Cybersecurity has become a major global priority, impacting individual users, companies, organizations, and public institutions. Social engineering, deepfakes, digital manipulation, and coordinated geopolitical attacks are fundamentally reshaping how we view the digital future.
In this context, DefCamp, the largest cybersecurity and hacking conference in Central and Eastern Europe, reaffirms its role as a strategic hub for professionals, business leaders, experts, and enthusiasts. On 13-14 November, at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, the 15th edition of DefCamp will bring together over 2,000 participants from more than 60 countries, reaffirming Romania’s place on the global cybersecurity map.
A conference growing alongside the industry
“In 2011, cybersecurity was a little-known concept in Romania. By 2025, it has become a necessity in a world where digitalization is already the norm. We are witnessing an unprecedented acceleration of phenomena such as deepfakes and AI-generated content, which are radically transforming the digital landscape. Risks are increasingly visible across society, and effectively addressing these changes requires involvement at multiple levels – from the technical community to the business environment and public institutions,” said Andrei Avădănei, founder of DefCamp.
This year’s agenda brings together:
Presentations on the impact of AI, deepfakes, and emerging digital risks.
Workshops and over 10 hands-on cybersecurity competitions.
Strategic discussions dedicated to both the private and public sectors.
DefCamp 2025 focuses on three main directions: developing the professional community, engaging decision-makers, and raising awareness of cybersecurity risks across society.
What’s new at DefCamp 2025
A key highlight of this year’s edition is the introduction of industry-focused debate sessions, designed specifically for decision-makers and leaders. These sessions provide a dialogue platform between private and public sector representatives and cybersecurity experts, exploring the risks and opportunities that digital transformation brings to each economic sector.
Topics on the agenda include:
The evolution of deepfakes and the rise of “vibe hacking,” the new frontier of social engineering.
Quantum cryptography and its impact on security.
Zero Trust and Identity-First Security strategies.
Critical infrastructure resilience and the challenges of supply-chain attacks.
Cybersecurity in the financial sector.
Over 50 confirmed international experts
DefCamp continues its tradition of bringing globally recognized leaders and specialists to the stage.
The confirmed talks include Inbar Raz, VP of Research at Zenity, who will discuss 0-click attacks enabled by AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini in enterprise environments. With over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity and reverse engineering, Inbar is known for his innovative approaches to identifying vulnerabilities.
Johnny Xmas, active in the security community since 2002, will present how he uncovered a supply-chain attack, highlighting the crucial role of the broader community. He is well-known for his investigations into TSA key leaks and Venmo vulnerabilities.
Dr. Kang Li, CTO of CertiK and an expert in confidential computing, will present “TEE in Web3: Myths, Risks, and Real-World Pitfalls”. He will analyze major vulnerabilities in Intel SGX and AMD SEV and provide practical recommendations for building trusted applications in the Web3 ecosystem.
Klara (Chaeyoung) Kim, a cybersecurity researcher and graduate of the Best of the Best (BoB) program (Korea), will talk about securing CubeSats, nanosatellites used in telecommunications and data collection.
Matthew Caplan, Head of International Professional Services at Orange Cyberdefense, will explore the challenges of aligning organizations with national and international regulations and how compliance can be translated into tangible results.
More details about other speakers and presentations can be found here.
“Cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting customers’ personal data or a business’s individual resources. AI is no longer just an important innovation for society; it is increasingly being used in very advanced ways by attackers. Therefore, we can no longer speak only of reactive cybersecurity protection.
Companies in Romania need to strengthen their defenses, especially for critical infrastructures, with proactive solutions. At the same time, Romania has more and more young talents in cybersecurity who can fill the expert gap in the field. That is why we have been partners with this important initiative, DefCamp, for some time now – it is a place that can attract and train new specialists, but also where we can innovate for the future of cybersecurity resilience,” said Marius Maican, Technology Director at Orange Romania.
Hacking Village: the core of the conference’s hands-on activities
Complementing the sessions on the three parallel stages, DefCamp continues with Hacking Village, the area dedicated to hands-on experimentation and learning, active since 2016. Here, over 10 cybersecurity competitions will be organized, covering areas such as IoT hacking, OSINT, electronics, phishing, cloud, and awareness.
DefCamp Capture the Flag (D-CTF), the conference’s first and most well-known competition, remains the centerpiece of Hacking Village. Recognized internationally, D-CTF attracts teams from around the world each year and provides a realistic environment for developing technical skills.
With the support of CyberEDU, all competitions in Hacking Village benefit from a complete technical platform and a dedicated environment, ensuring that challenges take place under optimal conditions. Participants face realistic scenarios and advanced resources, pushing them to keep their skills at the highest level and rewarding their performance in a competitive setting.
DefCamp – the cybersecurity barometer of the region
From a local event, DefCamp has become a benchmark in Central and Eastern Europe. Over its 14 years of existence, the conference has attracted more than 15,000 participants to Bucharest from 60 countries and over 150 cities.
In 2025, DefCamp strengthens both the national ecosystem’s readiness against current threats and international connections by attracting top experts and organizations. The conference serves as a cybersecurity barometer, highlighting topics such as AI, OSINT, attacks on critical infrastructure, and European regulations like NIS2 and DORA – issues that directly impact the business environment and society.
Organizers and partners
DefCamp 2025 is organized by the Cyber Security Research Center from Romania (CCSIR), powered by Orange Romania. The conference is supported by Adobe and Bit Sentinel (Gold partners).
About DefCamp
Founded in 2011, DefCamp is the largest cybersecurity conference in Central and Eastern Europe. Its mission is to strengthen the infosec community and create a strategic hub for expertise and innovation transfer.
Through top-tier presentations, hands-on competitions, and dialogue sessions between the public and private sectors, DefCamp prepares the digital ecosystem for ever-evolving cybersecurity challenges.
In 2024, the audience included a diverse range of professional roles: 29% security engineers, 12% managers, 10% from education, 6% executive leadership, 5% auditors and consultants, 5% IT operations, 4% software engineering, 10% sales & marketing, 3% researchers, and 16% other roles.
More information is available at: https://def.camp.
*This is a press release.
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