> milwaukee, wi · verified oct 1, 2026
Wisconsin
Milwaukee's regular security meetings happen in the western suburbs: dc414 meets on first Fridays at a bar in West Allis, while MilSec (roughly monthly on Thursday evenings) and ISSA Milwaukee (second Tuesday afternoons) both use the New Berlin Ale House. Downtown, the Midwest Cyber Security Alliance runs free early-evening briefings a few times a year. The biggest week is Hacker Spring Break, when CypherCon (March 24 and 25, 2027) at the Baird Center is followed by BSidesMKE on March 26.
Tue, Oct 13, 2026 · Early arrival 3:00 p.m.; talk 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin · Metro area
Alex Holden of Hold Security on defending against AI-enabled attacks and errors caused by improper use of AI. Register through the chapter site.
ConfirmedChapter meetingFree
Thu, Oct 22, 2026
Brookfield Conference Center, 325 S Moorland Rd, Brookfield · Metro area
A Wisconsin Technology Association panel on who owns and regulates AI initiatives, moderated by an ISACA Milwaukee chapter leader, with panelists from Potawatomi Casino Hotel, Bader Rutter and Froedtert ThedaCare Health. The ISACA listing shows 14:00 to 16:00 Eastern time (1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Central if correct); confirm the time and any fee when registering.
ConfirmedWorkshopFree
Tue, Nov 10, 2026 · 3:00 p.m.
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin; members can also join online · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
Thu, Nov 12, 2026 · 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Bucyrus Club, 1919 12th Ave, South Milwaukee · Metro area
Adjacent: the physical security chapter's yearly luncheon honoring southeastern Wisconsin law enforcement. Ticketed registration through the chapter site.
ConfirmedMeetupPaid
Tue, Dec 8, 2026 · Starts 5:00 p.m.
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin · Metro area
The chapter calendar lists a special evening event in place of the December meeting; details are not yet posted. The December 2025 meeting was also an evening event.
ConfirmedChapter meetingFree
Tue, Jan 12, 2027 · 3:00 p.m.
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin; members can also join online · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
Tue, Feb 9, 2027 · 3:00 p.m.
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin; members can also join online · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
Tue, Mar 9, 2027 · 3:00 p.m.
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin; members can also join online · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
Wed, Mar 24 to Thu, Mar 25, 2027
Baird Center, 400 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee
CFP closes: Sat, Jan 9, 2027
Tenth edition. Pre-conference workshops run March 22 and 23, 2027, and BSidesMKE follows on March 26. Student, government and unemployed or underemployed discounts and grant requests are available; tickets are non-refundable.
ConfirmedConferencePaid
Fri, Mar 26, 2027
Milwaukee (venue not yet posted)
CypherCon lists BSidesMKE tickets from $50, with student and first-timer pricing. The ticket banner on the BSidesMKE site reads 'Sept 2027', which conflicts with the March 26, 2027 date shown on the same page and on CypherCon's call for speakers.
ConfirmedConferencePaid
Tue, Apr 13, 2027 · 3:00 p.m.
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin; members can also join online · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
Fri, Apr 16, 2027
Marquette University, Milwaukee
Call for speakers closes: Fri, Mar 5, 2027
Community-run one-day summit on operational technology and ICS security. The inaugural 2026 edition (April 24, 2026) was a paid Eventbrite registration with free admission for students; 2027 pricing is not yet posted. The summit's own site, midwest-otcs.org, could not be reached during research.
ConfirmedSummitPaid
Thu, May 20, 2027
Milwaukee (venue not yet posted)
Hybrid one-day vendor-sponsored conference for IT and security leaders, run by FutureCon Events. The 2026 Milwaukee edition was held September 24, 2026. Registrations are subject to the organizer's approval; pricing for 2027 is not posted.
ConfirmedConferenceVetting requiredVendor-hosted
Wed, Jun 2, 2027 · 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Milwaukee (venue to be announced; 2026 edition at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee)
One-day executive-oriented summit run by CyberRisk Alliance with vendor sponsors. Standard admission is $275; admission is limited to working security and IT practitioners, and every registration is reviewed. ISACA Milwaukee and WiCyS Wisconsin took part in the 2026 edition.
ConfirmedSummitPaidVetting requiredVendor-hosted
Fri, Jun 11 to Sat, Jun 12, 2027
Chicago, IL (exact venue announced to attendees before the event) · Regional
Chicago's hacking conference, about 90 miles south of Milwaukee. The call for papers opens November 5, 2026.
ConfirmedConferencePaid
Thu, Jun 17, 2027
Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St, Madison · Regional
One-day conference in Madison, about 80 miles west of Milwaukee, with talks, villages and networking. Tickets go on sale January 1, 2027.
ConfirmedConferencePaid
Announced without a date, or expected from past editions. Not confirmed.
Announced by the organizer; date not yet published.
Hermann Hall Conference Center, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL · Regional
Date TBAConferencePaid
Announced by the organizer; date not yet published.
Fox Valley Technical College, D.J. Bordini Center, Appleton (2026 venue) · Regional
Date TBAConferencePaid
Usually held in May; the 2026 symposium was May 14, 2026. 2027 date not yet announced
Potawatomi Casino Hotel, 1721 W Canal St, Milwaukee (2026 venue)
ExpectedConferencePaid
Held December 4, 2025 at American Family Field; 2026 date not yet announced
American Family Field, Milwaukee (2025 venue)
ExpectedConferencePaid
Held in October at MSOE in 2024 (October 11) and 2025 (October 17); 2026 date not yet announced
Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), Diercks Hall, 1025 N Broadway, Milwaukee
ExpectedSummitPaidVendor-hosted
Held annually; the 2026 summit was April 7 and 8, 2026 in Appleton. 2027 dates and location not yet announced
Fox Cities Exhibition Center, Appleton (2026 location; the host city can change) · Regional
ExpectedSummitPaidVendor-hosted
Milwaukee area; symposiums at downtown venues · In the city
Spring and winter symposiums plus occasional sessions with partner groups; no fixed monthly meeting
Audit, risk, governance and cybersecurity chapter covering a 50-mile radius of Milwaukee. The 2026 Spring Symposium was May 14 at the Potawatomi Casino Hotel, and the 2025 Winter Symposium was December 4, 2025 at American Family Field. Symposiums are paid and earn CPE credits.
Paid
Statewide chapter; meetings online · In the city
Online chapter meetings with a presentation; RSVP through the chapter site; no meeting announced
A newly chartered statewide chapter that grew out of an effort to start a Milwaukee-based chapter. Its placeholder site lists a virtual chapter meeting on Tuesday, July 28, at 2:00 p.m. Central with a talk on zero trust for agentic AI, without printing the year; July 28 falls on a Tuesday in 2026, the chapter's first year.
Free
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin; members can also join online · Metro area
Second Tuesday of the month: optional early arrival at 3:00 p.m., featured speaker 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., then a social hour in the bar
Serves southeastern Wisconsin. Regular meetings are free for members and non-members, with complimentary food and drinks at the social hour; the Google Meet option is for chapter members only. The chapter calendar skipped the September 8, 2026 meeting. The chapter also posts peer events (CypherCon, BSidesMKE, ISACA symposiums) on its calendar and runs a summer golf outing with ISACA Milwaukee.
Free
Foley & Lardner office, 40th floor, US Bank Building, 777 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee · In the city
Briefings a few times a year, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.; free with advance registration
Milwaukee-based membership organization for security and privacy professionals. 2026 meetings were February 23, April 30 and September 14 (a panel on reading pentest reports). Meetings are hosted at a law firm's office and often co-presented by sponsoring security vendors, so it is marked vendor hosted. The alliance also funds cybersecurity scholarships at local universities.
FreeVendor-hosted
Burnsies Bar and Grill (lower level), 9646 W Greenfield Ave, West Allis · Metro area
First Friday of the month at 7:00 p.m.; moved a week later when the first Friday is a holiday; ongoing chat on Discord
Milwaukee-area hacker group. The group posts each month's meetup on its site; the September 2026 meetup was Friday, September 4, and the July 2026 meetup moved to July 10 to avoid the holiday. Members also turn out together at CypherCon and BSidesMKE.
Free
New Berlin Ale House, 16000 W Cleveland Ave, New Berlin · Metro area
About monthly on a Thursday, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with a talk around 6:10 p.m. followed by networking; each meeting is posted on Meetup about a week ahead
Community infosec networking meetup; hackers and defenders welcome, no dues and no talk required to attend. The group's description says it usually meets on the second Thursday, but its 2026 meetings fell on other Thursdays (February 26, March 19, April 30, May 21, June 25, July 30 and September 24), so no fixed rule is listed. Drinks are often provided by a sponsor.
Free
Statewide; recent meetups at the Official Cybersecurity Summit in downtown Milwaukee · In the city
Occasional meetups, often alongside Milwaukee conferences; no meeting announced
Women in CyberSecurity state affiliate. Its listed gatherings in 2025 (June 12) and 2026 (June 2) were at the Official Cybersecurity Summit at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee; the summit itself requires a ticket. The affiliate also sends a newsletter.
Free
Statewide; meetings rotate between Madison, Milwaukee and online · In the city
Member meetings a few times a year; no further meeting announced
FBI public-private partnership chapter; membership requires FBI vetting. The member meetings page lists an October 1, 2026 meeting (2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Madison College's Truax campus, on the FBI's domestic terrorism program and the Wisconsin DOJ Cyber Crimes Unit) and a February 25, 2026 online meeting. A past meeting was held at Foley & Lardner in downtown Milwaukee, co-hosted with the Midwest Cyber Security Alliance.
Members onlyVetting required
Marquette University campus, Milwaukee · In the city
Campus events during the academic year; the Cyber Eagles student competition team meets regularly online (Microsoft Teams)
Marquette is an NSA Center of Academic Excellence. The center co-hosted the inaugural Midwest OT Cybersecurity Summit on campus on April 24, 2026 (free for students). Its student team, the Cyber Eagles, won the red team competition at the 2022 NCAE Executive Leadership Forum; the older undergraduate Cyber Security Club is inactive and could be reinstated if students are interested.
Students only
Milwaukee · In the city
Annual one-day community conference on the day after CypherCon
Locally organized, volunteer-run BSides with talks, a CTF and villages. It began in 2024; the third edition was Friday, April 3, 2026. The group is on LinkedIn, Instagram, Discord and Mastodon.
Paid
Baird Center, 400 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee · In the city
Annual two-day hacker and technology conference in late March or early April
Wisconsin's largest technology and cybersecurity conference, held since 2018. CypherCon 9 ran April 1 and 2, 2026 at the Baird Center. Pre-conference workshops, CypherCon and BSidesMKE together make up Hacker Spring Break (also called InfoSec Spring Break).
Paid
Online (Discord); annual summit at Marquette University · In the city
Ongoing online community with a member blog and mentoring program; in person at its annual summit
Midwest community for operational technology (OT) and industrial control system security, open to practitioners, students and the curious. It runs the Midwest OT Cybersecurity Summit (MOCS) in Milwaukee, pairs newcomers with OT mentors, and keeps a calendar of other Midwest conferences and CTFs.
Free
Milwaukee area (venues vary) · In the city
Roughly monthly one-hour meetings at 4:00 p.m. on varying weekdays, plus luncheons and special events
Adjacent: a physical security, safety and risk management chapter rather than a cybersecurity group. About 200 members; non-members attend as a member's guest. 2026 meetings included September 22, August 18 and June 16.
Members only
Numbered references for the listings on this page.