If you work in cybersecurity, cloud engineering, DevOps, or infrastructure security, you already know the problem:
Most conferences talk about security -
very few help you practice it.
CSA XCON 2026 is built differently.
Hosted by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Uttarakhand Chapter, this international cybersecurity conference is returning to Dehradun, India after more than a decade - and it’s shaping up to be one of the most technically grounded security events in South Asia.
Instead of vendor-heavy booths and surface-level talks, CSA XCON focuses on:
Hands-on technical training
Real-world attack and defense labs
Deep cloud, infrastructure, and application security
National cyber resilience and policy conversations
Practitioner-to-practitioner learning
📍 Himalayan Cultural Center, Dehradun
📅 11–14 March 2026
If you’re a security engineer, red teamer, cloud architect, SOC analyst, DevSecOps practitioner, or cybersecurity student - this is the kind of event that actually changes how you work.
Why CSA XCON 2026 Matters for Builders and Security Engineers
Cybersecurity today isn’t just about protecting servers. It impacts:
Cloud-native infrastructure
CI/CD pipelines
AI systems and data pipelines
Critical infrastructure
Telecom networks
Healthcare systems
National digital trust
Yet most conferences still focus on tools instead of techniques, and slides instead of skills.
CSA XCON is built around operational security - what defenders and attackers actually deal with in production environments.
The event is designed to answer questions like:
How do attackers exploit modern cloud misconfigurations?
What does real-world incident response look like under pressure?
How do organizations move from compliance-driven security to resilience-driven defense?
How do we secure infrastructure at scale without slowing innovation?
That’s why the event attracts:
Cloud & DevSecOps engineers
Penetration testers and red teamers
SOC analysts and blue teamers
CISOs and security architects
Startup founders and security researchers
Students entering the cybersecurity field
Meet the Security Practitioners Shaping CSA XCON 2026
One of the strongest aspects of CSA XCON 2026 is its speaker lineup - people actively working in offensive security, governance, infrastructure defense, cloud security, and security research.
Here are some of the speakers already announced:
🔹 Satendra Singh Khari
A cybersecurity consultant known for offensive security, vulnerability research, and hardware security. Satendra brings real-world attacker perspectives that help organizations understand how systems fail - and how to harden them effectively.
🔹 Vinod Kumar Shrimali
Specializing in telecom security, network penetration testing, and cloud infrastructure defense, Vinod’s sessions are highly relevant in today’s 5G, edge computing, and hybrid cloud environments.
🔹 Naveen Pal
With hands-on experience in incident response and enterprise cyber operations, Naveen focuses on breach response workflows, threat detection strategies, and modern defense architectures.
🔹 Christopher Dio Chavez
A cybersecurity researcher working in threat analysis and security automation. Christopher brings a global research-driven perspective on how automation and intelligence improve cyber defense.
🔹 Oluwananumi Dawodu
Operating at the intersection of digital development, platform security, and scalable infrastructure, Oluwananumi explores how security evolves as systems grow across borders and industries.
🔹 Ahmad AlOmran
With more than two decades of experience in IT leadership, governance, and compliance, Ahmad brings deep insight into aligning cybersecurity operations with regulatory and enterprise risk frameworks.
🔹 Dhruv Bisani
Founder at Stratex Labs, Dhruv represents the startup and innovation side of cybersecurity - bridging research, product development, and real-world deployment of security technologies.
🔹 Venugopal Parameswara
An expert in IT security transformation, Venugopal focuses on building mature, scalable security programs across large enterprises.
🔹 Kush Kaushik
Known for infrastructure security and enterprise defense frameworks, Kush brings practical approaches to risk modeling and systems hardening.
🔹 Nilesh Sharma
A Principal Product Manager in security strategy, Nilesh connects cybersecurity engineering with secure software development lifecycles and product security thinking.
This mix of builders, strategists, researchers, and practitioners ensures CSA XCON is not just theoretical - it’s grounded in production realities.
How CSA XCON 2026 Is Structured
CSA XCON is divided into two core phases, each designed for different types of learning.
🔧 Phase 1: Hands-On Trainings & Hackathons (11–12 March)
The first two days are focused on practical cybersecurity skills, including:
Offensive security techniques
Cloud security labs
Hardware & IoT exploitation
Threat intelligence workflows
Real-world incident response simulations
Emerging attack techniques
Instead of watching slides, participants engage in:
Live exploitation environments
Guided labs
Skill-based workshops
Competitive hackathons
This structure is especially valuable for:
Security engineers upgrading hands-on skills
Red teamers practicing exploitation chains
Students building real-world experience
Cloud engineers learning threat modeling
Blue teamers strengthening detection workflows
🎤 Phase 2: Main Conference (13–14 March)
The main conference days focus on deep technical insight and strategic cybersecurity thinking, including:
High-impact keynote sessions
Advanced technical talks
Policy and governance discussions
Security leadership panels
Core topics include:
Ethical hacking and penetration testing
Cloud and application security
Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)
Threat intelligence and cyber defense
AI security and emerging technologies
National cybersecurity strategy
Instead of tool demos, sessions focus on systems thinking, defense architecture, and long-term resilience.
Why Dehradun Is the Right Location for This Conference
Hosting CSA XCON 2026 in Dehradun, Uttarakhand is strategic.
The region is emerging as:
An education hub
A growing technology ecosystem
A destination for innovation beyond metro cities
Bringing a global cybersecurity conference here:
Expands access for regional talent
Connects students with international experts
Decentralizes India’s cybersecurity ecosystem
Supports national digital security initiatives
CSA XCON positions Uttarakhand as a growing contributor to India’s cybersecurity workforce and innovation pipeline.
Who Should Attend CSA XCON 2026?
This event is ideal if you’re:
A security engineer, cloud engineer, or DevSecOps practitioner
A penetration tester, SOC analyst, or red/blue teamer
A student entering cybersecurity or cloud security
A startup founder building secure platforms
A CISO, CTO, or IT leader
A researcher or policy professional working in digital security
Whether you’re hands-on technical or strategic leadership - CSA XCON offers depth instead of surface-level marketing content.
Why CSA XCON Is Becoming a Global Cybersecurity Platform
CSA XCON is evolving into more than a conference - it’s becoming a global cybersecurity collaboration platform.
It enables:
Cross-border cybersecurity knowledge exchange
Collaboration between government, academia, and industry
Practical innovation driven by real-world threats
Policy-aligned security discussions
Skills development at scale
As cyber threats increasingly transcend borders, events like CSA XCON help build the collective resilience needed to defend digital systems globally.
Final Thoughts
Cybersecurity today isn’t about reacting faster - it’s about building adaptive systems, resilient architectures, and secure digital ecosystems.
CSA XCON 2026 delivers:
Global expertise
Real-world hands-on training
Deep technical knowledge
Policy relevance
Community-driven learning
With speakers like Satendra Singh Khari, Vinod Kumar Shrimali, Naveen Pal, Christopher Dio Chavez, Oluwananumi Dawodu, Ahmad AlOmran, Dhruv Bisani, Venugopal Parameswara, Kush Kaushik, and Nilesh Sharma, this event represents one of India’s most technically meaningful cybersecurity gatherings of 2026.
📍 Location: Himalayan Cultural Center, Dehradun
📅 Dates: 11–14 March 2026
If you build, defend, scale, or secure digital systems - CSA XCON 2026 is worth your calendar.
Top comments (4)
This looks like an amazing hands-on cybersecurity event — love the focus on real-world skills, labs, and practitioner-driven learning instead of just talks. CSA XCON 2026 is shaping up to be a must-attend for builders, defenders, and security enthusiasts.
Thank you so much! 🙌 Really glad the hands-on focus resonated with you - that’s exactly what we’re aiming to deliver at CSA XCON 2026. Hope to see you there! 🚀
Thanks for the info @abhay_negi_3025afed85d9a4
It looks amazing. Will surely share this!
Thank you so much, Shivakshi! 😊 Really appreciate the support - glad you found it helpful, and thanks a lot for sharing! 🚀