BENGALURU: Artificial intelligence, deepfakes and the evolving cyber threat landscape dominated discussions at the Security BSides Bangalore Annual Cybersecurity Conference 2026, bringing together cybersecurity professionals, researchers, govt officials and industry leaders at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Whitefield, on July 9.The conference, themed “Deciphering Cybersecurity.AI.Resilience,” was inaugurated by Dr Purushottam Y, additional director, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), along with CloudSEK co-founder and CEO Rahul Sasi, Security BSides Bangalore founder and president Sujatha Yakasiri, and co-founder and vice-president Ashok Kumar Ratnagiri.Addressing the gathering, Dr Purushottam stressed the need for constant vigilance against cyber threats. “Cybersecurity is not a product that we buy and become complacent about, but rather requires continuous and meticulous vigilance,” he said.In his keynote address, Rahul Sasi said AI would increasingly augment, rather than replace, cybersecurity professionals. “The future isn’t humans versus AI; it’s humans reviewing AI. As AI takes over pattern recognition and automation, the greatest value will come from professionals who provide judgment, accountability, and governance. AI must always have meaningful human oversight,” he said.Delivering the closing keynote, Dr Ram Kumar G reviewed the cyber threat landscape during the first half of 2026, highlighting AI-driven transformation alongside emerging risks involving identity, supply chains, cyber warfare and operational technology. He also outlined a roadmap for organisations to strengthen cyber resilience.The conference featured a CISO War Room Simulation on responding to advanced cyber threats, CxO roundtables, workshops on hacking Agentic AI and MCP security, AI governance sessions, and technical presentations with live demonstrations by security researchers.Women cybersecurity professionals participated in the Wonder Women Capture the Flag (W2-CTF) competition, while a leadership workshop was organised for women in the sector. The startup showcase, EmergeX: Unveiling Innovation, featured 12 startups pitching their ideas before a jury of venture capitalists and industry experts.The event also included mentoring sessions with technology leaders, a career fair supported by Tesco, and a Live Hacking Village featuring demonstrations on drone hacking and lock-picking.Dr Subramanyeswara Rao Ayyanki, Inspector General of Police (Cyber Crime), Karnataka Lokayukta, participated in a panel discussion titled *”The Deepfake Arms Race: Defending Identity in a Post-Truth Era” alongside industry experts.Excellence Awards recognising contributions to the cybersecurity ecosystem were presented during the conference. Delegates received welcome kits, while a MacBook was awarded through a lucky draw. The event was powered by CloudSEK and supported by Tesco, JFrog, Black Duck, Check Point, CySecK and AccuKnox, among other cybersecurity and technology firms.
