RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Oct 9, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
New York
Rochester, NY cybersecurity events & groups
Rochester's security calendar centers on two annual conferences: the ISSA-run Rochester Security Summit each October and BSidesROC each March, both in or near the city. Rochester 2600 (which also hosts DEF CON group DC585) meets on first Fridays at RIT's Global Cybersecurity Institute, and the ISSA chapter holds roughly monthly meetings and trainings. RIT's RITSEC student club runs weekly meetings and several competitions.
Start here
- Rochester 2600 (with DC585): Free, open monthly meetup on first Fridays; the easiest way to meet the local hacker community.
- Rochester Security Summit 2026 (RSS:2026): The region's largest security conference, October 14 to 15, 2026 downtown.
- BSidesROC 2027: Community-run hacker conference on March 20, 2027 in Henrietta, with a lockpick village.
Six months at a glance
Datebook
October 2026
Rochester Security Summit 2026 (RSS:2026)
Wed, Oct 14 to Thu, Oct 15, 2026 · Starts 7:30 a.m. each day
Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center, 123 East Main Street, Rochester
Ticket sales end: Thu, Oct 15, 2026
20th edition, run by ISSA Rochester with exhibitor sponsors. Late registration is $380 for both days or $245 for one day. Recording smart glasses are banned on the conference floor.
ConfirmedConferencePaid
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Oct 16, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Oct 23, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Oct 30, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
IRSeC 2026 (RITSEC Incident Response Security Competition)
Sat, Oct 31, 2026
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
RITSEC's beginner red-versus-blue competition for RIT students.
ConfirmedCTFStudents only
November 2026
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Nov 6, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
Rochester 2600 (with DC585)
Fri, Nov 6, 2026 · 7:00 p.m.
ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, RIT, 1 Kimball Drive, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
AI, Cybersecurity & You: What Every Organization Needs to Know
Thu, Nov 12, 2026 · 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
FTS, Inc., 20 S Clinton Avenue, Rochester
Panel on AI, security and legal risk followed by networking, hosted by FirstLight and FTS with TechRochester. Registration is $10 on the TechRochester site.
ConfirmedMeetupPaidVendor-hosted
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Nov 13, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Nov 20, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Nov 27, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
December 2026
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Dec 4, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
Rochester 2600 (with DC585)
Fri, Dec 4, 2026 · 7:00 p.m.
ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, RIT, 1 Kimball Drive, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Dec 11, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Dec 18, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Dec 25, 2026 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
January 2027
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Jan 1, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
Rochester 2600 (with DC585)
Fri, Jan 1, 2027 · 7:00 p.m.
ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, RIT, 1 Kimball Drive, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Jan 8, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Jan 15, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Jan 22, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Jan 29, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
February 2027
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Feb 5, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
Rochester 2600 (with DC585)
Fri, Feb 5, 2027 · 7:00 p.m.
ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, RIT, 1 Kimball Drive, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Feb 12, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Feb 19, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
ISTS 2027 (Information Security Talent Search)
Fri, Feb 26 to Sun, Feb 28, 2027
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Collegiate security competition run by RITSEC; the club lists it as invite only.
ConfirmedCTFInvite only
March 2027
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Mar 5, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
Rochester 2600 (with DC585)
Fri, Mar 5, 2027 · 7:00 p.m.
ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, RIT, 1 Kimball Drive, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Mar 12, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Mar 19, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
BSidesROC 2027
Sat, Mar 20, 2027
RIT Inn & Conference Center, 5257 West Henrietta Road, Henrietta · Metro area
The CFP, training CFP and ticket sales had not opened as of October 3, 2026. The 2026 edition used paid tickets and had a separate training day the day before the conference.
ConfirmedConferencePaid
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Mar 26, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
April 2027
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Apr 2, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
Rochester 2600 (with DC585)
Fri, Apr 2, 2027 · 7:00 p.m.
ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, RIT, 1 Kimball Drive, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingFree
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Apr 9, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Apr 16, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Apr 23, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Fri, Apr 30, 2027 · 12:00 p.m.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Per published schedule; confirm with organizer.
MeetingStudents only
On the radar
Announced without a date, or expected from past editions. Not confirmed.
RITSEC CTF 2027
Announced by the organizer; date not yet published.
Online and RIT, Henrietta · Metro area
Date TBACTFFree
BSides Buffalo 2027
Usually held in early June (the 2026 edition was June 6, 2026); 2027 date not yet announced
Canisius University, Science Hall, Buffalo · Regional
ExpectedConferencePaid
Groups & associations
Professional associations
IAPP KnowledgeNet Western New York
Buffalo (host venues vary) · Regional
Occasional meetings; none scheduled on the chapter page
Privacy and cybersecurity law chapter covering Western New York. The November 20, 2025 meeting was a cybersecurity compliance panel co-hosted with Phillips Lytle at One Canalside, 125 Main Street, Buffalo. Chapter membership requires IAPP membership.
Quiet: last activity Nov 2025Members only
iapp.org/community/iapp-chapters/western-new-yo… [S12] [S13]
ISACA Western New York Chapter
Western New York (Buffalo and Rochester areas) · Regional
Irregular; no chapter events on the chapter calendar
Chapter territory covers 50 miles around both Buffalo and Rochester, and its mailing address is in Rochester. The latest event on its calendar is the IT GRC conference listed with IIA Western New York on May 8, 2025 in Williamsville.
Quiet: last activity May 2025Paid
ISSA Rochester Chapter
Rochester area (venues vary) · In the city
Roughly monthly meetings and trainings; no meeting announced on the chapter site
Chapter meetings are free for ISSA members and $20 for non-members, with RSVP required. The July 16, 2026 meeting was at Security Risk Advisors, Culver Road Armory, 155 Culver Road; the August 15, 2026 event was a members' family picnic at Seabreeze. The chapter runs the Rochester Security Summit.
Paid
Hacker and grassroots groups
Rochester 2600 (with DC585)
ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, RIT, 1 Kimball Drive, Henrietta · Metro area
First Friday of the month, 7:00 p.m.; meetings are sometimes cancelled, so check the site or Meetup first
Loosely organized monthly meetup with a security news roundup and usually one attendee talk. The DEF CON Groups directory lists DC585 as meeting with Rochester 2600 on first Fridays, so both are listed here as one meeting. The August 7 and September 4, 2026 meetings were cancelled; the July 3, 2026 meeting is the latest the group's site shows as held.
Free
TOOOL Rochester
Rochester (no regular venue) · In the city
Meetings are irregular; the group runs the lockpick village at BSidesROC
Local chapter of The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers. Its site says meetings have been irregular since Covid and are open to all. The latest dated activity found is the lockpick village it ran at BSidesROC on March 21, 2026.
Quiet: last activity Mar 2026Free
Public-private and government
InfraGard Buffalo Members Alliance
Buffalo and Rochester regions (venues vary; most 2026 meetings in the Buffalo area) · Regional
Several member meetings and webinars a year, plus a year-end meeting and FBI briefing in December
Serves InfraGard members in the greater Buffalo and Rochester regions. The December 12, 2025 year-end meeting and FBI briefing was in the Rochester area; the June 30, 2026 meeting was in the Lewiston and Niagara Falls area. Registration details go to vetted members.
Vetting required
Education and student groups
RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club)
Rochester Institute of Technology, Henrietta · Metro area
Education meeting Fridays 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. and research meeting Fridays 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. during the semester; interest groups meet on other nights
Student club at RIT, an NSA/DHS Center of Academic Excellence. It held an in-person Career Fair Eve on September 22, 2026, and runs the IRSeC and ISTS competitions and the online RITSEC CTF. RIT's WiCyS student chapter is a partner club. The site does not say which weeks the Friday meetings skip.
Students only
SUNY Brockport Cybersecurity Club
SUNY Brockport, Brockport · Metro area
Labs, workshops and CTF competitions during the academic year; no public meeting schedule
Student club that competes in CTFs; its team placed third at BSides Buffalo and eighth at BSidesROC. The college's news post is dated June 9, 2026 but gives the BSides Buffalo date as June 6, 2025; BSides Buffalo 2026 was held June 6, 2026, so the post most likely means 2026.
Students only
brockport.edu/academics/computing-sciences/clubs [S22] [S23]
Conference series
BSidesROC (Security B-Sides Rochester)
RIT Inn & Conference Center, Henrietta · Metro area
Annual one-day conference each March, with a training day before it
Non-profit hacker conference. The 2026 edition was held March 21, 2026 at the RIT Inn & Conference Center; status reflects the time since that edition, and the 2027 date is posted.
Quiet: last activity Mar 2026Paid
Directory checklist
10 of 19 national directories list a local chapter
| Directory | Result |
|---|---|
| 2600 Meetings | Local chapter: Rochester 2600 (with DC585) |
| CISA Regional Offices | Nearest: CISA Region 2; no public Rochester events posted |
| Cloud Security Alliance | No chapter found |
| Cyversity (formerly ICMCP) Chapters | No chapter found |
| DEF CON Groups | Local chapter: Rochester 2600 (with DC585) |
| HTCIA | No chapter found |
| IAPP KnowledgeNet | Local chapter: IAPP KnowledgeNet Western New York |
| InfraGard Members Alliances | Local chapter: InfraGard Buffalo Members Alliance |
| ISACA | Local chapter: ISACA Western New York Chapter |
| ISC2 | Nearest: ISC2 Central New York Chapter (Syracuse) |
| ISSA | Local chapter: ISSA Rochester Chapter |
| NSA National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) | Local chapter: RITSEC (RIT Computing Security Club) |
| OWASP | Local chapter: OWASP Rochester |
| SANS Institute | No chapter found |
| SecureWorld | No chapter found |
| Security BSides | Local chapter: BSidesROC (Security B-Sides Rochester) |
| TOOOL (The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers) | Local chapter: TOOOL Rochester |
| WiCyS (Women in CyberSecurity) Professional Affiliates | Nearest: WiCyS RIT Student Chapter (students only; no dated meetings posted) |
| Women's Society of Cyberjutsu (WSC) Chapters | No chapter found |
Dormant groups
1 group with no public activity for 18 months or more
- OWASP Rochester: last public activity Oct 2020 [S25]
Field notes
- Rochester 2600 cancelled its August and September 2026 meetings; check rochester2600.com or its Meetup page before going.
- Rochester 2600 and BSidesROC are at RIT and the RIT Inn in Henrietta, south of the city, not downtown.
- ISSA Rochester meetings need an RSVP and charge non-members $20.
- The BSides global calendar lists BSidesROC 2027 as March 20 to 21 with training on the 20th; the BSidesROC site gives Saturday, March 20, 2027 as the conference date. The organizer's date is used here.
- InfraGard, ISACA and IAPP chapters serving Rochester are shared with Buffalo, and most of their recent meetings were in the Buffalo area.
Sources
Numbered references for the listings on this page.
- S1https://www.ritsec.club/events
- S2https://www.ritsec.club/groups
- S3https://www.rochestersecurity.org/
- S4https://www.rochestersecurity.org/schedule/
- S5https://www.rochester2600.com/meetings/
- S6https://www.meetup.com/roc2600/events/
- S7https://forum.defcon.org/node/231461
- S8https://www.techrochester.org/tr-and-community-events/ai-cybersecurity-you-what-every-organization-needs-to-know
- S9https://bsidesroc.com/
- S10https://ctf.ritsec.club/
- S11https://www.bsidesbuffalo.org/
- S12https://iapp.org/community/iapp-chapters/western-new-york
- S13https://phillipslytle.com/news-events/stay-ahead-of-cyber-threats-strengthening-defenses-and-compliance-in-new-york/
- S14https://engage.isaca.org/westernnewyorkchapter/home
- S15https://engage.isaca.org/westernnewyorkchapter/events/eventdescription?CalendarEventKey=2c2325ca-f544-4157-9d5f-01966392e78d&CommunityKey=d150a48e-d70f-414d-b67c-c298669229cf&Home=%2Fwesternnewyorkchapter%2Fevents%2Fcalendar
- S16https://www.rocissa.org/meetings/
- S17https://www.rocissa.org/meetings/july-2026-chapter-meeting/
- S18https://www.tooolroc.org/
- S19https://bsidesroc.com/assets/archive/2026/lockpick_village/index.html
- S20https://infragardwny.net/
- S21https://infragardwny.net/events.html
- S22https://www.brockport.edu/academics/computing-sciences/clubs/
- S23https://www.brockport.edu/live/news/12987-cybersecurity-team-awarded-third-place-at-bsides-buffa
- S24https://events.humanitix.com/bsidesroc-2026
- S25https://github.com/OWASP/www-chapter-rochester