Tag: conference

RVAsec 15 Speaker Feature: Nancy Coblenz

May 1, 2026
Speaker

Gigawatts and Governance: The Data Security Crisis No One Is Talking About (<– add to your schedule)

Gigawatts of power. Trillions in investment. A data security crisis hiding in plain sight. The explosive growth of AI data centers has created an infrastructure layer most security frameworks were never designed to govern. When ownership of that infrastructure determines who truly controls the data inside it, conventional perimeter thinking is not enough. This session makes the case that infrastructure governance is the defining data security challenge of our generation.

Nancy Coblenz:
Nancy Coblenz is a transformational leader, tech visionary, and global strategist redefining what digital sovereignty means in the 21st century. As Co-Founder and President of Stellenium, she is pioneering sovereign AI infrastructure at a scale never before attempted, empowering governments to take control of their digital futures. With over 15 years of experience in technology, innovation policy, and large-scale systems strategy, Nancy combines geopolitical insight with human-centered design to solve urgent digital equity challenges.
Nancy served as CEO of MyBrand AI, an AI strategy and implementation firm that laid the groundwork for Stellenium. She held senior leadership roles at a private equity firm and a multibillion dollar global workforce solutions provider, scaling dozens of business units. Her early ventures, including a spatial computing agency, showcased her pioneering spirit.
Through deep government and enterprise partnerships, Nancy built innovation ecosystems that aligned global solutions with regional realities. Stellenium’s strategic roadmap includes sovereign infrastructure initiatives ranging from $500M to $3B.These projects go beyond AI data centers and energy plants; they include full-stack digital infrastructure and workforce programs like the Institute for Sovereign Infrastructure & Innovation (ISII), which provides accredited degrees, certifications, and apprenticeships through national university partnerships.
Nancy has cultivated relationships with government leaders and ministries across Africa, positioning Stellenium as a trusted partner in national digital transformation. She was a featured speaker at the IMF World Congress African Summit, where she addressed ministers of finance and ambassadors on the future of AI sovereignty.
Currently, Stellenium is building one of the world’s first sovereign AI cloud platforms, a fully autonomous, air-gapped system giving countries complete control over their data, infrastructure, and AI governance. This innovation marks a historic shift in global technology independence.
Nancy’s impact has been recognized globally. Her accolades include Los Angeles Time’s Most Inspirational Leader in Innovation (Finalist), Global Tech Awards’ Infrastructure Technology Winner, Stevie Awards Woman of the Year, Best Woman CEO in IT (USA), WomenTech Global Mentor of the Year, and recognition from cover feature for CEO Monthly, Los Angeles Business Journal, MSN, SIA’s 40 Under 40, and the International PlayMaker Digital Leader Award. She exemplifies what it means to lead with courage, clarity, and purpose, building not just infrastructure, but a future where every nation can own its digital destiny.

Come see Nancy Coblenz at RVAsec 15!

RVAsec 15 Speaker Feature: Nick Copi

April 30, 2026
Speaker

Hacking Customized IDE Distributions: Methodology Behind Six Figures in Bug Bounties (<– add to your schedule)

Customized IDE distributions pose a lucrative attack surface due to the interconnected systems they interact with, usually highly privileged. This talk covers high level technical ecosystem architectures, IDE threat modeling, common attack vectors, and takes a stab at defining an IDE exploitation kill chain. While specific bug bounty targets and findings remain undisclosed, the methodology developed while producing them will be covered.

Nick Copi:
Nick Copi is a full time bug bounty hunter targeting web applications, cloud infrastructure, desktop apps, and pretty much anything with an attack surface. His background spans application security engineering, full stack development, and a long track record of CTF competition wins. He’s presented technical talks at security conferences and regularly publishes and reviews security research. A Richmond area native, Nick skipped his own high school graduation to attend his first RVASec, so he keeps coming back. When he’s not chaining interesting gadgets into full exploits, he’s probably thinking about it.

Come see Nick Copi at RVAsec 15!

RVAsec 15 Speaker Feature: Andrew Skatoff

April 30, 2026
Speaker

From OSINT to Detection: Building an Agentic CTI Pipeline (<– add to your schedule)

Modern threat intelligence moves fast, but detection engineering lags. This talk presents an agentic workflow that transforms OSINT into actionable detections using structured extraction, LLM reasoning, and automated validation. Transparent, auditable pipelines accelerate the CTI lifecycle, from ingestion to Sigma rules, while preserving analyst control, reducing time-to-detection from days to hours.

Andrew Skatoff:
Andrew is a cybersecurity senior leader with over 20 years of experience protecting critical financial infrastructure within the national financial infrastructure. He leads large-scale programs spanning incident response, threat hunting, and detection engineering, and has served as Incident Commander for nationally significant cyber events.

He is the creator of Huntable CTI Studio, an open-source agentic workbench that transforms threat intelligence reports into actionable detections using transparent, auditable AI workflows. His work focuses on applying AI as a force multiplier for security teams—without sacrificing rigor, trust, or control.

Come see Andrew Skatoff at RVAsec 15!

RVAsec 15 Speaker Feature: David Reign

April 30, 2026
Speaker

A Peek Behind the Curtain: How A.I. Works (<– add to your schedule)

“A Peek Behind the Curtain: How A.I. Works” offers a clear, non-technical tour of how modern AI systems learn from data and generate predictions or content. The talk demystifies key concepts like training, inference, and model limitations so attendees can better understand what AI can—and can’t—do.

David Reign:
David Reign is a Security Analyst at Oracle with seven years of experience in information security, including three years supporting enterprise environments at scale. His work focuses on cloud security, virtualization, and strengthening security posture through practical risk management and control implementation. David holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Hampton University and an M.Eng. in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland. He also maintains industry certifications including CompTIA Security+, CompTIA PenTest+, and GIAC Cloud Security Essentials (GCLD).

Come see David Reign at RVAsec 15!

RVAsec 15 Speaker Feature: Thomas Nance

April 29, 2026
Speaker

Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg: Undercover HUMINT Operations Inside the Ransomware Ecosystem (<– add to your schedule)

Ransomware attacks often begin with Initial Access Brokers selling network access through private channels invisible to traditional intelligence. This session explores how Darkweb IQ uses undercover personas to engage threat actors directly, uncovering attacker tools, techniques, and vulnerabilities before incidents occur. It also highlights how this intelligence supports law enforcement and contributed to a DOJ case involving an ALPHV affiliate.

Thomas Nance:
Thomas Nance is the Director of Intelligence Services at Darkweb IQ and a former CIA Operations Officer, where he conducted espionage and counterterrorism missions built on human source development and clandestine collection. He specializes in applying HUMINT tradecraft to cybercrime ecosystems, with a focus on infostealer-driven threats and initial access broker networks.

Prior to Darkweb IQ, Thomas led intelligence operations and solutions architecture at Flashpoint, delivering undercover, persona-led intelligence for Fortune 500 clients. He later helped scale a YC-backed AI threat intelligence company, closing enterprise contracts while shaping product direction through direct customer feedback.

At Darkweb IQ, he built and scaled the Intelligence Services function, delivering actionable intelligence to the FBI, cyber insurers, and enterprise security teams that is collected directly from 1:1 engagements with cyber criminals. His work centers on engaging directly with criminal networks to identify and disrupt access sales before the access is sold to ransomware gangs.

Come see Thomas Nance at RVAsec 15!

RVAsec 15 Speaker Feature: Kim Mahan

April 29, 2026
Speaker

Alert Fatigue Is a Misdiagnosis (<– add to your schedule)

“Alert fatigue” is a misdiagnosis of a deeper problem: the cognitive decay of the human defender. This talk brings the receipts on how a high-consumption information diet hijacks the prefrontal cortex — and why the answer isn’t more automation, but rebuilding the creative muscle that makes humans worth keeping in the loop.

Kim Mahan:
Kim Mahan is the Founding Apprentice at MAXX Potential, a technology consulting firm whose “earn-while-you-learn” model has produced hundreds of engineers—including cybersecurity professionals—now at Capital One, AWS, Google and beyond. A CISSP and Six Sigma Black Belt with 20+ years in enterprise technology leadership at GE and Genworth Financial, Kim specializes in hacking the human element.

She is a contributing author of Lead With Empathy (with Chris Voss), where she coined “Operational Empathy”—the tactical art of building systems around what people actually need to succeed, rather than what credentialing systems say they should know. Her current work, Human Amplified, applies neuroscience to the “Information Diet,” framing passive consumption as a primary driver of cognitive atrophy and a critical vulnerability in the modern workforce. Previously named an “Innovator Changing the South” by Fast Company and Entrepreneur of the Year by NAWBO.

Come see Kim Mahan at RVAsec 15!

RVAsec 15 Speaker Feature: Chelsea Bryan

April 29, 2026
Speaker

Community is a Control: Strengthening Cybersecurity Through Connection (<– add to your schedule)

Strong cybersecurity programs are not built by tools alone. This session explores how trust, mentorship, and community can directly impact incident response effectiveness, analyst retention, and long term resilience within security teams.

Chelsea Bryan:
Chelsea Bryan is a Security Operations Analyst at Virginia Commonwealth University with four years of hands on experience supporting enterprise security operations in a complex higher education environment. She works daily with SIEM platforms, endpoint detection and response tools, and network monitoring systems to triage alerts, investigate suspicious activity, respond to phishing and malware incidents, and contribute to continuous improvement of detection and response processes. In addition to her operational responsibilities, Chelsea is deeply committed to mentoring aspiring cybersecurity professionals and career changers who are working to break into the field. She provides practical guidance on building foundational knowledge, and navigating early career growth. She believes strong security teams are built through consistency, collaboration, and investing in people, and she is passionate about helping the next generation of analysts build confidence and capability in cybersecurity.

Come see Chelsea Bryan at RVAsec 15!

RVAsec 15 Registration Now Open!

January 26, 2026
AnnouncementConference

Tickets for RVAsec 15 are now on sale!

Registration for the RVAsec 15 security conference, located in Richmond, Virginia, is only $275 (to start) for two full days of talks, meals, snacks, drinks, reception, after party, prizes, a capture the flag contest, t-shirt & swag!

Once we sell out there will be no more tickets available and we do not have tickets for purchase at the door. Please help us ensure smooth planning with timely ticket purchases, and guarantee your spot at the conference.

Conference ticket prices and deadlines:**

  • $275 special price for the first 100 tickets!
  • $325 early price until 2/28
  • $400 regular registration until 3/31
  • $475 late registration 4/30
  • $550 super late registration 5/31
  • $650 absurd late registration until 6/5 or until tickets sell out

We also again have the RVAsec Marriott Hotel Package available until 5/29! The conference + Marriott hotel package is $650 and includes:

  • Two night’s stay at the Richmond Marriott Downtown (6/8 and 6/9), including taxes+fees (card needed at check-in for incidentals)
  • RVAsec conference admission
  • Custom Hack.RVA Electronic badge (the only way to guarantee one of the limited badges)
  • T-Shirt
  • Bag
  • Meals & snacks
  • Events

** If you are unable to attend due to the price, please contact us to discuss as we have stipends available for students, and we have a volunteer opportunities that provide a great way to get in for free!

Once again there will be no tickets sold at the door–and RVAsec has sold out every year–don’t wait!  We are unable to provide refunds due to processing fees. You can, however, easily transfer your ticket to another person.

Register now!

RVAsec 12 “Passport to Prizes” Contest

June 13, 2023
Event

passport-2023We are again having the Passport for Prizes event at RVAsec 12! This event gives you the opportunity to win some awesome prizes from our participating sponsors. 

Visit 10 sponsor’s tables and get their initials or signature in the corresponding box. When completed, return your entry to registration for a chance to win.

Note: Your business information must be complete to be eligible*, and you must be present at the reception on Wednesday to win.

  • RVAsec “Mystery Bags” (2)
  • Arctic Wolf – Amazon gift card
  • Assura – Flipper Zero
  • Avertium – North Face backpack & h2go Camper Mug
  • Check Point – Bose Tempo sports audio sunglasses
  • Cloudflare – 27L Yeti backpack
  • Cohesity – TIMBUK2 backpack
  • Corelight – Amazon Gift Card
  • Cribl – JBL portable waterproof speaker
  • CrowdStrike – Ember mug
  • ExtraHop Networks – Apple AirPods
  • Exabeam – Star Wars Lego set
  • Gigamon – Amazon gift card
  • Guidepoint Security – Best Buy gift card
  • InterVision – Visa gift card & Koozie backpack cooler
  • Lacework – Bose SoundLink bluetooth speaker
  • Netscout – Igloo Maddox XL Cooler & YETI Rambler
  • Netskope – JBL Tune 600 headphones
  • Palo Alto Networks – Waterford Crystal shot glasses
  • Red Canary – Gift card
  • Rubrik – Yeti Hopper Cooler
  • Safebreach – Solo Stove Mini Mesa Tabletop Fire Pit
  • SEGRA – Leather duffle bag
  • SentinelOne – AirPod Pro headphones
  • Sumo Logic – Pilsner gift set
  • Tanium – Fanatics gift card
  • Tidal Cyber – Amazon gift card
  • WIZ – Away rolling luggage

* Note: Contact information will be shared with Passport sponsors.

RVAsec 12 Schedule – Mobile App & Online

June 13, 2023
Conference

Looking for the RVAsec 12 schedule? Download the RVAsec Mobile App or view it online!

You can easily download the Sched app for iOS or Android.  After downloading, you can log in to Sched (should be sync’d with your ticket purchase). You can then easily create and see your schedule.  If you have any issues you can also reset your password and search for RVAsec.

If you don’t want to install the mobile application, the RVAsec schedule is available also for mobile!

Features

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