filled with networking, food, drinks, and buzzing expert discussions!

Engage with world-renowned instructors, curate new connections, and strengthen your cyber community.

PLUS - stay for an exclusive SANS @Night talk or workshop following the reception:

When: Sunday, December 14th

Where: Washington Hilton 1919 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C. 20009 Phone: 202-483-3000

Schedule

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Networking Reception

Light bites and beverages included

Sunday, December 14, 202505:30PM - 06:30PM EST

SANS @Night Talk 1: How I've Changed the Way I Use AI in 2025

AT CAPACITY

I've been a heavy user of AI since the beginning, but the way that I use AI has recently shifted. In this fast-paced, fun talk, we'll cover the top ways that I've improved my efficiency and productivity by changing the way I interact with AI in 2025 and into 2026.

Sunday, December 14, 202506:45PM - 07:45PM EST

Presented by

Matt Edmondson

Senior Instructor

SANS @Night Workshop: USB Trust Issues: Program a $4 Microcontroller to Own Your Systems

AT CAPACITY

This hands-on workshop provides both practical experience and free hardware. Participants will receive a microcontroller and learn how to program it for USB Human Interface Device (HID) attacks. These attacks bypass standard security controls by impersonating trusted peripherals such as keyboards or mice. We’ll explore how inexpensive microcontrollers—available for as little as $4—have dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for such attacks. By the end of the session, you’ll know how to configure the provided device to function as a malicious keyboard or as a simple “mouse jiggler.”

* Requirements: Attendees must bring a laptop (with a USB-A port or a USB-C to USB-A adapter).

Sunday, December 14, 202506:45PM - 08:15PM EST

Presented by

Monta Elkins

Principal Instructor

SANS @Night Talk 2: A Current Look at the Threat Landscape, and How AI Plays a Role

AT CAPACITY

In this talk we will look at the most recent attack techniques, targets, and trends. This includes understanding what kind of malware and illicit access items are available on the dark web for sale and how it can be the first sign of a breach, social engineering attacks, and the latest on 0-day and n-day vulnerability research. Artificial Intelligence is an aggressively growing area where we can both use the technology as an attack aid to help us to be more effective in our attacks (Offensive AI), as well as the new attack surface that comes with the technology (Adversarial AI), such as attacking chatbots and LLM’s.

Sunday, December 14, 202507:45PM - 08:45PM EST

Presented by

Stephen Sims

Fellow

Meet the Speakers

Matt Edmondson

Founder

Matt Edmondson, Senior SANS Instructor, STI faculty, and Founder of Argelius Labs, authored SEC497 and SEC587. A DHS veteran with 11 GIAC certifications and OSCP, he draws on 20 years of investigations to deliver accessible, real-world OSINT training.

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Monta Elkins

Hacker-in-Chief

Monta Elkins is currently "Hacker-in-Chief" for FoxGuard Solutions, an ICS patch provider. A security researcher and consultant; he was formerly Security Architect for Rackspace, and the first ISO for Radford University.

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Stephen Sims

Research Fellow

Stephen Sims, an esteemed vulnerability researcher and exploit developer, has significantly advanced cybersecurity by authoring SANS's most advanced courses and co-authoring the "Gray Hat Hacking" series.

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SEC595: Applied Data Science and AI/Machine Learning for Cybersecurity Professionals

SANS Cyber Defense Initiative 2025 Presents: Community Night, An Exclusive Experience

Join Us for SANS Community Night

Schedule

Networking Reception

SANS @Night Talk 1: How I've Changed the Way I Use AI in 2025

SANS @Night Workshop: USB Trust Issues: Program a $4 Microcontroller to Own Your Systems

SANS @Night Talk 2: A Current Look at the Threat Landscape, and How AI Plays a Role

Meet the Speakers

Matt Edmondson

Monta Elkins

Stephen Sims

Networking Reception

SANS @Night Talk 1: How I've Changed the Way I Use AI in 2025

SANS @Night Workshop: USB Trust Issues: Program a $4 Microcontroller to Own Your Systems

SANS @Night Talk 2: A Current Look at the Threat Landscape, and How AI Plays a Role