Organised by Eskenzi PR, the tenth annual awards ceremony took place at St Barts Pub in London, bringing together cybersecurity professionals, educators, industry leaders and advocates to recognise those whose work often goes unnoticed.

Unlike many industry awards, the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards are free to enter and attend. The initiative celebrates individuals and teams going above and beyond to protect businesses, communities and individuals, while also championing diversity, wellbeing, education and the next generation of cybersecurity talent.

This year’s event was sponsored by CultureAI, Filigran, OneAdvanced and The Zensory, with additional support from CyberASAP and Pulse Conferences. Media partners included Computer Weekly, Information Security Buzz and IT Security Guru.

Yvonne Eskenzi, Director of Eskenzi PR and Founder of the awards, said: “The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards are all about recognising the incredible people working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our businesses, communities and country safe.

“Cybersecurity can often be a thankless profession, with the dedication and achievements of those working in the industry going largely unnoticed. These awards give us the opportunity to shine a spotlight on those individuals who consistently go above and beyond, while also celebrating the fresh perspectives and diverse talent shaping the future of the industry.

“It was fantastic to bring the cybersecurity community together once again to recognise these remarkable individuals. A huge congratulations to all our nominees and winners!”

Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards 2026: The Winners

This year’s winners represented a broad cross-section of the cybersecurity industry, from frontline security professionals and ethical hackers to educators, content creators and community advocates.

The full list of winners is as follows:

• Cyber Correspondent: Phil Muncaster
• Godfather of Security: Andy James, Founder and CEO of Custodian360
• Godmother of Security: Dr. Emma Philpott, CEO of IASME
• Data Guardian: Peter Slevin, Cyber Engagement Senior Technical Lead at Bank of Ireland
• CISO Supremo: Andrea Litherland, CISO at Domestic & General
• Security Avengers: Revenge Porn Helpline
• Best Educator: Dr. Chidimma Opara, Senior Lecturer in AI at The Manchester Metropolitan University
• Best Ethical Hacker/Pen Tester: Dominic Mortimer, Head of Red Team at WorkNest Secure
• Channel Champion: Olly Carter, Senior Channel Sales Director, EMEA and APJ, at Forescout
• Senior Leader/Mentor: Meera Tamboli, DFIR Analyst at AVEVA
• Cybersecurity Wellbeing Advocate: Nikki Webb, Director at Custodian360
• Best Security Awareness Campaign: Cyber Local, a collaboration involving Cyber Innovations Ltd., Bournemouth University, Cybexer, Dorset Mind, Dorset Chamber and local authority stakeholders
• Diversity Champion: Segan Ebenezer Olaniyan, Information Security Analyst II at Kraken Technologies
• Apprentice/Rising Star: Jordan Daglish, Acumen Cyber
• Cyber Scribe: Dr. Runli Guo, Reducing Blast Radius LinkedIn newsletter
• Voice of Security: Cyber Agony Aunts podcast and Ant Davis, creator of The Awareness Angle
• Best Academic Entrepreneur: Dr. Peter Garraghan, CEO of Mindgard

Winners Highlight the Importance of Community and Collaboration

Among those recognised was Olly Carter of Forescout, who received the Channel Champion Award for his contribution to the cybersecurity channel ecosystem.

Carter said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised with the Channel Champion Award, but the truth is that nobody achieves anything in the channel alone! I’m incredibly fortunate to work alongside such a talented, passionate, and committed team at Forescout, and some truly fantastic partners.

“For me, the channel has always been about people, relationships, trust and working together to achieve something special.”

The Voice of Security Award was jointly awarded to the Cyber Agony Aunts podcast, hosted by Rebecca Taylor and Amelia Hewitt, and cybersecurity content creator Ant Davis.

Taylor and Hewitt said: “Cyber Agony Aunts comes from a very real place for us – it’s all about community, honesty and reminding people that behind the technology, cyber is ultimately about people.

“We’ve had some incredibly open conversations, plenty of laughs and a few tears along the way, so to see the podcast recognised like this is something we’re incredibly proud of. This award belongs just as much to our guests and the community as it does to us.”

Nikki Webb, Director at Custodian360, was recognised as Cybersecurity Wellbeing Advocate for her work supporting people across the industry.

Webb said: “Our industry asks a lot of people, long hours, high pressure, and the weight of protecting others. Looking after the people behind the screens matters just as much as the technology itself, and I’m so proud to see that recognised.”

Recognising Education, Innovation and Awareness

The awards also highlighted the importance of making cybersecurity more accessible through education, awareness and research.

Dr. Chidimma Opara received the Best Educator Award for her contribution to inspiring the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

Reflecting on her win, Opara said: “What makes this award so special is knowing that the work I love doing as an educator is making a meaningful difference in motivating the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

“If my students leave my classroom feeling valued, believing in themselves a little more, and inspired to reach their potential, then I know I am doing something worthwhile.”

Meanwhile, Cyber Local received the Best Security Awareness Campaign Award, recognising a collaborative initiative involving academic institutions, local organisations and cybersecurity specialists.

Emily Rosenorn-Lanng, CEO and Co-Founder of Cyber Innovations Ltd., as well as pioneer of the Cyber Local project, said: “Ours has always been about helping people feel confident and supported when something goes wrong online, so to win Best Security Awareness Initiative, in a category full of such strong work, means a huge amount to me, to the Cyber Innovations team and to everyone who worked on it with us.”

The newly introduced Cyber Scribe category was awarded to Dr. Runli Guo for her LinkedIn newsletter, Reducing Blast Radius, which explores emerging cybersecurity challenges, particularly those associated with agentic AI.

Guo explained: “Agentic AI is quickly becoming the most discussed topic in cybersecurity, yet the associated threats and risks aren’t always fully understood. With the rapid rate of change in this space, CISOs and architects simply don’t have the time to read every update.”

She added that her work focuses on sharing practical insights and hands-on demonstrations to help security professionals understand and reduce the potential impact of emerging threats.

Dr. Peter Garraghan, CEO of AI security company Mindgard, was also recognised with the Best Academic Entrepreneur Award, highlighting the role of academic research and commercial innovation in addressing new cybersecurity challenges.

A Decade of Celebrating Cybersecurity’s Unsung Heroes

The ceremony was hosted by Yvonne Eskenzi and Clive Room, Director of Pulse Conferences, with winners selected by a judging panel comprising representatives from across the cybersecurity industry, academia and media.

This year’s judges included Alex Scroxton of Computer Weekly, Sam Soares of CultureAI, Joe Pettit of Bora, Emma Fadlon of CyberASAP, Beth Maundrill of Infosecurity Magazine, Stuart Coulson of HiddenText and Holly Foxcroft of OneAdvanced, alongside Eskenzi and Room.

The evening also raised £250 for NSPCC Childline through a charity raffle.

Now in its tenth year, the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards continues to recognise the individuals whose contributions extend beyond technical expertise, celebrating mentorship, collaboration, community engagement and the people helping to make cybersecurity a more inclusive and supportive profession.

Further information about the awards is available at www.securityserious.com.

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Filigran has announced the speaker line-up for THREAD, its first annual event for the cyber defence and threat intelligence community, taking place in Paris on 15 October. The free, one-day gathering at Les Jardins de Saint-Dominique will feature speakers from Accenture, Centrica, Thales Group and the FBI. Its programme combines strategic discussions with practical sessions on threat intelligence, exposure management and cyber resilience.

Morning sessions will be followed by afternoon tracks featuring cyber threat intelligence (CTI) and computer emergency response team (CERT) practitioners from Dassault Systèmes, Hermès and Richemont, who will share their experiences and approaches. According to Filigran, the event will focus on hands-on labs and community-led workshops. It builds on the community model behind its open-source platforms, with users contributing connectors, sharing playbooks and helping shape product development.

“Defenders get ahead when they share what they see,” said Samuel Hassine, CEO and co-founder of Filigran. “Public organisations, corporations and practitioners have built OpenCTI and OpenAEV with us from day one. THREAD brings that community into one room to compare what works in the field, and decide together what we build next.”

A “Build Your Own Agent” lab will allow attendees to use the XTM One agent wizard to turn their workflows into AI agents. Tasks will include triaging threat reports and converting intelligence into attack scenarios, demonstrating how agentic AI can support continuous threat exposure management (CTEM).

Filigran will also unveil the beta programme for OpenCRQ, a cyber risk quantification module within its XTM Platform. The platform connects threat intelligence through OpenCTI, exposure validation through OpenAEV and cyber risk quantification through OpenCRQ, with XTM One providing the agentic core.

The programme caters for CTI analysts, security operations teams and red, blue and purple team practitioners. CISOs will be able to join closed-door, off-the-record roundtables organised by industry, alongside strategic sessions covering CTEM, NIS2 and DORA.

Attendees can also discuss Filigran’s product roadmap directly with its teams in a Community Zone. The company publishes its roadmap and allows users to vote on future features.

Places can be requested through the THREAD event website.

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Tines has been announced as the headline sponsor of CSIDES 2026, a community-focused cyber security event taking place at the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare on the 9th October.

Organised by not-for-profit organisation Defend Together CIC, CSIDES aims to make cyber security more accessible to individuals, families, businesses and educators, while inspiring the next generation of cyber professionals.

Tines, an intelligent workflow platform used by security and IT teams, joins a roster of sponsors including 4FOX Security, Consultants Like Us, Punk Security, Darktrace, Utopian Knight, PPRO and IASME.

The event, described by its organisers as the UK’s first not-for-profit cyber security event built by and for a coastal community, will bring together industry experts and local residents for a day of talks, practical workshops and community engagement.

Tackling Cybercrime in Coastal Communities

The event comes amid growing concerns about the impact of cybercrime and fraud on local communities.

According to figures cited by the organisers, 1,728 victims of cybercrime were reported to law enforcement through Report Fraud in the Avon and Somerset region between March 2025 and March 2026, with reported losses exceeding £130,000.

Fraud figures were significantly higher, with 7,803 reports accounting for £57.8 million in losses during the same period.

Against this backdrop, CSIDES aims to equip local residents and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with practical knowledge to protect themselves against online threats, including email scams and cybercriminal activity.

The event will offer accessible, jargon-free advice alongside opportunities for attendees to engage directly with cyber security professionals.

Tines to Deliver Hands-On Automation Workshop

As part of its headline sponsorship, Tines will host an interactive workshop introducing attendees to security automation. The session will guide participants through building their first ‘Tines Story’, demonstrating how automated workflows can help streamline everyday tasks.

Jennifer Cox, Director of Solutions Engineering at Tines, will also deliver the opening welcome address alongside CSIDES co-founders Hazel McPherson and Jess Matthews.

Cox will additionally moderate the event’s Main Stage programme, which will feature speakers including Threat Intelligence Manager Sophia McCall and representatives from the South West Regional Economic and Cyber Crime Unit.

Sessions throughout the day will explore topics ranging from local scams and artificial intelligence to digital wellbeing and bias in security.

Hazel McPherson, Co-Founder of CSIDES, said: “CSIDES exists to open cyber security to everyone, not just those already in the room. We couldn’t do that without the support of organisations like Tines. Tines and our other sponsors are helping us to create a truly inclusive and hands-on event that’s built with the community at its core. We cannot thank them enough.”

Jennifer Cox, Director of Solutions Engineering at Tines, added: “We’re so excited to support CSIDES, an event that not only connects security practitioners but also brings practical security knowledge to the local community. I can’t wait to meet attendees, hear their questions, and help people build their first Tines story at our workshop.”

Making Cyber Security Accessible to Everyone

Beyond its technical sessions, CSIDES seeks to address barriers that can prevent people outside the cyber security industry from accessing reliable advice and support.

Led by local residents, the event is designed to create opportunities for people of all backgrounds to learn about digital safety, connect with experts and explore potential careers in cyber security.

Organisers also hope the community-led approach can provide a model for similar initiatives in coastal communities across the UK.

CSIDES 2026 takes place on Friday, 9 October, at the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare. Last minute tickets can be found here.

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In 2026, the Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP), which is funded by the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and delivered by Innovate UK, celebrates its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, the programme has bridged the gap between academia and industry, accelerating the commercialisation of cutting-edge cyber technologies from inside UK universities. So far, programme alumni have raised well over £75m in follow-on investment, resulting in 45 cyber companies, including 30 spin-out companies formed, four acquisitions and multiple licences to industry. The success of the programme is evident, as DCMS has committed a further £10m over the next four years in additional funding to CyberASAP.

On the 1st October 2026, at the QEII Centre in Westminster, London, government, industry, academia, investors and innovators will come together to celebrate the programme. The anniversary event will showcase CyberASAP’s achievements over the last decade, celebrate the success of its alumni and explore the future of cyber security innovation in the UK. Attendees can look forward to a keynote address by Baroness Gustafsson of Chesterton CBE. Baroness Gustafsson was part of the team who founded Darktrace in 2013 and most recently was Minister of State (Minister for Investment) jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury.

CyberASAP is uniquely positioned within the cyber innovation ecosystem as the UK’s only pre-seed cyber security accelerator dedicated to academics. For ten years, the programme has helped researchers transform cutting-edge cyber security ideas into commercial ventures, enabling innovations with the potential to make the UK safer, more secure and more resilient. At a time when close attention is being paid to digital sovereignty, CyberASAP is critical for growing the next generation of British cyber businesses.

Emma Fadlon, Director of CyberASAP, said “a decade is a significant milestone for any programme, let alone a pre-seed cyber security accelerator. CyberASAP has stood the test of time and delivered some exceptional results, as the statistics show. What’s truly unique about CyberASAP is its ability to give academics the chance to develop and commercialise tech that has the potential to create real change nationally and beyond.”

One pertinent CyberASAP success story is AI security company Mindgard. A spinout from Lancaster University, Mindgard was co-founded by Dr Peter Garraghan and took part in CyberASAP’s Year 6 cohort in 2022. Since graduating from the programme, Mindgard has raised several multi-million-pound and dollar funding rounds, including £3 million in 2023 and $8 million in 2024. Most recently, in August 2026, the company announced that it had closed a $30 million Series A financing led by Album VC, with participation from Karma Ventures and existing investors .406 Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, IQ Capital and Lakestar. According to Mindgard, the Series A followed accelerated deployment of its technology among Fortune 2000 companies and AI innovators across financial services, pharmaceuticals, gaming, digital services, semiconductors and healthcare.

Alumni of CyberASAP remain part of the Innovate UK ecosystem after graduating, benefitting from opportunities, such as mentorship and trips to showcase abroad. This year, for example, six alumni attended RSAC in San Francisco to showcase some of Britain’s most exciting early-stage cyber innovations.

The 10th cohort started the programme in April 2026 and the final 14 teams selected for the final phase of the programme are developing Proofs of Concept to address cyber security in sectors ranging from Critical National Infrastructure to FinTech, AI Security to IoT. In February 2027, the cohort will pitch to investors and industry at its annual Demo Day.

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Nominations are open for the 2026 Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards, celebrating the people working behind the scenes to make the UK safer and better protected from cyber threats. This year’s awards will take place on 20 October at Balfour St Barts in London, bringing together cybersecurity professionals, educators, researchers, journalists and industry leaders during Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

A new Best Academic Entrepreneur category has also been introduced for 2026, recognising academics who have taken cybersecurity research beyond the university environment and turned their ideas into viable businesses. The new category is supported by CyberASAP, the UK Government-backed Cyber Security Academic Start-Up Accelerator Programme, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Over the past decade, CyberASAP alumni have raised £75 million in follow-on investment, resulting in 45 cybersecurity companies as well as multiple acquisitions and technology licences to industry.

Emma Fadlon and Robin Kennedy, Co-Directors of CyberASAP, said: “We’re really excited to be supporting this new award category, highlighting the vital role that academics can play in the cyber innovation ecosystem. Equipping them to commercialise their research and flourish in the market is what our programme is all about.”

European open-source threat management company Filigran has also joined the awards as a sponsor alongside CultureAI, OneAdvanced and The Zensory. Their support enables the awards to remain free both to enter and attend. Filigran develops an extended threat management (XTM) platform designed to help security teams understand relevant threats and continuously validate their defences.

“As a company built around open-source technology and community, Filigran is proud to support the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards and celebrate the individuals whose work, collaboration and expertise make a real difference to cybersecurity every day,” said Cindy Valladeres, Head of Brand, Community, and Communications at Filigran.

Pulse Conferences is also supporting the awards as an event partner, with Director Clive Room joining Eskenzi PR Co-Founder and Director Yvonne Eskenzi to compère the ceremony.

Now in its latest edition, the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards were created to recognise cybersecurity professionals whose contributions can often go unnoticed. Categories span technical security, education, leadership, journalism, diversity, wellbeing and security awareness.

“Cybersecurity is ultimately powered by people. Behind every new defence, disrupted attack and protected organisation are individuals working tirelessly to make the digital world safer,” said Yvonne Eskenzi who is also lead organiser on the event. “Yet, amid the constant focus on new threats and technological innovation, their contributions can too often go unrecognised. The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards shine a much-deserved spotlight on these remarkable people and give us an opportunity to celebrate the passion, commitment and expertise that make the cybersecurity community so special.”

Categories for 2026 include CISO Supremo, Rising Star, Security Mentor, Best Ethical Hacker/Pentester, Data Guardian, Best Educator, Diversity Champion, Cybersecurity Wellbeing Advocate and Channel Champion. Awards will also recognise security teams, awareness campaigns, journalists, bloggers and podcasters.

The judging panel includes representatives from Computer Weekly, Infosecurity Magazine, CultureAI, CyberASAP, OneAdvanced, Pulse Conferences, HiddenText, Bora and Eskenzi PR.

Nominations close at 5pm on 23 September 2026, with nominees, nominators and their guests invited to attend the awards ceremony in London on 20 October.

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CSIDES has unveiled its full agenda for its 2026 cybersecurity community event, with more than 25 industry speakers and a programme of talks, workshops and hands-on activities set to take over Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier.

Returning on 9th October following its inaugural event in 2025, CSIDES aims to make cybersecurity more accessible to the wider public while encouraging more people to consider careers in the industry.

Among those taking to the Main Stage will be threat intelligence manager and award-winning cyber expert Sophia McCall, who will open the event with a session on understanding and managing your personal attack surface.

Ant Davis, founder of Risky Creative and a popular cybersecurity content creator, will explore what security awareness professionals can learn from some of history’s most manipulative cult leaders. Matt Treadwell, also known as “The Cybrarian”, will meanwhile reimagine modern digital infrastructure as a Victorian information network.

The South West Regional Economic and Cyber Crime Unit (SWRECCU) will also join the line-up to discuss the latest online scams and digital trends targeting people in the region, alongside practical advice on how residents can protect themselves.

SWRECCU will additionally host a Cyber Escape Room designed for non-technical attendees, using gamification to make cybersecurity concepts more engaging and accessible.

Elsewhere, an ‘Ask Me Anything’ area will give members of the public the opportunity to put their cybersecurity questions directly to industry professionals.

A dedicated careers track will also feature speakers from across the sector discussing both traditional and unconventional routes into cybersecurity. The sessions will highlight opportunities beyond purely technical positions, demonstrating the range of roles available within the industry.

Several hands-on workshops are scheduled throughout the day. Punk Security will run an introduction to hacking session exploring common vulnerabilities that security testers can overlook, while Wayne May of Scam Survivors will take attendees behind the scenes of efforts to identify and fight online scams.

Lisa de-Laune will also deliver a workshop on building a strong cyber risk control environment.

Cybersecurity training company Immersive will bring a bespoke 90-minute crisis simulator to the Grand Pier, giving attendees an opportunity to experience what happens during a cyber incident.

Hazel McPherson, Co-Founder of CSIDES, said: “CSIDES exists to open up cyber security to everyone, not just those already in the room. Bringing it back to Weston-super-Mare is about giving people real, practical ways to stay safe online and showing that a career in cyber is possible, whatever your starting point.

“It’s inclusive, it’s hands-on, and it’s built with the community at its core.”

Jess Matthews, Co-Founder of CSIDES, added: “We are delighted to bring CSIDES back following the success of our inaugural event in October 2025. While a year has passed, our mission remains the same: to create an inclusive, accessible event for everyone who joins us on the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare.

“It’s the spirit of the community that makes it truly special, and we look forward to welcoming everyone for another inspiring day in this iconic seaside setting.”

The 2026 event is sponsored by Tines, 4FOX Security, Consultants Like Us, Punk Security, PPRO and IASME.

CSIDES will also support local charity Weston Hospicecare, with profits from merchandise sales, a raffle and a game of ‘guess the crab’s birthday’ going towards the hospice, which provides free care for people with life-limiting illnesses and their families across Somerset and North Somerset.

CSIDES 2026 takes place at The Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare, on 9th October 2026. Tickets are on sale now.

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International Cyber Expo has revealed the ten finalists shortlisted for its 2026 Innovation Awards & Trail, with cybersecurity technologies featuring prominently among the products selected by the independent judging panel.

Making its debut at International Cyber Expo following its success at International Security Expo, the Innovation Awards & Trail will showcase technologies addressing some of today’s most pressing cyber and security challenges.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday 29 September during the Networking Drinks Reception at approximately 5.15pm.

Cybersecurity products lead the shortlist

Among the finalists is Reliance Cyber with RADAR, an agentic security operations platform designed to combine Detection-as-Code, AI agents and human security analysts within a managed service.

Also representing the cybersecurity sector is Cairnlytics with Cairn Index. The platform analyses open-source software dependencies and development history to help organisations identify concentration risks and potential weaknesses within their software stacks.

Strand Intelligence has been shortlisted for its Digital Forensics and Incident Response automation platform, which is designed to automate the collection, correlation and analysis of forensic evidence across cloud environments, endpoints and networks.

The three solutions demonstrate some of the different areas where cybersecurity innovation is currently being focused, including AI-assisted security operations, software supply chain visibility and faster incident investigation.

AI features heavily among finalists

Artificial intelligence is a recurring theme across the wider shortlist.

Fivecast‘s OPENSCREEN is an AI-powered due diligence platform that combines traditional screening with online intelligence to uncover hidden risks.

Riskaware‘s HAITTON uses AI to analyse and track narratives across social media and wider information environments, while Securium’s Discover uses AI to identify and track harmful online content across 42 languages.

Audax Global Solutions and Nijta have also been shortlisted for technology focused on protecting privacy within body-worn video. The solution creates a disclosure-ready copy while protecting the biometric identity of non-consenting speakers.

From counter-drone technology to drug detection

The remaining finalists demonstrate the breadth of security innovation being showcased at this year’s awards.

D-Fend Solutions‘ EnforceAir PLUS combines RF-cyber detection and takeover technology with radar detection and optional RF-effector jamming to counter drone threats.

Sentrycs is also shortlisted for its Cyber-over-RF C-UAS system, which can detect, track and identify unauthorised drones and provide controlled mitigation capabilities.

Completing the shortlist is SafePAS Drug Hunter, a portable technology designed to identify and quantify drugs from oral fluid samples.

Innovation Trail comes to International Cyber Expo

Visitors to International Cyber Expo will be able to discover the shortlisted technologies through the Innovation Trail during the show.

The finalists were selected by an independent judging panel featuring expertise from organisations including the UK Home Office, ADS Group, London Fire Brigade, the Security Institute and the Cabinet Office’s UK Resilience Academy.

With cybersecurity, AI and digital investigation technologies strongly represented, the shortlist provides a snapshot of how security innovation is developing as organisations look for new ways to detect threats, investigate incidents and manage increasingly complex risks.

View the International Cyber Expo Innovation Awards shortlist.

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KnowBe4 is set to explore the growing challenge of determining what organisations can trust in the age of AI at an exclusive cybersecurity briefing during Leeds Digital Festival 2026.

Taking place on 1 October, CyberSecure Leeds: Who Do You Trust Now? Human Judgement in the Age of AI will examine how the growing role of AI agents in business processes is changing the security landscape and creating new questions around identity, decision making and human oversight.

At the centre of the event will be an unusual real-world experiment from Javvad Malik, lead CISO advisor at KnowBe4, which started with a disputed parking ticket. During the experiment, Malik explored how AI could be used to help create convincing documentation and establish a digital presence that automated systems subsequently treated as legitimate, all within 48 hours.

While the experiment started with a relatively everyday scenario, KnowBe4 believes it highlights a much broader security concern. As organisations integrate AI into workflows, approvals and other business processes, systems may be placed in a position where they are effectively helping to determine what is legitimate and what should be trusted.

This becomes particularly significant as the digital workforce expands beyond human employees to include AI agents capable of accessing information, interacting with applications and influencing decisions.

“AI is rapidly becoming part of how organisations decide what is real, what is legitimate and what should be trusted,” said Malik.

“The problem is that AI can be extremely convincing without necessarily being right. As organisations give these systems greater influence over business processes, we need to think carefully about where human judgement fits and how attackers could exploit that trust. The workforce is now a combination of people and AI agents, and our approach to security has to reflect that reality.”

Phishing Beyond the Inbox

The briefing will also look at how the social engineering landscape is changing as attackers adopt AI-generated content and increasingly target users across multiple communications channels. James Dyer, head of threat intelligence at KnowBe4, will provide an update on current phishing activity, including the growth of phishing-as-a-service and the ways attackers are adapting their techniques to bypass existing security controls.

The session will examine why organisations can no longer treat phishing solely as an email security problem, with social engineering attacks capable of moving across different platforms and exploiting the trust employees place in digital communications.

The event coincides with the beginning of Cybersecurity Awareness Month and forms part of Leeds Digital Festival, which runs from 21 September to 2 October with more than 200 technology events taking place across the region.

The KnowBe4 briefing will run from 8:30am to 11:00am at the company’s Leeds office and is aimed at CISOs, IT leaders, security practitioners and business decision makers.

Attendance is free but limited to 30 places, with advance registration required through the Leeds Digital Festival event programme. Interested delegates can register here: https://web.cvent.com/event/96b273cf-5129-4734-b54c-0dfd0a38aa61/summary

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International Cyber Expo has announced a new line-up of speakers and sessions for its Global Cyber Summit, with discussions set to tackle some of the biggest issues facing cybersecurity leaders.

Sponsored by Huntress, the Global Cyber Summit will bring together senior security professionals, government representatives and industry experts at Olympia London on 29 and 30 September 2026. The latest sessions will explore the changing role of the CISO, the human impact of major cyber incidents, China’s role in cyberspace and the security challenges surrounding artificial intelligence.

The next generation CISO

The first of the newly announced sessions on 29 September will be Debbie Janeczek, CISO at ING, with “The Next-Generation CISO: A Business Enabler.”

Taking place at 10:35, the session will explore how the CISO’s role is moving beyond technical security and towards becoming a strategic business leader.

Janeczek will discuss how cybersecurity can enable trust, resilience and growth rather than simply being viewed as a cost centre. The session will also consider how security teams can adapt at the speed of frontier AI while continuing to protect businesses, data and people.

Putting cybercrime victims first

Later that day at 15:50, a panel featuring Charlie Morrison, Inspector and Head of Cyber Griffin at the City of London Police Cyber PROTECT Team, and Chris Spinks, Head of Operations at Cyjax, will ask: “Cyber Crime: Who are the Victims in a Major Incident?”

The panel will challenge the idea that cyber incidents only affect organisations and IT systems. Instead, it will examine the wider human impact of attacks and why putting victims at the centre of incident response may be an overlooked part of cybersecurity.

China and the future of cyber security

Day two will see Daniel Downing, Information Security Manager at BAE Systems, examining China’s role in cyberspace and its security implications for the West. The session, “China’s Role in Cyberspace and its Security Implications for the West”, starting at 10:35, will explore China’s cyber strategy, state objectives and civil-military fusion, alongside the relationship between government, industry and security organisations.

It will also consider the implications for the UK and its allies across defence, industry, supply chains and policy.

Threat modelling meets AI security

AI security will also feature prominently, with Nathan Pembe, Senior Application Security Consultant at NVISO, presenting “What Does Threat Modelling Solve for AI Security?” at 13:30 on 30 September.

Pembe will examine how risks surrounding modern AI systems often emerge from the connections between architecture, data, APIs, identities and business workflows rather than AI alone.

The session will explore how threat modelling can help organisations identify realistic attack paths, prioritise security efforts and make better informed technical and regulatory decisions.

More speakers and sessions are expected to be announced ahead of International Cyber Expo 2026.

Alongside the Global Cyber Summit, attendees will be able to meet more than 100 exhibiting brands, network with over 6,000 cybersecurity professionals, meet UK Government representatives and watch live cybersecurity demonstrations.

International Cyber Expo 2026 takes place on 29 and 30 September at Olympia London and is free to attend.

Secure a FREE pass to International Cyber Expo 2026

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Huntress will be heading to International Cyber Expo 2026, where visitors can meet the team on Stand K94 and discover how the company is helping organisations tackle increasingly complex cyber threats with fewer resources.

One of the biggest challenges Huntress is seeing is the growing attack surface. Security teams are expected to protect endpoints, identities, cloud environments and other systems, often while dealing with limited time, resources and expertise.

At the same time, attackers are no longer operating in silos. Attacks increasingly move across different parts of an organisation’s environment, leaving security teams managing multiple tools and an overwhelming number of alerts.

At International Cyber Expo, Huntress will showcase its more unified, managed approach to security. The Huntress platform combines greater visibility across the attack surface with AI technologies and human security analysts to help partners and customers detect and respond to threats.

Tackling the rise of AI-powered attacks

AI-powered cybercrime will also be a major focus for Huntress at the show.

Generative AI is making it easier for attackers to create convincing phishing emails, develop malicious code and scale their operations. Tasks that previously required significant cybersecurity expertise can now be carried out with the help of readily available AI tools.

Huntress believes AI will also play an important role in helping defenders respond. Its approach uses AI to help analysts correlate security signals, summarise investigations and work faster, while retaining human judgement and context when making critical security decisions.

Visitors can also speak with Huntress about practical ways to strengthen their security posture. These include implementing multi-factor authentication, improving security awareness training and reducing vulnerabilities across the external network perimeter.

And when preventive controls fail, Huntress stresses the importance of having a mechanism to detect and respond to attacks quickly, including access to a 24/7 SOC that can support containment and remediation.

Listen to Huntress Senior Sales Engineer Alex Hitchen discuss the biggest cybersecurity challenges facing organisations today and what Huntress will be showcasing at International Cyber Expo 2026:

 

 

You can still register for FREE to attend International Cyber Expo HERE.

The post Meet Huntress at International Cyber Expo 2026 appeared first on IT Security Guru.

It’s that time again! Global cybersecurity PR agency Eskenzi PR has opened nominations for its tenth annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards. The awards celebrate the UK’s most extraordinary cybersecurity professionals who work to make the industry not only more secure, but also more diverse, healthier and better informed about current events. Key sponsors include CultureAI, OneAdvanced and The Zensory. The awards are also supported by Computer Weekly, Information Security Buzz and IT Security Guru. 

The awards celebrate the cybersecurity professionals who go above and beyond to make a difference, often behind the scenes. They recognise educators who are fostering the next generation of cyber talent, those who are fighting cybercrime head-on, and mentors who are guiding others in the field. The awards also acknowledge those who are making cybersecurity a more inclusive space (Diversity Champion) and those who prioritise the wellbeing of their peers (Cybersecurity Wellbeing Advocate).

For 2026, three new categories have been introduced:  

• Cyber Scribe: This category celebrates the cybersecurity industry’s best and most insightful cyber blogs and newsletters, including those published on Medium, Substack or LinkedIn.

• Voice of Security: This category celebrates the industry’s best podcasts and vodcasts.   

• Channel Champion: This category celebrates the unsung heroes of the channel, from distributors and resellers to vendors with a strong channel presence.

Entries are now open, which includes filling in a short form detailing why the person deserves the award. Nominations will remain open until 5pm on the 16th of September 2026, before closing for review by an esteemed (soon-to-be-announced) panel of judges. 

Nominees, nominators, and their guests are then invited to a celebratory evening in London in October, to coincide with Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Thanks to its sponsors, the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards are free to enter and to attend.

Sam Soares, CRO at CultureAI, said:  “CultureAI is proud to support the tenth Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards, celebrating the cybersecurity professionals who protect their organisations without fanfare, even as the threat, technology and governance landscapes shift. As AI adoption outpaces governance, these teams are absorbing an entirely new category of risk alongside everything they already carry. Recognising that work is long overdue, and we’re pleased to play a part in it.” 

“As we celebrate the 10th year of the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards, I’m incredibly proud of what these awards have come to represent. Over the past decade, we’ve had the privilege of recognising hundreds of remarkable people whose dedication, kindness and expertise have helped make our industry stronger, safer and more inclusive,” said Yvonne Eskenzi, Co-Founder and Director at Eskenzi PR. “I encourage everyone across the cybersecurity community to take a moment to nominate a colleague, mentor, teammate or friend who deserves to be recognised. Their contribution matters, and together we can make sure their achievements are celebrated as part of this very special milestone year.” 

  Categories this year include:

• Cyber Correspondent (for cyber journalists, broadcasters and writers)
• Godparent of Security
• Data Guardian
• CISO Supremo
• Security Avengers – Best Team
• Best Educator
• Best Ethical Hacker/Pentester
• Rising Star
• Security Mentor
• Best Security Awareness Campaign
• Diversity Champion
• Cybersecurity Wellbeing Advocate
• Cyber Scribe (for blogs/newsletters)
• Voice of Security (for podcasts/vodcasts) 
• Channel Champion

You can make nominations or find out more information here.

To see previous winners, click here.

The post 10th Annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards Open for Nominations appeared first on IT Security Guru.