WHERE CYBER IS HEADING NEXT: AI AND HIRING INSIGHTS FROM AISA CYBERCON 2026

For the fourth year running, the e2 Cyber team made its way to AISA’s CyberCon. For us it remains the gathering of the year for cyber professionals in Australia, and three days among the session rooms and coffee queues left plenty to think about. Our notes from CyberCon 2025 centred on the human side of security, and much of that thinking still holds. Here is what stayed with the team once the lanyards came off.

The Pace of Change in Cyber Security

The theme that kept surfacing, at the stands and over coffee alike, was the sheer pace of change in cyber. AI is now woven into almost every product on display. Attackers are persistent, and many are using AI to stay a step ahead of the people defending against them. More than one discussion turned to how often organisations are actually paying ransoms when an incident lands, a detail that sat heavily with those who raised it.

Hiring sits inside that same current. People are still trying to break into the industry and finding the door hard to open. Organisations, meanwhile, are struggling to fill roles at the mid-level, where experienced people are scarce. It is a pattern we explored earlier this year in Why Cyber Security Roles Are Evolving Faster Than We Can Hire, and CyberCon suggested it has yet to ease.

AI Adoption and Scepticism on the CyberCon Floor

The exhibition hall looked different this year. Vendors and product organisations took up most of the room, with platforms and AI-driven capabilities front and centre, and professional services firms were far less visible than in years gone by.

The AI story on the stands had its own texture. Companies appear to be racing to implement AI faster and better than their competitors, and scepticism among the users and customers expected to adopt it is still high. Both came through clearly, sometimes within the same exchange. If the people expected to use these tools are still unconvinced, what does that ask of the teams hired to secure them?

Our Careers Village Session on Acing a Cyber Interview

Jacob Bywater and Ben Rogalsky ran an Ask an Expert session in the Careers Village, The Human Firewall: How to Ace your Next Interview. It borrowed from social engineering to look at how trust and human connection weigh on a hiring decision as heavily as technical capability. The format handed the floor to the audience, and the questions they brought shaped much of what we took away from the week.

The AI Skills and Certifications Cyber Candidates Are Asking About

Those who came along to hear Jacob and Ben, and many who found us on the floor, wanted to understand how a market can shift so quickly and how to position themselves to catch the opportunities when it does.

AI came up again and again. Most people already sense they need to invest time in it, and many wanted to know which certifications are worth pursuing, AI-related ones in particular. The team’s view is that AI knowledge will become a requirement for most cyber security roles, and that the next wave of in-demand experience will centre on working with AI tools and large language models, including implementing them securely and safely for end users.

Where does AI sit in your own plans for the year ahead? For anyone mapping that path, our guides to the *best cyber security certifications in Australia  and how AI is changing cyber security jobs are a useful place to start.

Our Annual CyberCon Dinner in Melbourne

When the first day wrapped up, we made our way to The Boatbuilders Yard on the South Wharf riverfront for our annual CyberCon dinner. It has been wonderful to watch this gathering grow in numbers over the years, and we are grateful to everyone who joined us to unwind together after a full day at the conference.

Connections Across the Cyber Security Community

Much of the week was spent catching up with people we have worked alongside over the years. It was a reminder of how connected the cyber security community is, and of how far those relationships have grown since our earliest days at CyberCon.

Some of the most rewarding moments were with entry-level candidates we met at community cyber sessions back when they were searching for a way in. Several of them are now working in the industry, and it was good to hear how they are getting on.

Looking Ahead to CyberCon 2027

We are already looking forward to CyberCon 2027. Until then, we will be watching how much of what we heard in Melbourne takes shape in practice over the coming year.

For those keen to put their skills to the test in the meantime, our next capture the flag event “Another Brick in the SILO” runs on 20 November, the Safer Internet Project team, have built something iconic this time, make sure you don’t miss out.

And if CyberCon has you thinking about which career path is next, or how to hire the best on market, our team is always glad to talk it through.