SANS Cyber Defense Initiative® 2026

SANS Cyber Defense Initiative 2026 is a six-day cybersecurity training event held both in-person in Washington, D.C., and online. It is one of SANS's largest annual events, offering a broad course lineup covering every cyber focus area, along with a Core NetWars tournament. The event provides intensive, expert-led instruction through hands-on labs, simulations, and exercises designed for practical application. It includes keynote access, SANS@Night talks, workshops, a welcome reception, and a vendor expo. The training aims to help practitioners build or advance hands-on security skills, with content applicable to diverse roles from first security certification through advanced topics like malware reverse engineering, ICS incident response, cloud-native detection, and AI/ML security operations. It specifically aligns with fiscal-year budgets for the federal workforce.