The initiative also includes access to EC-Council’s Global CISO Forum 2026, expanding peer exchange and professional development.
ATLANTA, Ga., September 10 Day, 2026: EC-Council, creator of the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential and a global leader advancing Cybersecurity and Responsible AI through its Adopt. Defend. Govern. (ADG) Framework, today announced complimentary admission to Hacker Halted 2026 and EC-Council’s Global CISO Forum 2026 for U.S. military and government cybersecurity professionals.
U.S. military and government cybersecurity professionals may claim complimentary conference admission by registering here: Hacker Halted 2026 using a .mil or .gov email address.
The offer applies to conference admission; separate fees and eligibility requirements may apply to pre-conference training and other optional programs.
Hacker Halted is EC-Council’s premier annual cybersecurity conference, bringing together practitioners, researchers, executives and technology leaders around the latest developments in offensive and defensive security.
Taking place October 8-9 at The Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, the 2026 edition will center on the theme ‘Cyber Carnival: Where Illusion Meets Intrusion,’ examining how deception, manipulation, AI and emerging technologies are changing the way cyber threats are created, detected and defended against.
Hacker Halted 2026 will feature:
- 20+ presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions addressing critical and emerging cybersecurity issues
- Two days of practitioner networking and direct exchange across the cybersecurity community
- Technical perspectives spanning offensive security, threat intelligence, application security, AI and LLM security, security architecture, incident response and enterprise cyber risk
- Cybersecurity professionals and researchers from organizations including Citi, Amazon, Microsoft and Coupa Software
- Hands-on and practitioner-led discussions focused on the realities of defending increasingly complex digital environments
Building on Hacker Halted 2025, themed “Order from Chaos,” which focused on bringing greater clarity and structure to an increasingly complex and unpredictable threat environment, the 2026 edition advances the conversation from navigating chaos to seeing through deception. “Cyber Carnival: Where Illusion Meets Intrusion” places greater focus on the judgment, curiosity and critical thinking required as AI and other technologies make digital interactions increasingly sophisticated.
“Cybersecurity professionals serving government and national defense operate in environments where trust, judgment and clarity are essential,” said Jay Bavisi, Founder & Group President, EC-Council. “As AI and emerging technologies make digital environments more sophisticated, bringing these professionals together with the broader practitioner community creates an important opportunity to exchange experience, sharpen thinking and strengthen how we collectively respond to what comes next.”
“The people serving in our military and government cybersecurity communities face complex, high-stakes challenges every day,” said Phil Lopez, Director, DoD/Military Affairs at EC-Council, Navy Master Chief (Ret), and CCISO Certified. “This initiative is about removing barriers and connecting them with practical education, trusted peers and the broader cybersecurity community. Their service strengthens all of us, and we want them in the room.”
Qualified director-level and above information security executives may also request approval to attend EC-Council’s Global CISO Forum 2026*.
EC-Council Global CISO Forum is an invite-only, closed-door gathering for C-suite and senior information security leaders from across industries and geographies. Designed for candid, peer-to-peer exchange, the forum brings together director-level and above security executives, CCISO professionals, and invited practitioners to discuss the most pressing challenges in cybersecurity.
*Registration for EC-Council’s Global CISO Forum remains subject to eligibility and approval.
About EC-Council
Founded in 2001, EC-Council is a global cybersecurity and AI organization focused on building the skills, capabilities and systems required for a more secure digital future.
EC-Council created the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) program and has certified more than 400,000 professionals across 174 countries. Its programs and credentials are used across government, defense, enterprise and academia worldwide.
As an ISO/IEC 17024 accredited certification body, EC-Council’s credentials are recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense under DoD Directive 8140 and are held by professionals across the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and leading global organizations.
As cybersecurity and AI converge, EC-Council is advancing Responsible AI through its proprietary Adopt. Defend. Govern. (ADG) Framework, bringing together people, process and technology to help organizations adopt AI responsibly, defend digital environments and govern emerging technologies with greater accountability.
The EC-Council ecosystem includes EC-Council, EC-Council University (ECCU), CodeRed, EC-Council Global Services (EGS), EC-Council Academia, and Aware.
About Hacker Halted
Hacker Halted is EC-Council’s annual cybersecurity conference bringing together practitioners, researchers, executives, and technology leaders to examine the evolving realities of offensive and defensive security.
The conference combines technical presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions, hands-on experiences, and practitioner exchange across areas including threat intelligence, application security, AI and LLM security, incident response, security architecture, and enterprise cyber risk.
Each year, Hacker Halted is built around a theme that reflects the changing threat landscape and the challenges facing modern defenders. The 2026 edition, “Cyber Carnival: Where Illusion Meets Intrusion,” explores how deception, manipulation, AI, and emerging technologies are reshaping how cyber threats are created, detected, and defended against.
For more information, visit hackerhalted.com.
About EC-Council’s Global CISO Forum:
EC-Council Global CISO Forum is an invite-only, closed-door event gathering the highest level executives from across industries and countries to discuss the most pressing issues in information security.
- Invite-only and closed-door: attendance is limited to CCISO certification holders, CCISO students, EC-Council-invited security practitioners, and director-level or above information security executives, and marketers or business development professionals aren’t permitted to attend.
- Purpose: it’s designed as a strategic venue for peer-to-peer exchange and deep dialogue among the world’s C-suite and senior security leaders on the most pressing challenges in cybersecurity. The closed-door nature exists specifically to create an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality that enables open exchange of lessons learned, failures, and forward-looking strategies.
- Format: closed-door sessions, interactive discussions, and curated roundtables.
