CSA XCON 2026: India’s Premier Cybersecurity Conference Bringing Global Experts to Dehradun
Cybersecurity has become the backbone of modern life—from cloud-first businesses and fintech to national infrastructure and AI-driven services. As threats grow more sophisticated and interconnected, resilient security engineering is no longer optional; it’s mission-critical.
Set for 11–14 March 2026 at the Himalayan Cultural Center in Dehradun, CSA XCON 2026—organized by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Uttarakhand Chapter—returns to the region after more than a decade. The event positions Uttarakhand as a fast-rising hub for world-class security talent, strategy, and innovation.
What Sets CSA XCON 2026 Apart
Rather than a passive, lecture-heavy format, XCON is built for hands-on learning, real-world relevance, and strategic clarity. It brings together government stakeholders, CISOs, practitioners, researchers, startups, and students to solve today’s toughest security problems.
Why it matters now
- Misconfigured cloud assets keep exposing sensitive data.
- Software supply chains are being subverted at scale.
- AI-enhanced social engineering and malware outpace legacy defenses.
- Geopolitical cyber activity targets critical services and governance.
XCON zeroes in on proactive resilience with a program built around:
- Attack simulation and adversarial tradecraft
- Defense engineering and detection at scale
- Cloud, application, and data security
- Governance, risk, and compliance (GRC)
- Threat intelligence and SecOps
- Future-tech horizons and emerging risks
Speakers Shaping the Agenda
- Satendra Singh Khari — Offensive security and vulnerability research specialist, focusing on uncovering systemic weaknesses before attackers do.
- Vinod Kumar Shrimali — Telecom and cloud security expert addressing the realities of 5G, hybrid environments, and perimeterless networks.
- Naveen Pal — Incident responder and enterprise defender distilling frontline breach lessons into practical defensive playbooks.
- Christopher Dio Chavez — Researcher bridging threat intel, automation, and detection engineering to scale modern security operations.
- Oluwananumi Dawodu — Advocate for secure-by-design principles in fast-growing digital platforms and ecosystems.
- Ahmad AlOmran — Veteran of IT governance and audit, aligning cybersecurity with regulation, risk, and organizational resilience.
- Dhruv Bisani — Startup and product leader translating frontier research into deployable enterprise security solutions.
- Venugopal Parameswara — Transformation lead helping organizations adopt zero-trust, identity-first, cloud-native architectures.
- Kush Kaushik — Infrastructure security practitioner focused on hardening, exposure management, and operational risk reduction.
- Nilesh Sharma — Product strategist integrating security directly into software lifecycles and engineering culture.
Program Overview
Phase 1: Trainings & Hackathons (11–12 March)
- Red-team labs and adversary emulation
- Cloud and application hardening exercises
- Hardware/IoT exploitation scenarios
- Threat intel pipelines and enrichment
- Incident response drills and tabletop simulations
- Live competitions and collaborative hackathons
These immersive sessions emphasize practical tooling, real-world environments, and the mindset needed to outpace attackers.
Phase 2: Main Conference (13–14 March)
- Keynotes from global leaders in security strategy and operations
- Deep-dive technical talks and battle-tested case studies
- Panels on emerging threats and AI in defense
- Strategy forums on GRC and executive risk alignment
- Discussions on national cyber resilience and digital policy
Core themes include ethical hacking, cloud-native security, application defense, intelligence-led SecOps, AI for security, and future-ready frameworks.
Why Dehradun—and Why Now
Dehradun’s selection underscores how India’s tech gravity is expanding beyond legacy metro hubs. Hosting XCON here aims to:
- Bring global expertise to a growing innovation corridor
- Open doors for students and professionals outside traditional centers
- Strengthen India’s cybersecurity workforce pipeline
- Elevate Uttarakhand as a destination for digital security leadership
The Himalayan Cultural Center provides the scale, facilities, and collaborative atmosphere needed for a high-impact international tech gathering.
Who Should Attend
- Security engineers, analysts, and architects
- Cloud, platform, and DevSecOps teams
- CISOs, CTOs, and technology leaders
- Policy, risk, and compliance professionals
- Researchers, academics, and educators
- Startup founders and product builders
- Students pursuing cybersecurity careers
A Forum with Global Reach
CSA XCON is evolving into a collaborative arena for strategy, skills, and standards. With international participation, the event enables:
- Cross-border knowledge sharing and mentorship
- Partnerships across government, enterprise, startups, and academia
- Alignment on best practices and interoperable frameworks
- Innovation rooted in operational realities
Key Details
- Dates: 11–14 March 2026
- Venue: Himalayan Cultural Center, Dehradun
- Host: Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Uttarakhand Chapter
In a world where cyber risk is continuous, resilience must be engineered—not improvised. CSA XCON 2026 gathers the minds, methods, and momentum to build that future. Whether you lead strategy, build platforms, respond to incidents, or are just stepping into the field, Dehradun will be the place to sharpen your edge for the year ahead.
