Boston Security January 2026 Meetup

Important Notice

All meetup venues we currently use require us to provide a list of names (First & Last) to their door security so they can check people in at the time of the event. We are also required to bring "a picture ID" that matches the name we provide at the time of registration. Please be mindful of this requirement and provide the necessary information to ensure a smooth check in process at the door. Thank you for your cooperation - the management! RSVP closes September 17th 4 PM, RSVP soon to reserve a spot! There will be no entry without a confirmed RSVP.

ONLY HUMANS ALLOWED AT THIS EVENT

FIRST MEETUP OF 2026!

What: 2 stellar AI related talks, buckle up folks!

>>> Bring your favorite stickers and tell us where you got it. Bring extras and swap it with fellow security enthusiasts at the sticker swap table! <<<

Talk 1 - Modern AI Red Team by Aaron Portnoy

Description
Modern AI red teaming requires fluency across three distinct but interdependent domains. The first is AI/ML security, where probabilistic models, embeddings, and weights generate opaque behaviors that defy traditional assurance methods. The second is offensive security, where vulnerabilities, unauthorized access, and misconfigurations remain core vectors for compromise. The third is behavioral psychometrics, a mature science newly applied to AI red teaming where measurement of human traits and susceptibility highlights the emerging cognitive-behavioral attack surface. Framed together as probabilities, vulnerabilities, and psychometrics, this talk outlines how these pillars intersect, where current defenses fall short, and why effective AI security demands that we treat models, machines, and minds as equally exploitable terrain.

Speaker Bio
Aaron Portnoy is a security researcher, reverse engineer, speaker, and educator. Aaron has delivered over 30 invited talks across global stages, including Black Hat, USENIX, Recon, Microsoft BlueHat, and the NSA Distinguished Speaker Series. Presentation topics have spanned reverse engineering methodologies, economic drivers of zero-day trade, large-scale vulnerability discovery, and exploit automation. Recognized by academic institutions such as NYU and Dartmouth for his contributions to offensive computing education. His work has also been featured on the cover of TIME Magazine and referenced in numerous university-level curricula. Aaron ran the Zero Day Initiative at TippingPoint/3Com (later Hewlett-Packard and now part of Trend Micro), where he was the architect and judge of the first six competitions of Pwn2Own, a premier hacking event that awards prizes for demonstrating zero-day exploits.

Talk 2 - Bridging the AI Reality Gap by John Murray

Description
It’s easy to talk about the future of AI or create snazzy demos of agents in action, but it’s difficult to make something that performs consistently with a high rate of accuracy. Attend this session to get under the covers of how Google is building AI into our security products. Learn about the data science processes in place that measure individual tasks of the end-to-end system, and why that’s important to help our customers fight threat actors.

Speaker Bio
John is a Product Manager for Google CloudSec AI (AI features within our Security Products not how to secure AI products). 16 years in Cybersecurity from a 2 person startup to large enterprises.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/murraj2/

When: January 15, 2026, Doors Open 6:30 PM, Talks start 7 PM

Where: EnergySage
3 Center Plz,
Boston MA 02145