Türkiye to host global cybersecurity conference to discuss threats, national capabilities

The 19th edition of the International Information Security and Cryptology Conference (ISC 2026) will be held next month in the Turkish capital to demonstrate the country’s capabilities and competency in cyber warfare, while panels will discuss new developments in electronic warfare and related risks.

Organized annually since 2007, this year’s event will be held in collaboration between the nonprofit Information Security Association and Türkiye’s Cyber Security Directorate, gathering participants under the title of “Cyber Wars in the New World Order” on Oct. 20-21.

The conference will also encompass the sub-themes of cyber resilience and deterrence, platform cybersecurity, and cyber espionage in global competition.

New changes in the defense industry and artificial intelligence (AI) will also be addressed by academics and experts over the two-day event.

Mustafa Alkan, president of the Information Security Association, stated that the conference has served as a platform to share scientific and industrial research in information security and foster collaborations between universities, the public sector, and industry.

“We’ve chosen cyber warfare this year as our main theme,” he said.

“The era of traditional warfare and conventional weapons has come to an end, having been replaced by cyberwars, which rendered cybersecurity key in national defense and offensive capabilities,” Alkan added.

Alkan stated that cyber warfare is “the most challenging arena” to ensure security in due to its continuous and non-stop nature.

“The source, target range, impact, and potential consequences of cyber weapons are unknown, which make cyberwars much more challenging than traditional wars,” he said.

“We aim to highlight Türkiye’s capabilities and bring the emerging risks and threats to the forefront at the event,” Alkan noted.

The conference will involve talks to determine the necessary initiatives, projects, policies, and strategies on its first day, while the second day will have presentations of academic papers submitted to the event.

“The conference aims to help people internalize the concepts of information security, cryptology, and related fields, all crucial for our country,” Alkan said.

He noted that the event contributes to the growth of scientific research, fosters collaboration between institutions and sectors, and aids the development of cybersecurity human resources.

Alkan added that the conference is open to everyone and is free to attend.

Outstanding service awards will be presented in seven categories to individuals, institutions, and organizations serving in the field as part of the conference.

The conference will be supported by the Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Ministry, the Industry and Technology Ministry, the Defense Industries Agency (SSB), the Information and Communications Technologies Authority, Gazi University, Middle East Technical University (METU), Istanbul Technical University (ITU), TOBB University of Economics and Technology, the National Intelligence Academy, Ankara University, Hacettepe University, and IEEE Türkiye.

Registration applications are handled via https://iscturkiye.com/.

Alkan added that nearly 3,000 people from the public and private sectors registered for last year’s conference, with around 2,000 attendees, and that organizers expect high attendance again this year.