Nullcon 2026 Launches ‘Day Zero’ Forum, Connecting Exploit Research to C-Suite Strategy

C-suite and Policymakers Converge at Nullcon 2026 as Demand for Hands-on Trainings Increases Amid AI-Driven Risk Debates

Princeton, NJ – Nullcon, Asia’s largest and longest-running hacking and cybersecurity conference and training, returns for its 16th edition with the debut of “Day Zero,” a new executive forum designed to connect exploit research and C-suite strategy and elevate boardroom cyber resilience. The main conference will take place from Feb. 28 to March 1 at BITS Goa Campus.

Nullcon Goa 2026 convenes global researchers, government officials and enterprise leaders to address artificial intelligence-driven and geopolitical cyber risks at both national and enterprise levels.

The conference will open with a keynote address from two of India’s most senior voices in national cybersecurity: Vinai Kumar Kanaujia, joint secretary of the National Security Council Secretariat, and Sanjay Bahl, director general at CERT-In. Their keynote will set a decisive tone for a program grounded in intelligence-led strategy at a time when cyber risk is inherently geopolitical.

Day Zero: Where Leaders Confront Risk

Marking a significant expansion of its 2026 agenda, Nullcon introduces “Day Zero,” a dedicated invite-only forum for CISOs, CIOs, CTOs and senior security leaders confronting escalating cyber complexity.

The program covers board-level oversight of exploit life cycles, AI-enabled attack simulations including deepfake scenarios, post-quantum transition planning, cross-functional crisis exercises, and governance and third-party risk frameworks – aligning technical insight with strategic decision-making. The forum concludes with a curated CXO networking evening.

Strong Momentum for Hands-On Trainings

With registrations already at 3,000 – a 25% increase over last year’s 2,400 attendees – Nullcon Goa 2026 is demonstrating significant growth momentum ahead of the event.

The surge underscores heightened demand for hands-on technical trainings, spanning AI security and large language model exploitation, infrastructure compromise and Active Directory attack chains, cloud red team methodologies, reverse engineering and kernel-level research, IoT hardware and firmware exploitation, and application security automation and static analysis. True to its practitioner-first ethos, the focus remains on applied capability, enabling participants to test, simulate and operationalize real-world attack techniques rather than simply study them.

Original Research at the Core

The two-day research conference showcases deeply technical presentations spanning LLM manipulation and adversarial reasoning, identity impersonation in SPIFFE/SPIRE environments, HTTP/3 and QUIC protocol fuzzing, supply chain propagation models, Windows 11 stealth injection techniques, industrial system vulnerabilities and critical infrastructure exposure, and AI-driven exposure management and secure parsing risks. Live bug hunting and Capture the Flag competitions will remain central, reinforcing peer learning and real-time experimentation.

Parallel CXO Track: Governance Under Pressure

Complementing the technical sessions, the CXO track addresses the structural and governance challenges facing security leadership today. Discussions will center on:

• • DPDPA-aligned breach response design;
  • AI governance and trust architecture;
  • Post-quantum risk assessment frameworks;
  • Supply chain resilience and third-party automation oversight;
  • The evolving accountability and authority of the modern CISO.

The broader conference brings together senior voices spanning national security, regulatory oversight and defense cyber operations. The speaker lineup includes Lokesh Garg, director general, NCIIPC; Mihir Kumar Sahoo, chief general manager, SEBI; and Rear Admiral Sanjay Sachdeva, director general, Defence Cyber Agency. Their participation reflects the conference’s commitment to convening decision-makers from across the public and private sectors within a single, research-grounded forum.

By situating executive dialogue alongside frontline research, the integrated format reflects how technical decisions and governance strategy are now tightly interwoven.

Open Research, Real Security

“Cybersecurity today is defined by systems thinking,” said Rahul Neel Mani, director at Nullcon. “We are operating in an environment where AI generates code, autonomous agents execute workflows and identities function as control planes. The attack surface is expanding, but it is also becoming intelligent. Nullcon exists to bring practitioners and leaders together to examine that reality candidly and rigorously.”

Peer-reviewed research and open technical scrutiny remain essential in an era of automated content and accelerated innovation, he added.

Nullcon Goa 2026 brings together professionals who have shaped decades of internet security alongside a new generation for whom AI is foundational infrastructure – a shared learning ground where technical depth meets responsible innovation.

Nullcon Goa 2026 features hands-on security training from Feb. 25-27 and March 2-4, Day Zero on Feb. 27, and the main conference from Feb. 28 to March 1 – all at BITS Pilani, Goa Campus.

Registration and full agenda details are available here.

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About ISMG

Information Security Media Group (ISMG) is the world’s largest media organization devoted solely to cybersecurity, information technology, artificial intelligence and operational technology. Each of our 38 media properties provides education, research and news that is specifically tailored to key vertical sectors including banking, healthcare and the public sector; geographies from North America to Southeast Asia; and topics such as data breach prevention, cyber risk assessment, OT security, AI and fraud. Our annual global summit series connects senior security professionals with industry thought leaders to find actionable solutions for pressing cybersecurity challenges.

About Nullcon

Nullcon came into existence in 2010 and is managed and marketed by Payatu Technologies Pvt. Ltd. With the advent of cutting-edge technologies, security is crucial as technology brings a myriad of threats along. Nullcon is an extensive platform for the exchange of information about zero-day vulnerabilities, latest attack vectors and other cyberthreats. Here, security researchers and experts from various fields discuss information security, along with showcasing multiple offensive and defensive security technologies.

About ISMG Events

ISMG Events is a premier platform for security professionals and practitioners worldwide. Our global, annual events bring together the ISMG Events Community, comprising over 40,000 members, to exchange knowledge, insights, and best practices in the field of cybersecurity. The cornerstone of our event portfolio is the ISMG Global Summit Series. These summits take place both virtually and in-person, offering participants a diverse range of topics to explore. In addition to our Global Summit Series, ISMG Events hosts exclusive Executive Roundtables and Custom events.