Cybersecurity Conference for Engineers 'Hack Fes. 2026' Announces First Program Lineup
The Japan Hackers Association announced the first program lineup for 'Hack Fes. 2026,' an in-person event for security engineers, to be held on July 18, 2026, at Akihabara UDX. Advance tickets go on sale from May 13 via Peatix. This year's theme is 'Hackers and Cyber Defense,' discussing the latest threats and countermeasures including AI and quantum technology.
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- 📰 Published: May 13, 2026 at 21:00
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The Japan Hackers Association (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takayuki Sugiura) will host "Hack Fes. 2026," an in-person-only event for security engineers, at Akihabara UDX on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
Prior to the event, we are pleased to announce the first program lineup and the start of advance ticket sales via Peatix (※) from May 13.
※Peatix: https://hackfes2026.peatix.com/
Hack Fes. 2026
■What is Hack Fes.?
Hack Fes. is an in-person-only event for security engineers, which started in 2023. It does not offer online streaming, emphasizing the unique energy and value of direct interaction that can only be experienced on-site.
As the name "Fes." (Festival) suggests, it is not a rigid study session but aims to share the "excitement" and "fun" of many people gathering, with the concept of creating a festival together with participants. Beyond learning specialized knowledge and honing skills, it seeks to foster a cross-industry community that stimulates participants' curiosity.
■The main theme for 2026 is "Hackers and Cyber Defense"
With the rapid advancement of digitalization, the threat of cyberattacks has spread to businesses and social infrastructure, making the strengthening of defense capabilities an urgent issue. Last year, the Cyber Response Capability Enhancement Act and its related maintenance act were enacted and promulgated, and discussions for realizing active cyber defense have begun in earnest.
In this situation, cyber defense is not just an issue for specialists but has become an important knowledge domain for a wide range of personnel, including organizational security managers and application developers. This year, experts from various fields, including security researchers, engineers, academia, and defense officials, will take the stage to share insights from both offensive and defensive perspectives.
■First Program Lineup
Lectures
'Current and Future State of Offense and Defense in Cyberspace: Lessons from the Iran War'
Takemichi Saito (Director, Meiji University Cybersecurity Research Institute)
'Offense and Defense of Space Systems: Space Cybersecurity through Case Analysis and Simulation'
Koichi Toriumi (@Consejo_dei_X)
'Cyber Defense in the Age of AI Exploits: A Current Hacker's Perspective on the Forefront of AI-driven 0-day Discovery and the Defender's Survival of the Fittest'
Tomoki Tsuji (@satoki00: Ikotas Labs)
'Threats to Cryptography from Quantum Technology and the Potential of Quantum-Resistant Cryptosystems'
Akihiro Tomita (Principal Researcher, NICT: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology)
'The Phenomenon of Fake News Spread and Its Countermeasures'
Kazutoshi Sasahara (Professor, Tokyo Institute of Science and Technology)
'Risks Inherent in "Cyber Defense": Practical Examples of Criminal Defense Regarding the Creation of Mock Specimens'
Kei Hirano (Director, Denyo Law Office)
Workshops
'Tokumaru Book Update 2026'
Hiroshi Tokumaru (@ockeghem)
'Introduction to Bug Hunting in the AI Era ~The Path to Becoming a Bug Hunter with AI Agents~'
Yuta Morioka (@scgajge12)
Sponsor Sessions
VLC Security Lab Inc.
'The Day AI Agents Become "Customers" — The Advent of the BtoAI Economy and Defense Design CISO Should Undertake'
Amamiya Co., Ltd.
'Why Do Ransomware Infections Persist? — Not Just Vulnerabilities, But the Blind Spot of Misconfigurations'
Eltes Co., Ltd.
'"Intentional" or "Accidental"? The Blind Spot of Internal Threats, as Sophisticated as Cyberattacks'
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
'AI Changed the Balance of Offense and Defense — New Attack Surfaces Created by Generative AI and MCP, Zero-Day Countermeasures, and an AI CTF Demo'
Future Secure Wave Inc.
'Malware Hide-and-Seek — No Alerts Isn't Always a Good Thing...'
Nippon Engineering College / Nippon Engineering College Hachioji
'To Students Who Want Jobs Society Demands: "That's a Cybersecurity Job!"'
Broadband Security Inc.
'Converting Attacks into Defense — What I Saw Beyond the AI Defense Pipeline in the Frontier LLM Era: "Broken Proposals"'
MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.
'After an Incident Occurs, What, When, and How Much to Disclose? — The Optimal Solution for Information Disclosure Beyond Just "Disclosing Immediately" ~Honest Talk from Industry Frontline Players~'
■Call for Papers (CFP) is also underway! Deadline is May 31
Hack Fes. 2026 is seeking speakers on themes related to "Cybersecurity."
Prior to the event, we are pleased to announce the first program lineup and the start of advance ticket sales via Peatix (※) from May 13.
※Peatix: https://hackfes2026.peatix.com/
Hack Fes. 2026
■What is Hack Fes.?
Hack Fes. is an in-person-only event for security engineers, which started in 2023. It does not offer online streaming, emphasizing the unique energy and value of direct interaction that can only be experienced on-site.
As the name "Fes." (Festival) suggests, it is not a rigid study session but aims to share the "excitement" and "fun" of many people gathering, with the concept of creating a festival together with participants. Beyond learning specialized knowledge and honing skills, it seeks to foster a cross-industry community that stimulates participants' curiosity.
■The main theme for 2026 is "Hackers and Cyber Defense"
With the rapid advancement of digitalization, the threat of cyberattacks has spread to businesses and social infrastructure, making the strengthening of defense capabilities an urgent issue. Last year, the Cyber Response Capability Enhancement Act and its related maintenance act were enacted and promulgated, and discussions for realizing active cyber defense have begun in earnest.
In this situation, cyber defense is not just an issue for specialists but has become an important knowledge domain for a wide range of personnel, including organizational security managers and application developers. This year, experts from various fields, including security researchers, engineers, academia, and defense officials, will take the stage to share insights from both offensive and defensive perspectives.
■First Program Lineup
Lectures
'Current and Future State of Offense and Defense in Cyberspace: Lessons from the Iran War'
Takemichi Saito (Director, Meiji University Cybersecurity Research Institute)
'Offense and Defense of Space Systems: Space Cybersecurity through Case Analysis and Simulation'
Koichi Toriumi (@Consejo_dei_X)
'Cyber Defense in the Age of AI Exploits: A Current Hacker's Perspective on the Forefront of AI-driven 0-day Discovery and the Defender's Survival of the Fittest'
Tomoki Tsuji (@satoki00: Ikotas Labs)
'Threats to Cryptography from Quantum Technology and the Potential of Quantum-Resistant Cryptosystems'
Akihiro Tomita (Principal Researcher, NICT: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology)
'The Phenomenon of Fake News Spread and Its Countermeasures'
Kazutoshi Sasahara (Professor, Tokyo Institute of Science and Technology)
'Risks Inherent in "Cyber Defense": Practical Examples of Criminal Defense Regarding the Creation of Mock Specimens'
Kei Hirano (Director, Denyo Law Office)
Workshops
'Tokumaru Book Update 2026'
Hiroshi Tokumaru (@ockeghem)
'Introduction to Bug Hunting in the AI Era ~The Path to Becoming a Bug Hunter with AI Agents~'
Yuta Morioka (@scgajge12)
Sponsor Sessions
VLC Security Lab Inc.
'The Day AI Agents Become "Customers" — The Advent of the BtoAI Economy and Defense Design CISO Should Undertake'
Amamiya Co., Ltd.
'Why Do Ransomware Infections Persist? — Not Just Vulnerabilities, But the Blind Spot of Misconfigurations'
Eltes Co., Ltd.
'"Intentional" or "Accidental"? The Blind Spot of Internal Threats, as Sophisticated as Cyberattacks'
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
'AI Changed the Balance of Offense and Defense — New Attack Surfaces Created by Generative AI and MCP, Zero-Day Countermeasures, and an AI CTF Demo'
Future Secure Wave Inc.
'Malware Hide-and-Seek — No Alerts Isn't Always a Good Thing...'
Nippon Engineering College / Nippon Engineering College Hachioji
'To Students Who Want Jobs Society Demands: "That's a Cybersecurity Job!"'
Broadband Security Inc.
'Converting Attacks into Defense — What I Saw Beyond the AI Defense Pipeline in the Frontier LLM Era: "Broken Proposals"'
MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.
'After an Incident Occurs, What, When, and How Much to Disclose? — The Optimal Solution for Information Disclosure Beyond Just "Disclosing Immediately" ~Honest Talk from Industry Frontline Players~'
■Call for Papers (CFP) is also underway! Deadline is May 31
Hack Fes. 2026 is seeking speakers on themes related to "Cybersecurity."