Community
The San Diego security community, up close.
San Diego has an unusually active security community, and most of it is free to attend. If you want to understand this field rather than simply buy it, these are the doors in.
The wider map
Everything else in the county
11 chapters and conferences across San Diego — not only the ones I have a hand in. Every link here was checked by hand; local directories rot quickly, and a dead link helps nobody.
Groups & chapters
Professional chapters that meet on a regular schedule. Nearly all of them are free, and none require you to work in security already.
- OWASP San DiegoApplication security. The chapter I co-lead.
- DEF CON 858San Diego's DEF CON group.
- ISSA San DiegoInformation Systems Security Association.
- ISACA San DiegoAudit, risk and governance.
- ISC2 San DiegoCertification-focused chapter.
- Cloud Security Alliance San DiegoCloud security.
- WiCyS San DiegoWomen in Cybersecurity affiliate.
- San Diego Cyber Center of ExcellenceRegional industry body.
- San Diego Regional Cyber LabRun by the City of San Diego.
Conferences
Local conferences worth the day off.
- BSides San DiegoCommunity-run, inexpensive, genuinely technical.
- DEATHConDetection engineering, hands-on.
For what is happening this week, the community keeps a shared calendar at sandiegocyber.org. It is the best single view of local meetups, and it is not mine — it is the community's.
New to all of this?
Come to an OWASP San Diego meeting. You do not need a security background, and nobody will try to sell you anything.