Cybersecurity

Looking to level up your cybersecurity skills in a low-pressure, beginner-friendly environment? Join us for a casual co-hacking session where everyone works on **their own Hack The Box or Capture The Flag-style labs**, but we learn *together*. This is **not** a formal class or presentation. Instead, bring your laptop, grab a coffee, and make progress on whatever you're working on. If you get stuck, feel free to ask someone nearby — and if you have a tip or trick to share, jump in! The goal is to create a collaborative, welcoming space for learners of all experience levels. ### What to Expect * Work independently on your own Hack The Box labs, walkthroughs, or practice machines * Ask questions and share solutions when you want — no pressure * Meet other people interested in cybersecurity, hacking, and problem-solving * Beginners, intermediate learners, and experienced practitioners all welcome ### ☕ Location **Layered (Coffee Shop)** Comfortable seating, reliable Wi-Fi, and good vibes for hacking time. Please purchase and enjoy a drink or treat to support the venue. ### ✔ What to Bring * Laptop * Hack The Box account ([sign up here](https://www.hackthebox.com/hacker/hacking-labs), they offer a number of free labs) or other practice platform

Federal Executive GovCon - "Supporting Government Efficiency with Thought Leadership" When: Thursday, January 22, 2026, 5:30 – 8:00 Location: Lost Rhino, 21730 Red Rum Dr, Ste 142, Ashburn, VA 20147 (\*\* NEW LOCATION \*\*) Come network with other local GovCon Executives and enjoy a few free beers on us and engage with our sponsors and Industry speakers. Please register here for your spot and please enter full name and company so a badge will be waiting for you. Sponsorships: 1 of 2 spots are available. DM me to claim the 2nd sponsorship to highlight your company to an invitation-only executive audience.

Come join us at Nova Labs for our monthly lockpicking meeting! We meet every third Wednesday at the Nova Labs Fairfax location at 3850 Jermantown Road. Learn about locks, lockpicking, lock modifications, and even lock smithing in our classroom environment. No tools, skills, or knowledge required, but feel free to bring any of those things with you! Our meetings are overseen by one or more locksmiths.

In this talk, Sean Hoar will explore how AI assistants can accelerate different stages of software development. From idea generation and prototyping to coding, testing, and debugging, AI tools are transforming how developers work. He’ll provide practical examples of where AI can save time, reduce errors, and help teams focus on higher-level problem-solving. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to integrate AI into their workflow and stay ahead in the evolving tech landscape.

Gaming, AdTech, EdTech, Media Streaming, and FinTech are just a few of the workloads where high-availability cloud infrastructure matters. Whether you’re doing battle daily in one of these spaces or are just curious about ways to improve performance, meet us in Reston for an in-person discussion on bare metal cloud architecture. You’ll meet our product lead, James MacKenzie, who will walk through how modern bare metal serves as a control plane for hybrid and private cloud architectures. **What we will cover** * Ways to leverage bare metal, containers, and orchestration for better performance and predictable economics; * Real-world hybrid, disaster recovery, and data-intensive architectures; * Our approach to eliminating ingress and egress fees. **Who should attend** * Cloud architects and platform engineers; * DevOps professionals and infrastructure leads; * FinOps stakeholders managing data-heavy or hybrid workloads. **Why attend** This is a technical, architecture-first conversation. You will leave with a clearer understanding of high-availability cloud infrastructure and how organizations are scaling cost-effectively. Food and drinks will be provided. Space is limited to keep the discussion interactive.

Join us for conversations that go beyond small talk, diving into topics like the shifting nature of spirituality, the challenges and joys of midlife transitions, the impact of culture and capitalism, and the search for meaning in art, travel, and daily life. Our gatherings are about genuine, thought-provoking dialogue, with no set leader or strict agenda—just an open space to share ideas, perspectives, and experiences that matter to us. The direction of the discussion is shaped by everyone who shows up, making each event unique and enriching.