ISC2 Chicago

ISC2 Chicago Elections - March 6th, 2025
2025-03-06 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | IL
Join us for an exciting evening of democracy in action on Thursday, March 6th, 2025. Elections will be held online, but you must register in advance to receive a ballot. Choose from a variety of chapter officer positions such as President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chair, and Events Director.
Don’t miss your chance to be a part of shaping the future of our chapter. We hope to see you in person, but if you cannot make it there is an RSVP option for virtual voting.
Note: You must be a member in good standing, having paid dues within the past year to be eligible for office or to vote. You will not be able to cast a ballot if you have not paid dues – to check your account status login to your profile at https://www.isc2chicago.org.
Find more election information on our forums.

Where?

Online – Ballots will be emailed the night prior.

When?
Thursday, March 6th, 2025
All Day

ISC2 Chicago Chapter Networking Event
2025-04-17 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Come join fellow chapter members and industry professionals for happy hour and lively discussion on Thursday, April 17th at our usual place at Theory Chicago. Come have a beer with us and see how you can get involved!

Where?

Theory
9 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654

When?
Thursday, April 17th, 2025
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Arrive anytime!

ISC2 Chicago Chapter Event - Transitive Risk: When Their Problem Becomes Your Breach
2025-05-22 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
An Interactive Session with Open Discussion
Join us for an engaging and interactive session focused on Managing Transitive Risk — the hidden risks that travel through your supply chain and partnerships. We’ll explore the definitions and perspectives around 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party relationships, and how vulnerabilities in one link can cascade into serious threats for your organization.
This presentation will dive into practical strategies for identifying, measuring, and mitigating transitive risks, including due diligence practices, independent audits, network controls, and contract governance.
We’ll also lead an interactive discussion through major case studies like SolarWinds, Target, and Okta/MGM, analyzing what happened, how the risks transferred, and how organizations could have better protected themselves.
Expect an open, discussion-driven format — bring your experiences, questions, and insights as we dive deep into this critical area of cybersecurity!

ISC2 Chicago Professional Event: Taming the Hacker Storm
2025-07-17 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Taming the Hacker Storm
An Interactive Session with Roger Grimes from KnowBe4
We’re excited to welcome Roger Grimes, renowned cybersecurity expert and Data-Driven Defense Evangelist at KnowBe4, as our guest speaker. Roger brings over 30 years of computer security expertise, having worked at industry leaders including Microsoft, McAfee, and Foundstone. As an award-winning author of 10 books and over 1,000 magazine articles, and weekly security columnist for InfoWorld and CSO magazines since 2005, Roger is recognized as one of the industry’s most respected voices.
Join us for a thought-provoking and interactive session focused on Taming the Hacker Storm — a comprehensive exploration of how we can fundamentally transform Internet security to defeat cybercriminals and malware at scale. We’ll dive deep into the root causes of today’s cybersecurity challenges and examine practical solutions that could revolutionize how we protect ourselves online.
This presentation will reveal the ONE BIG UNDERLYING COMPUTER SECURITY PROBLEM that underlies all other cybersecurity issues, and explore how addressing this fundamental flaw could make the Internet exponentially safer for everyone. We’ll discuss cutting-edge technologies, including innovative DNS-like services designed to eliminate hacker hiding spots, and examine what it would take to make cybercriminals a relic of the past.
What You’ll Learn:

The foundational security problem that enables most cyber attacks
How fixing this core issue could transform Internet safety globally
Emerging technologies that will make it harder for hackers to operate undetected
Practical steps toward creating a future where ransomware and malware are historical footnotes
Your role in building a safer digital world for current and future generations

We’ll examine the current landscape where ransomware cripples hospitals and cities, where hundreds of millions of dollars are stolen daily, and where a significant portion of Internet traffic consists of malicious activity. But more importantly, we’ll focus on actionable solutions and the path forward to dramatically reduce Internet crime.
Expect an open, discussion-driven format — bring your experiences, questions, and insights as we explore this ambitious vision for cybersecurity’s future. If you’re tired of just hearing about problems and ready to discuss real solutions, this session is for you!
Format: Interactive presentation with extensive Q&A and group discussion. Please arrive promptly as we have a guest speaker.

ISC2 Chicago Networking Event - August 21st, 2025
2025-08-21 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Come join fellow chapter members and industry professionals for happy hour and lively discussion on Thursday, April 17th at our usual place at Theory Chicago. Come have a beer with us and see how you can get involved!

Where?

Theory
9 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654

When?
Thursday, August 21st, 2025
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Arrive anytime!

ISC2 Chicago Networking Event - September 18th, 2025
2025-09-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Come join fellow chapter members and industry professionals for happy hour and lively discussion on Thursday, September 18th at our usual place at Theory Chicago. Come have a beer with us and see how you can get involved!

Where?

Theory
9 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654

When?
Thursday, September 18th, 2025
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Arrive anytime!

ISC2 Chicago Chapter Professional Event - Post Quantum Security - October 16th
2025-10-16 17:00 - 19:00 | 200 S. Wacker Dr., Chicago, 200 S. Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
ISC2 Chicago Professional Event: Post Quantum Security
If you don’t live under a rock, you’ve probably heard that in the not-too-distant future quantum computers may be able to make quick work of many of our encryption algorithms. In this chapter meeting we’ll give a realistic look at this problem, what’s being done to solve it, and what (if anything) you need to do to prepare your organization for the post-quantum world.
Where?
200 S. Wacker Dr, Chicago
Event Space provided by TYLin Group – Thank you!
When?
Thursday October 16th, 2025
5:00PM to 7:00PM
Please plan to arrive on time to ensure you receive your automatic CPEs!

ISC2 Chicago Networking Event - November 20th, 2025
2025-11-20 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Come join fellow chapter members and industry professionals for happy hour and lively discussion on Thursday, November 20th at our usual place at Theory Chicago. Come have a beer with us and see how you can get involved!

Where?

Theory
9 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654

When?
Thursday, November 20th, 2025
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Arrive anytime!

ISC2 Chicago Networking Event - January 15th, 2026
2026-01-15 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Come celebrate the New Year with your fellow chapter members and industry professionals for happy hour and lively discussion on Thursday, January 15th at our usual place at Theory Chicago. Come have a beer with us and see how you can get involved!

Where?

Theory
9 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654

When?
Thursday, January 15th, 2025
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Arrive anytime!

ISC2 Chicago Chapter Professional Event @ Northwestern University - Inside Cybersecurity Research
2026-02-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, United States
Join ISC2 Chicago and MS in Information Technology at Northwestern University for a joint professional event on the university campus in Evanston! ISC2 Chicago members will have the opportunity to join Northwestern University graduate students and faculty for an evening of cybersecurity discussion and networking. Registration will be limited so please RSVP as soon as possible to assure your seat!
Learn more about MS in Information Technology at Northwestern University
Topic
Dr. Yan Chen, Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering will present an example of cybersecurity research from an academic perspective, and discuss the complimentary nature of industry and academia in the cybersecurity industry.
Registration
Registration is available through Northwestern University website starting December 8th. Seats will be limited!
Location
Northwestern University Evanston Campus
The Guild Lounge in Scott Hall
Norris University Center
1999 Campus Drive
Evanston, IL, 60208
Details
Thursday, February 19th, 2026
6pm to 8pm
Parking information
To be shared prior to the event
Cost
This event is free for ISC2 Chicago Chapter members
A light meal will be served.

ISC2 Chicago Professional Event: When Security Sucks: Lessons from the Robot Vacuum Breach
2026-04-23 17:00 - 19:00 | IL
ISC2 Chicago Professional Event: What 7,000 Robot Vacuums Have to Say About Enterprise Security
Most breach stories start with something dramatic: a sophisticated attacker, a critical zero-day, maybe a few tense executive calls.
This one started with a guy trying to connect his robot vacuum to a PlayStation controller.
In this chapter meeting, we’ll walk through the strange-but-very-real incident where security researcher Sammy Azdoufal accidentally discovered access to thousands of robot vacuums and the sensitive data behind them. What was exposed? How did a consumer gadget turn into a cloud security case study? And what could have happened if the person who found it had been malicious instead of responsible?
More importantly, we’ll translate this bizarre headline into practical lessons for security professionals in financial services, government, healthcare, and other enterprise environments. We’ll cover cloud authorization failures, vendor risk, data exposure, connected-device security, and why “smart” devices deserve the same skepticism as any other endpoint on your network.
We hope you’ll join us for our presentation on this very sucky topic.
Where?
Cisco @ The Old Post Office
433 W. Van Buren St.
Chicago, IL
When?
Thursday April 23, 20265:00PM to 7:00PMPlease plan to arrive on time to ensure you receive your automatic CPEs!

ISC2 Chicago Networking Event – May 21st, 2026
2026-05-21 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Come celebrate with your fellow chapter members and industry professionals for happy hour and lively discussion on Thursday, May 21st at our usual place at Theory Chicago. Come have a beer with us and see how you can get involved!

Where?

Theory
9 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654

When?
Thursday, May 21st, 2026
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Arrive anytime!

Professional Event: Mitigating Modern Software Supply Chain Attacks
2026-06-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Cisco Office, 433 W Van Buren, Chicago, IL
Let’s get together in person!
Our next ISC2 Chicago Chapter Professional Event is scheduled for Thursday, June 18th, 2026 at the Cisco office downtown. See below for all details, including RSVP information:
Topic: Mitigating Modern Software Supply Chain Attacks
Presented by: Tom Burns, CISSP
Modern applications inherit code from hundreds of third-party packages, and attackers have learned to weaponize that trust. From the SolarWinds Orion backdoor, to the LiteLLM compromise that poisoned a popular AI-gateway library, to the “Mini Shai-Hulud” npm worm that self-propagates by stealing developer tokens and republishing itself into other packages, the supply chain has become one of the highest-leverage attack surfaces in enterprise software — one compromised dependency can land code inside thousands of organizations before anyone notices.
This talk walks through the threat landscape and the layered defenses that have emerged to counter it: Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) generation, vulnerability scanning (pip-audit, OSV), signature and provenance verification, dependency pinning, lockfile review, and policy-driven CVE waiver workflows. We’ll discuss why each control matters and where each one falls short in practice.

Tom will demo Supply Chain Guardian, an open workstation toolkit he has been building that wires these controls together into the developer’s daily loop. Guardian enforces pre-commit gates for dependency changes, runs targeted vulnerability scans with expiration-tracked waivers, sweeps for security anti-patterns, and ships AI-agent guardrails so that Claude Code and similar assistants can’t silently introduce risky dependencies.

Attendees will leave with a concrete model for what supply chain defense looks like on a real workstation — and an open-source starting point they can adopt for their own teams.

Tom Burns is a former Platform Security Architect at Intel and a former Principal Solutions Architect at AWS. Today, he is CTO of his own AI startup and an AI/Cybersecurity consultant.

Please RSVP early so we can plan space and food accordingly.
This event counts as 2 hours CPE credit for ISC2 Certification holders.
A light meal will be served.
This event will occur in the Cisco Office inside the Old Post Office downtown. We will meet in the lobby of 433 W Van Buren and be escorted to their office on the 7th floor.

ISC2 Chicago Networking Event - July 23rd @ Theory
2026-07-23 17:00 - 19:00 | Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Come network with your fellow chapter members and industry professionals for happy hour and lively discussion on Thursday, July 23rd at our usual place at Theory Chicago. Come have a beer with us and see how you can get involved!

Where?

Theory
9 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654

When?
Thursday, July 23rd, 2026
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Arrive anytime!
