Kerala Police to host c0c0n 2026 cybersecurity conference in Kochi from October 6

Kerala Police will host the 19th edition of c0c0n 2026, one of the country's longest-running cybersecurity and hacking conferences, at Grand Hyatt Bolgatty in Kochi from October 6 to 13.

The eight-day event is expected to draw more than 200 speakers and delegates from over 20 countries, bringing together cybersecurity professionals, government and law enforcement agencies, industry leaders, researchers, technology experts, academicians and students.

Announcing the conference in Thiruvananthapuram, State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar said the focus would be on the evolving cybersecurity landscape and the need to build stronger, smarter and more resilient digital ecosystems.

The programme will feature dedicated tracks on Artificial Intelligence, Leadership and Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC), FinTech and Banking, Finance Services and Insurance (BFSI), IoT, law enforcement agencies, and child sexual exploitation and abuse. Discussions will cover emerging cyber threats, AI-driven security, financial-sector cybersecurity, industrial and operational technology security, hardware security, cybercrime investigation and digital forensics.

Among the prominent speakers are Deputy National Security Advisor T.V. Ravichandran, State Bank of India chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Shetty and National Stock Exchange of India managing director and CEO Ashishkumar Chauhan. Senior officials from the cybersecurity wing of the United Arab Emirates, CERT-In, Oman National CERT and INTERPOL will also take part.

The event will be held in three phases: pre-conference technical training from October 6 to 8, the main conference on October 9 and 10, and post-conference technical training from October 11 to 13. A dedicated Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse track will address serious challenges affecting children in the digital environment, and a post-conference training session on the Dark Web will be organised for the Kerala Police.