FIRST Unveils Three Global Conferences to Strengthen the World's Cyber Defenses in 2026

MARCH 12, 2026 — On the heels of projecting 2026 to be the first year in history to exceed 50,000 published CVEs, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is bringing the global security community together to do what it does best: coordinate, share intelligence, and act.

Today, FIRST announced its 2026 flagship event series: three regional conferences designed to help incident response and security teams navigate an increasingly complex threat landscape. When no single organization, country, or region can tackle cybersecurity alone, these events create the trusted, peer-to-peer networks that make collective defense possible.

"The organizations that recover fastest are the ones with trusted networks already in place, sharing threat intelligence and coordinating response before a crisis hits," said Chris Gibson, CEO of FIRST. "Our events exist to build exactly those networks, and this year, with vulnerability volumes set to break every record, that mission has never mattered more."

“FIRST's collaborative approach empowers cybersecurity professionals to solve complex challenges together, fostering a culture of shared knowledge and continuous learning. By uniting experts across the globe, we create a stronger, safer internet for all, where mentorship and teamwork drive meaningful progress in securing digital spaces,” said Khushali Dalal, Women of FIRST SIG Co-Chair.

FIRST’s 2026 flagship event series includes:

CVE/FIRST VulnCon 2026 & Annual CNA Summit
Scottsdale, US April 13 – 16, 2026

VulnCon brings together professionals from across the vulnerability management and cybersecurity landscape to collaborate, exchange ideas, and drive actionable outcomes. This conference is designed to help participants develop insights and strategies they can take back to their individual programs to strengthen the broader vulnerability management ecosystem. VulnCon is open to both FIRST members and non-members worldwide who are actively engaged in the vulnerability management space.

2026 Cyber Threat Intelligence Conference
Munich, Germany, April 21 – 23, 2026

This conference serves as a hub for experts to share insights, explore proactive threat intelligence strategies, and engage in meaningful dialogue. The format includes management-level discussions, technical sessions, and hands-on workshops. Plenary talks focus on sensitive, real-world challenges, while workshops offer interactive learning led by top security professionals in small group settings.

FIRST’s 38th Annual Conference
Denver, US, June 14 – June 19, 2026

The FIRST Annual Conference is a premier event that promotes worldwide collaboration among CSIRTs. The conference offers a dynamic forum for sharing goals, ideas, and strategies to improve cybersecurity on a global scale.

"While you can accomplish significant things alone, doing this work in a community is exponentially more effective. Through FIRST, you become part of a worldwide effort where a global network answers when you call, supports you during incidents, and shares critical information when it matters most," said Sametria McKinney, FIRST Member and Director of the National Computer Incident Response Team of The Bahamas.

Each event features specialized content tailored to regional needs while maintaining FIRST's high standards for technical depth and practical application. The organization expects these events to draw thousands of security professionals representing teams from government, public and private sector, and academic institutions around the world.

Also available in PDF

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Issued on behalf of FIRST. For further information please contact pr@first.org.

About FIRST

FIRST aspires to bring together incident response and security teams from every country across the world to ensure a safe internet for all. Founded in 1990, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) consists of internet emergency response teams from more than 837 member teams, 204 liaisons, and 4 associates spanning corporations, government bodies, universities and other institutions across 115 countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. For more information and to see the full calendar of events, visit: FIRST.Org.

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