SEC536: Adversarial AI - Penetration Testing AI Systems


Kick off your Network Security 2026 experience at the Welcome Reception designed to bring the community together before the week begins. Connect with fellow cybersecurity professionals, SANS faculty, and industry peers as you ease into the event. Share insights, spark conversations around today’s evolving threat landscape, and start building the relationships that will carry through the week. Enjoy refreshing beverages (adult and otherwise) and appetizers as we head into the fantastic week ahead.
In-Person
Kick off the evening by connecting with fellow attendees over drinks and light fare before heading into the exciting keynote presentation. This informal reception is the perfect opportunity to network, share ideas, and build new connections.
In-Person
This talk begins with a brief examination of recent breach data and the growing ecosystem of attacker tooling available through Dark Web marketplaces and Telegram channels, highlighting where OSINT and cyber threat intelligence teams should focus their monitoring efforts.
In-Person & Virtual
Do you understand Active Directory? Your enterprise, just like the entire Fortune 500, depends on it. Come to this talk to learn the most common, over-powered attacks that hackers are using now, learn how to lock these attacks down, and perhaps most important -- learn to detect when attackers are trying. Attackers don't get points for new attacks. Learn what they use, lock it down, and detect it.
In-Person & Virtual
I spent 25 years doing things the hard way. JTAG probes, logic analyzers, hex editors, late nights staring at Ghidra. When AI started creeping into security tooling, I did what any seasoned pentester would do: I crossed my arms and waited for it to prove itself. Then I let go of the wheel.
In-Person & Virtual
Your Incident Response plan is lying to you. Not deliberately—it just hasn't met the incident yet. Steve unpicks the gap between the plan your board signed off and the ransomware incident your team is actually fighting at three in the morning.
In-Person & Virtual
You came here to talk about security. Good news, this talk isn't about that. Here's the thing. It doesn't matter whether you're offense, defense, management, forensics, or something in between. We've all got two things in common. First, we know AI is powerful. Second, we all have investments, and every one of us would like them to do a little better.
In-Person & Virtual
Balancing the scales between safeguarding information assets and enabling business growth demands not just technical acumen but a strategic mindset.
"Cybersecurity Without the Chaos: A Step-by-Step Roadmap" is a presentation tailored to demystify the complexities of cybersecurity risk management, offering actionable insights and practical strategies for CISOs and cybersecurity leaders.
In-Person & Virtual
Registration: All students who register for a 4–6 day course will be eligible to play NetWars for free. Registration for this event will be through your SANS Account Dashboard the week of the event.
About Core NetWars: The most comprehensive of the NetWars ranges, this ultimate multi-disciplinary cyber range powers up the most diverse cyber skills. This range is ideal for advancing your cybersecurity prowess in today's dynamic threat landscape. The winning team and the top five solo players from every Core NetWars tournament throughout the year are offered a chance to compete in the annual SANS Core NetWars Tournament of Champions.
In-Person & Virtual
Registration: All students who register for a 4–6 day course will be eligible to play NetWars for free. Registration for this event will be through your SANS Account Dashboard the week of the event.
About DFIR NetWars: Focused on digital forensics, incident response, threat hunting, and malware analysis, this tool-agnostic approach covers everything from low-level artifacts to high-level behavioral observations.
In-Person & Virtual
The AI bubble is still all the rage these days. Are we slowly starting to see signs of its collapse? This talk will cover the rise of the AI bubble as well as some trending signals of a possible collapse. Demos will be sprinkled throughout the talk.
In-Person & Virtual
Registration: All students who register for a 4–6 day course will be eligible to play NetWars for free. Registration for this event will be through your SANS Account Dashboard the week of the event.
About Core NetWars: The most comprehensive of the NetWars ranges, this ultimate multi-disciplinary cyber range powers up the most diverse cyber skills. This range is ideal for advancing your cybersecurity prowess in today's dynamic threat landscape. The winning team and the top five solo players from every Core NetWars tournament throughout the year are offered a chance to compete in the annual SANS Core NetWars Tournament of Champions.
In-Person & Virtual
Registration: All students who register for a 4–6 day course will be eligible to play NetWars for free. Registration for this event will be through your SANS Account Dashboard the week of the event.
About DFIR NetWars: Focused on digital forensics, incident response, threat hunting, and malware analysis, this tool-agnostic approach covers everything from low-level artifacts to high-level behavioral observations.
In-Person & Virtual