DefCamp 2025: Stronger, Bolder, Unstoppable - A Look Back at Romania's Landmark Cybersecurity Event

Progress is built on perspective. Before we move forward, it's worth reflecting on what we've achieved together - and DefCamp 2025 set a new benchmark.

From high-impact conversations to meaningful collaborations, this year's edition delivered measurable value for the entire cybersecurity ecosystem.

By the Numbers

In just two intense days, everything happened:

• 4 stages running simultaneously
• 90+ speakers from around the world
• 2,200+ attendees - experts, professionals, decision-makers, public institution representatives, business leaders, academics, and high school & university students

A true mix of minds, perspectives, and generations. Exactly what makes DefCamp DefCamp.

What Made This Edition Stand Out

At DefCamp, we bring the entire cybersecurity ecosystem to the same table - connecting policy with real-world implementation, academic talent with industry leadership, and regional expertise with a global outlook. This is what makes DefCamp the most representative cybersecurity conference in Romania and a strategic meeting point for Central & Eastern Europe - where decisions are informed, partnerships are formed, and influence is built.

World-Class Speakers, Real-World Topics

The 15th edition featured a lineup of speakers who brought depth, diversity, and hands-on expertise to the stages. Topics spanned the full spectrum of modern cybersecurity:

• AI and security - from LLM-powered offensive tools and agentic AI penetration testing, to deepfake defense and AI-driven compliance
• Offensive security - heap exploitation, kernel tricks, browser side-channel vulnerabilities, cloud attack chains, and IoT firmware analysis
• Governance and policy - panels on cyber resilience in financial services, public sector defense strategies, supply chain resilience, and zero trust architectures
• Emerging threats - ransomware workflows, automotive hacking, satellite security, radio spectrum challenges, and social engineering at scale
• Education and talent - building cyber resilience through education, bridging the skills gap, and supporting the next generation of professionals

Speakers represented organizations including Mastercard, Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Kaspersky, Booking Holdings, Bitdefender, Orange, ING Bank, UiPath, KPMG, Fortinet, OPSWAT, Cato Networks, and many more - alongside independent researchers, academic institutions, and government bodies such as Romania's National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) and the Chamber of Deputies.

The Hacking Village: Where Skills Meet the Real World

The DefCamp Hacking Village has been the conference's playground for hands-on hacking since 2016, hosting over 50 competitions across the years. The 2025 edition was packed with challenges spanning every flavor of cybersecurity:

• D-CTF Finals - the flagship Capture the Flag competition, where top teams from around the globe battled it out in the ultimate cybersecurity showdown
• Car Hacking Village - a landmark first for DefCamp, brought directly from the DEFCON and Black Hat circuit, offering hands-on access to real automotive systems
• Lock Picking Village - the timeless classic, connecting physical security with the hacker mindset
• Memory Leak - a hands-on, hardware-meets-software showdown in its third year running
• IoT Hunt - a story-driven treasure hunt through smart devices, routers, cameras, and locks
• RetroDojo - a retro-inspired hub for beginners to level up through classic CTF-style puzzles
• ClickBait - a fast-paced test of instincts against phishing, fake QR codes, and social engineering traps
• Man vs Machine - human teams racing against an AI agent to hack a network of vulnerable machines
• Think Beyond Models - training AI to detect phishing attacks and explain its reasoning
• Target John - the crowd favorite OSINT stalking challenge
• Untangle the Spectrum - radio frequency challenges across BLE, Wi-Fi, UDP, and LoRa
• Null Your Warranty Village - real gadgets, real flaws, and real reasons to pry things open
• Cloud App Data Breach and Vulnerable House CTF - rounding out a truly comprehensive lineup

Pre-Conference Workshops

The three days of workshops preceding the main conference (November 10–12) offered intensive, hands-on training across a range of disciplines - from heap exploitation and red teaming to car hacking, secure coding, IoT device security, GRC foundations, threat intelligence, and building offensive AI agents. These sessions are designed to sharpen skills, build team coordination, and deliver immediate ROI.

Looking Ahead

The conversations, the insights, the momentum this year - they went beyond expectations and are already shaping what comes next. As we prepare the 2026 edition, we're raising the bar even higher. Organizations that want visibility, relevance, and meaningful engagement in the cybersecurity space will want to be part of what's coming.

Watch the DefCamp 2025 aftermovie and relive the energy:

Powered By Community

DefCamp 2025 was made possible thanks to the generous support of our partners:

• Powered by: Orange Business
• Platinum Partners: Booking Holdings, Pentest-Tools.com
• Gold Partners: Bitdefender, CrowdStrike, Fortinet, Mastercard
• Silver Partner: Sophos
• Bronze Partners: Arcanna.ai, CertiK, CyberEDU, Data Core Systems, HypaSec, Lenovo, OPSWAT
• Hacking Village Partners: CyberEDU, Bit Sentinel, Pentest-Tools.com, Orange, UiPath, Radware, Kage
• VIP Lounge powered by: Orange

A special thank you to every speaker, participant, volunteer, and partner who made the 15th edition the strongest yet. DefCamp is, and always has been, built by its community.

Until next time - The DefCamp team