Nullcon

Nullcon
Name	Nullcon
Status	Active
Genre	Cybersecurity conference
Frequency	Annual
Country	India
First	2008
Organizer	Goa based security community

Nullcon Nullcon is an annual international security conference and exhibition focused on information security, cybersecurity research, vulnerability research, and offensive and defensive techniques. The event brings together researchers, practitioners, vendors, policymakers, and students from the fields represented by Black Hat, DEF CON, RSA Conference, and ShmooCon to present original research, demonstrate tools, and conduct training. Nullcon is noted for blending technical briefings, hands-on workshops, an expo floor, and competitive events comparable to Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions and bug bounty programs.

Overview

Nullcon functions as a platform comparable to Black Hat USA, DEF CON, RSA Conference, BSides, and CanSecWest for the information security community in South Asia. It features tracks that intersect with subjects covered by OWASP, CERT-In, ENISA, NIST, and MITRE in areas such as CVE Program, Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, and exploit development similar to work presented at How to Break Web Software and Pwn2Own. Attendees often include researchers associated with Google Project Zero, Microsoft Security Response Center, Facebook Security, Cisco Talos, and Kaspersky Lab, along with representatives from Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Security, and Palantir Technologies. Its format echoes international events like Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, Interop, and InfoSecurity Europe.

History and Development

Founded in the late 2000s, Nullcon emerged alongside regional growth in information technology hubs such as Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Early iterations drew inspiration from pioneering conferences like DEF CON, Black Hat, and NoSuchCon, while collaborating with academic and industry groups including Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Indian Institute of Science, IIIT Hyderabad, and BITS Pilani. Over time the conference incorporated elements used by Chaos Communication Congress, Hope Conference, and ToorCon, and established liaisons with incident response teams similar to CERT Coordination Center and private security firms such as FireEye, CrowdStrike, McAfee, and Symantec. Nullcon’s evolution paralleled the rise of coordinated disclosure frameworks advocated by ISO/IEC standards bodies and FIRST.

Conferences and Events

Nullcon hosts keynote addresses, technical tracks, and exhibitions comparable to Black Hat Arsenal and DEF CON Village. It runs training sessions modeled on those at SANS Institute, EC-Council, and Offensive Security, and organizes platform-specific tracks comparable to Android Security briefings at Google I/O and Apple WWDC security talks. The event’s expo has featured booths from Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Intel, ARM Holdings, Qualcomm, VMware, Red Hat, Oracle Corporation, and Fortinet. Nullcon’s format includes public competitions similar to Pwn2Own, CTFtime events, and hacker showcases reminiscent of ZeroDayCon and Black Hat Europe.

Notable Talks and Workshops

Speakers at Nullcon have delivered technical talks and exploit demonstrations on topics allied to presentations given at Black Hat USA and DEF CON, including advanced exploitation techniques like those covered by Mudge, HD Moore, and Charlie Miller. Workshops have mirrored curricula from SANS Institute courses and training from Offensive Security and eLearnSecurity, focusing on subjects such as reverse engineering akin to work by REcon, malware analysis seen at Virus Bulletin, and IoT security discussed at RSA Conference. Presenters have included researchers affiliated with Google Project Zero, Microsoft Research, Apple Security Engineering and Architecture, Amazon Security, Facebook Open Source Security, Samsung Research, and specialists from Trend Micro and Palo Alto Networks.

Community and Industry Impact

Nullcon has influenced regional vulnerability disclosure practices and security hiring trends similarly to how Black Hat and DEF CON shape global markets. The conference has served as a venue for collaborations between academia—such as IIT Bombay and IIIT Hyderabad—and industry players like Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Infosys, and HCLTech", impacting recruitment and research partnerships. Nullcon’s presence has encouraged the formation of local infoSec meetups modeled on OWASP Chapters and ISACA chapters, and it contributed to initiatives resembling bug bounty programs run by HackerOne and Bugcrowd. Its community activities have fostered startups working in areas pursued by Darktrace, Cybereason, SentinelOne, and Demisto.

Organization and Sponsorship

The conference is organized by a core team in Goa collaborating with partners and sponsors from the technology and security sectors similar to arrangements seen at RSA Conference and Black Hat. Sponsors have included multinational companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, IBM, Intel, Qualcomm, Oracle Corporation, Cisco Systems, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, Check Point Software Technologies, Trend Micro, Kaspersky Lab, and McAfee. Organizational partnerships have been established with bodies like NASSCOM, TiE, Startup India, FICCI, and academic institutions including IIT Madras and IIM Bangalore. The event’s model parallels sponsorship structures used by DEF CON, BSides, and Black Hat Conferences.

Category:Computer security conferences