8th Annual UNCW Cybersecurity Conference

The 8th Annual UNCW Cybersecurity Conference is one of the region’s leading events dedicated to cybersecurity education, collaboration, and innovation.

Whether you are a cybersecurity professional, business leader, government representative, researcher, educator, or student, the conference will offer valuable insights, practical knowledge, and opportunities to connect with experts from government, industry, and academia.

This year’s program features two specialized tracks:

? Cyber Trends
? Maritime Cybersecurity

The Cyber Trends Track will address emerging threats, cybersecurity practices, workforce development, artificial intelligence (AI), risk management, and other important issues affecting organizations and communities.

The Maritime Cybersecurity Track will examine cyber risks, resilience, and regulatory readiness across vessels, ports, maritime facilities, transportation systems, and the broader Marine Transportation System, including the implementation of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Cybersecurity in the Marine Transportation System requirements under 33 CFR Part 101, Subpart F.

Both tracks will feature expert presentations, panel discussions, practical sessions, and opportunities for professional networking and collaboration.

Earn CPE Credits While You Learn!
Up to 6 CPE Credits per Day

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits
Earn CPE credits while you learn! CPE credits will be available through UNCW’s Center for Cyber Defense Education (CCDE). Attendees may earn up to 6 CPE credits per day, based on meaningful conference participation. Attendees participating both days may earn up to 12 CPE credits. A certificate documenting your CPE credits and contact hours will be available upon request. To request a certificate, please select the FREE “CPE Certificate” add-on when registering.

Explore the speakers, sessions, and schedules for both conference tracks below.

Sponsorship Opportunities: Interested in supporting the 8th Annual UNCW Cybersecurity Conference? View available sponsorship opportunities and packages through the

For sponsorship questions or additional information, please contact us at [email protected].

Learn more about UNCW’s cybersecurity initiatives and events through the .

Info: Dr. Ulku Clark, Director of Center for Cyber Defense Education & Robert T. Burrus, Provost

Info: As cyber threats continue to evolve, the U.S. Coast Guard is strengthening its capabilities to defend Coast Guard cyberspace and protect the Marine Transportation System. Hear the latest updates from Coast Guard Cyber Command and perspectives on the evolving maritime cyber threat landscape, protection of critical maritime infrastructure, and the role of collaboration in strengthening cyber resilience across the maritime community.

Info: Cyber Trends Track: How AI is Changing Cyber Security (David Prater, Software Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco Systems) and Maritime Cybersecurity Track: U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Cybersecurity Policy and Regulatory Update (Nick Parham, Chief, Office of Maritime Cybersecurity Policy, U.S. Coast Guard)

Info: See what happens when a cyberattack moves beyond the computer screen and into the physical world. Explore the convergence of IT/OT, critical infrastructure, and cybersecurity through real and simulated industrial technologies, including PLCs, industrial networks, firewalls, wireless systems, sensors, and automated processes. Through hands-on demonstrations and realistic cyber scenarios, experience the cyber-physical challenges of securing manufacturing, operational technology, and critical infrastructure in the real world.

Info: Addressing the cyber workforce gap begins well before high school. Explore the Cyber-PARK initiative through an interactive demonstration showcasing how cybersecurity awareness can be introduced to early learners and developed through post-secondary education and beyond. Discover practical strategies, curricular approaches, and pathway models designed to build digital resilience and inspire lifelong interest and careers in cybersecurity.

Info: Focus Where They Aim: Building a Telemetry-Driven Human Risk Program for the AI Era: Every attacker has a target list. Most human risk programs don't. This hands-on workshop shows how to use red team, threat intel, incident, and insider threat data to identify High-Value Targets and protect them from AI-driven threats like deepfakes and voice cloning. Participants will learn to find the right data, pinpoint HVTs, tailor role-specific training, and measure risk reduction for leadership. (Genelle Heim, Founder, Heim Consulting)

Info: Cyber Trends Track: Happy Birthday, CMMC: One Year In - And the Rules Just Changed (Laura Rodgers, Director of Cybersecurity Practice, NC State University) and Maritime Cybersecurity Track: From Regulation to Implementation: Maritime Cybersecurity Challenges from an Industry andClassification Perspective (Matthew Partyka, Principal Cyber Resilience Specialist, Lloyd’s Register)

Info: Thirty years ago a new and powerful (at the time) vulnerability scanner burst onto the scene. SATAN (System Administrators Tool for Analyzing Networkds) sparked controversy by putting advanced network reconnaissance capabilities into the hands of ordinary defenders. Critics warned it would empower attackers and was, therefore, too dangerous to release publicly. In fact, it helped accelerate security awareness and improve defensive practices. Today, AI-powered security platforms such as Mythos face similar calls for restriction. This talk examines the lessons of SATAN and argues that limiting access to powerful security tools rarely stops capable adversaries, but often disadvantages defenders, researchers, and educators. As the security community debates AI’s future, history offers a valuable reminder: broad access to defensive capability has often strengthened security more than secrecy.

Info: Cyber Trends Track: AI VS AI: Can defenders keep up? The future of Security Operations in a Mythos world (Thomas Hill, CISO, Candescent) and Maritime Cybersecurity Track: Beyond the Perimeter: AI-Enabled Threats to Maritime Ports. (David Forbes, Director, Cyber Physical Defense, Booz Allen )

Info: Wireless security is about more than selecting an encryption setting. In this two-hour hands-on workshop, participants will build, secure, and compare two industrial wireless networks using two very different sets of industrial radios. Working in teams, attendees will configure a Wi‑Fi 4 network protected with WPA2, AES, with additional security options. They will also construct a Wi‑Fi 6 transparent bridge network using WPA3. Along the way, participants will discuss the RF environments, identify what transient and competing wireless systems can do, understand secure device management access, and consider the operational tradeoffs behind each security decision.
The workshop connects wireless configuration to real OT and maritime concerns, including availability, legacy-system support, segmentation, situational awareness, ship-to-shore communications, and recovery. (Scott McNeil, Industrial Network and Security Architect II, Global Process Automation (GPA))

Info: Cyber Trends Track: Security and Resiliency are a must for Drone Operations (Cihan Tunc, Assistant Professor, University of North Texas) and Maritime Cybersecurity Track: Threat-Informed Secure by Design: Maritime Threat Modeling Based on Emerging Cyberattack Trends (Seyoung Yuk, Cybersecurity Team Research Engineer, CYTUR)

Info: The "Backdoors & Breaches" card game will put you and your team in a situation where you need to discover, investigate and handle a security incident, from the initial access to the impact of data exfiltration. While technical aspects are present the main focus is to learn how to work as a team, asking the right questions and making decisions to avoid a full compromise! (Xavier Belanger, IT Security Architect, UNCW)

Info: Beyond the Hype: What Is Actually Changing in Cybersecurity, and What Should We Do About It? ( Moderator: Thomas Hill (CISO, Candescent).
Panalists: Dan Greenhaus (ISACA -Research Triangle Chapter), Emily Vandewater (Elteni Cybersecurity Consulting), Donald Borsay (Securitybeat Advisors) )

Info: Preparing for 2027: Implementing the Coast Guard’s Maritime Cybersecurity Requirements. Presented by Tego and Nozomi Networks. (Moderator: Dan Turissini.
Panalists: CAPT Boris Montatsky (U.S. CGCYBER), Nick Parham USGC), Bill Aubin (Nozomi Networks),
Josh Phillips (Tego), Patrick Cohen (Tego), Aybars Oruc (UNCW))

Info: The Red Team Village CTF is a competitive Capture the Flag (CTF) event hosted by the Red Team Village community, organized at major cybersecurity conferences such as DEF CON, BSides, RSA, Source Zero Con, and others. It is designed to simulate real-world adversarial attack scenarios and test participants’ offensive security skills in a controlled, high-pressure environment.

Info: Cybersecurity threats are increasingly complex and disruptive. This session offers a briefing on current risks— including nation-state and criminal attacks, phishing, ransomware, and new threats affecting public and private sectors. Attendees will learn about adversary tactics and gain practical strategies to boost organizational resilience.

Info: Cyber Trends Track: Architecting Trust in Heavy-Vehicle Digital Evidence (Sean Bumgarner, Director of Engineering & Support, Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL)) and Maritime Cybersecurity Track: Safeguarding Industrial Operations from Cyber-Physical Threats: Putting Standards into Practice (Alex Boesenberg, Manager of Advocacy, International Society of Automation (ISA))

Info: Cyber Trends Track: A Case Study: How AI is Transforming How Cybersecurity Teams Work (Chuck Kesler, Chief Information Security Officer, Pendo) and Maritime Cybersecurity Track: From Hazard Analysis to Controller Engineering: Extending STPA-SEC for Secure Digital Operating Environments (Jeff Greer, Assistant Professor of Practice, UNCW)

Info: The future cyber warrior must combine technical mastery with sound judgment, adaptability, leadership, and character. Drawing on 31 years of military service and leadership across intelligence, cyber, and space, Scott H. Stalker explores how AI and emerging threats are reshaping the mission and how leaders can recruit, develop, and empower the next generation to defend our nation. (Scott H. Stalker, CEO & Founder, S2 - Stalker Solutions LLC)

Info: Cyber Trends Track: Securing the Agentic Frontier: Operationalizing AI Telemetry and Agentic Automation in the SOC (Vinay Bansal, Chief Tech Officer and Principal Engineer, IDR, Cisco Systems) and Maritime Cybersecurity Track: Realistic cyber attack scenarios in simulations and exercises for the maritime sector (Jeroen Pijpker, Program Manager/Senior Researcher, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences)

Info: Hosted by Matt Chytka, North Carolina Army National Guard Cyber Security Response Force (NCARNG-CSRF). A maritime themed table top exercise for local, state, federal, military, commercial and volunteer responders. A cyber incident (a compromised vendor account, ransomware, or another intrusion) onboard a vessel impacts operational systems or critical services. This exercise will focus on decisions and coordination rather than requiring deep technical knowledge. Techies and not-so-techies both will benefit! (Matt Chytka, Incident Prevention & Client Support, NC Army National Guard Cyber Security
Response Force (NCARNG-CSRF))

Info: Wireless security is about more than selecting an encryption setting. In this two-hour hands-on workshop, participants will build, secure, and compare two industrial wireless networks using two very different sets of industrial radios.
Working in teams, attendees will configure a Wi‑Fi 4 network protected with WPA2, AES, with additional security options. They will also construct a Wi‑Fi 6 transparent bridge network using WPA3. Along the way, participants will discuss the RF environments, identify what transient and competing wireless systems can do, understand secure device management access, and consider the operational tradeoffs behind each security decision.
The workshop connects wireless configuration to real OT and maritime concerns, including availability, legacy-system support, segmentation, situational awareness, ship-to-shore communications, and recovery. Scott McNeil, Industrial Network and Security Architect II, Global Process Automation (GPA))

Event venue & nearby stays

Congdon Hall, 4893 Price Drive, Wilmington, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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