August 25 - 26

ZafCon 2026 – Chicago

ZafCon will host security leaders and practitioners who are passionate about pushing beyond traditional approaches and driving real impact in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

This isn’t a conference. It’s not a typical workshop.  It’s a curated room of people with perspective, influence, and a point of view.

Join us to:

Hear directly from fellow customers solving real problems

Get a sneak peek into what’s coming next on the Zafran roadmap

Build a trusted network of peers shaping the future of this space

Register Now

Who Should Attend

  • Security leaders and CISOs driving modern risk strategies
  • Practitioners working hands-on to reduce real risk
  • Customers who want a voice in product direction
  • Those looking to deepen their understanding of Zafran’s capabilities, get a sneak peek at what’s coming next, and learn what “best-in-class” looks like in practice

If you’re passionate about where vulnerability management is going — and want to help shape it — this is your room.

Anticipated Budget (Estimated)

Your cost to attend is getting to and from Chicago to participate in ZafCon. 

  • Domestic US travel: ~$600
  • Hotel (2 nights): ~$575
  • Meals not covered (travel days, etc): ~$200

Agenda Overview

*Subject to change

Tuesday, August 25

Time

Session

5:30 – 8:00 PM

Welcome Reception

Check in, find your badge, and join us for drinks and conversation with the security leaders and practitioners you'll be learning alongside tomorrow. Come hungry, curious, and ready.

Wednesday, August 26

Time

Session

7:30 – 8:30 AM

Gathering & Breakfast

8:30 – 8:45 AM

Welcome & Opening Remarks

8:45 – 9:30 AM

Opening Keynote

Sanaz Yashar, CEO + Co-Founder

9:30 – 10:00 AM

The Threat Horizon: What's Coming Next

Emerging attack vectors, AI-driven exploitation, and where attackers are investing over the next 18 months. This session maps the landscape ahead so your team can plan with clarity and confidence.

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Vuln Research 101: Build Your Own Exploit

A dive into how vulnerabilities are born, weaponized, and operationalized from an attacker's perspective. Understanding how exploits are built is one of the sharpest tools a defender can have.

10:30 – 10:45 AM

Break

10:45 – 11:15 AM

Customer Spotlight: Re-Architecting Your Vulnerability Management Program: Building a Remediation Culture That Actually Scales

Most security teams know what's vulnerable. The hard part is getting the organization to actually reduce risk. In this fireside chat, a customer shares their real CTEM journey. How they moved from exhaustive patch lists to targeting what matters, pulling developers into the remediation loop, and closing the visibility gaps that kept leadership in the dark.

11:15 – 11:45 AM

Betting on Security: Insights from Leading Investors

The investors who bet on Zafran saw something in the market before most teams did. In this fireside chat, they share what they saw, why they backed this approach to exposure management, and where they believe enterprise security is heading next.

11:45 AM – 12:45 PM

Roundtable Lunch Discussions

Continue conversations from the morning and connect with peers across industries with the option to join facilitated or open tables.

12:45 – 3:15 PM

Executive Breakout: Peer Exchange & Strategic Discussion

A curated session designed for senior security leaders. Bringing together CISOs and executives from across industries, this breakout is focused on peer networking and shared problem-solving with the collective experience of the room as the resource.

12:45 – 1:15 PM

Customer Spotlight: From Exposure to Action: How a Global Enterprise Deployed AI Agents Across Their Security Stack

Learn how an enterprise leveraged Zafran's Exposure Gateway to build a governed control plane for AI-driven security operations. Connecting AI agents to their security stack with scoped access, human-in-the-loop oversight, and full audit trails resulting in faster triage, fewer manual handoffs, and a new operating model for exposure management at enterprise scale.

1:15 – 2:45 PM

Hands-On Threat Hunting & Remediation

Teams compete through real-world mitigations, remediations, and threat hunting scenarios using the Zafran platform. Clock is ticking and points are on the line. The team that hunts smartest wins.

2:45 – 3:15 PM

Customer Spotlight: Replacing the Scanner: How a Global Technology Company Modernized Vulnerability Detection with Zafran Discover

First-hand insights on how a global technology company replaced their legacy scanning solution with Zafran Discover and consolidating host scanning, network scanning, and external exposure detection into a single platform, eliminating the manual correlation step between finding and fixing.

3:15 – 3:30 PM

Break

3:30 – 3:45 PM

Lessons from the Hunt

What the best teams did, how they did it, and what it reveals about real-world threat hunting and defense.

3:45 – 4:45 PM

Zafran Roadmap + Demo

A look at Zafran's strategic vision and planned roadmap complete with a product demo. Built around what enterprise security programs need to stay ahead and scale with confidence, close the gaps that matter, and turn your existing investments into a stronger, more resilient program.

4:45 – 5:00 PM

Closing Remarks

6:30 – 9:30 PM

Evening Cruise

Private cruise on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

Register Now

Location

Palmer House a Hilton Hotel

17 East Monroe StreetChicago,

Illinois 60603 USA

The Palmer House has been standing in the heart of Chicago's Loop since 1871 — survived the Great Chicago Fire, hosted Mark Twain, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong, and oh, invented the brownie. It's the kind of place that makes you feel like you're somewhere, not just checked in somewhere.

We're bringing together the people redefining modern security inside one of America's most storied buildings. The contrast is kind of the point.

Discounted room block rate: $189/night + taxes and fees.

Reserve your Room

Wednesday Evening Cruise

Aboard Chicago's First Lady

Wednesday, August 26 | 6:30  – 9:30 PM

112 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601

A 10-minute walk from the Palmer House.

Plan to arrive by 6:15 PM to board on time.

Wrap-up ZafCon with a private cruise on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. We've chartered a vessel with Chicago's First Lady fleet, the official cruise line of the Chicago Architecture Center and the #1 boat tour in North America. As the sun sets over the city, you'll get a front-row seat to Chicago's skyline transforming into a glittering jewel while connecting with fellow Zafcon attendees over drinks and conversation.

The boats feature open-air upper decks, climate-controlled lower cabins, and a full-service bar, so you can take in the evening your way.

The night caps off with a front-row view of the 9:00 PM Navy Pier fireworks over Lake Michigan. We'll return to the dock following the show.

Getting There

Flying In

Chicago is served by two major airports. Both connect directly to the Loop.

Airport
To the Loop
Getting in
Best for
ORD O'Hare InternationalChicago, IL
45–60
minutes
Blue Line
or rideshare
Rideshare $50–60
Best for international travel and the widest range of airline options.
MDW Midway InternationalChicago, IL
20–30
minutes
Orange Line
or rideshare
Rideshare $35–45
Closer, faster, and less chaotic. Southwest's home base.

* The L-train is often more reliable and shorter than driving, depending on your time of arrival and traffic.

Getting Around: The L Train

The Palmer House is one of the best-connected spots in the city. You won't need a car.

Nearest L Stops all within a 1–2 min walk
StopLinesWalk
Monroe
Red
1 min walk
Adams/Wabash
Brown Green Orange Pink Purple
2 min walk
Monroe
Blue
2 min walk
From the Airports direct — no transfers
AirportLineRoute
O'Hare (ORD)
Blue
Directly downtown. No transfers needed.
Midway (MDW)
Orange
Directly downtown. No transfers needed.

FLAT FARE $2.50 Single CTA ride. · Ventra cards available at all stations.

Driving & Parking

Our honest advice: don’t drive. The hotel is in the heart of the Loop and parking in downtown Chicago is expensive. But if you’re road-tripping or driving from the suburbs, here’s what to know:

Parking & EV 55 E Monroe St
OptionDetailsRate
Self-Parking
55 E Monroe St garage, directly across the street $57/night
Valet
Main entrance on Monroe St, charge to room $82/night
EV Charging
10 Level 2 stations at 55 E Monroe garage Feefirst-come basis

Weather in August

Chicago in late August is genuinely great. Plan for warm, sunny days and comfortable evenings.

Weather late August in Chicago
Average high
~82°F
Average low
~65°F

Pack a light layer for evening events — the lake breeze and AC are both real.

Skip the heavy coat. Daytime stays warm and humid.

Leave the umbrella at your discretion — pop-up showers are possible but brief.

Time Zone

All ZafCon sessions and events are in Central Time (CT).