From Agentic AI to Civil Society Threats: SecTor 2026 Reveals a Rapidly Shifting Cybersecurity Landscape

The event closed in Toronto last week with experts sharing critical perspectives on emerging risks, drawing record attendance and marking 22% growth

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SecTor, Canada's largest cybersecurity conference, closed in Toronto last week after bringing together leading voices to share insights on the industry's most pressing threats and emerging trends. The event welcomed over 6,500 verified attendees to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for 40 Briefings selected by the SecTor Review Board, alongside a full day of Summits, over 50 Sponsored Insights, and 36 Arsenal tool demos.

"The 22% growth we saw at SecTor this year reflects just how quickly the cybersecurity conversation in Canada is evolving,” said Suzy Pallett, President of Black Hat. “What makes SecTor distinctive is the combination of rigorous independent research, practical security expertise, and a community willing to tackle emerging threats openly. From agentic AI to threats against civil society, the conversations in Toronto showed how significantly the security landscape is changing."

Key Event Highlights:

Keynote Speakers Address AI's Impact on Civil Society and Enterprise Security

The event featured Canadian industry leaders confronting today's most pressing cybersecurity challenges:

• On Counterintelligence for Civil Society
  • Ron Deibert, Director of The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, revealed that only 4% of threat intelligence reports focused on civil society despite their research showing widespread government targeting of journalists, activists, and human rights defenders. "The companies that produce these threat intelligence reports . . . are giving what I would argue is a very distorted picture of the threat environment," said Deibert.
• Who Gets to Decide? Security in the Agentic Enterprise
  • Helen Oakley, strategic advisor in AI and cybersecurity, explored how the rise of AI agents is changing who, or what, is able to make decisions and exercise authority inside enterprise systems. “Human attention is valuable, so we need to make the most of it.” said Oakley. “Capability is not authority, and you cannot have your model define the risks for your organization.”

Specialized Summits Address Security Leadership & AI in Cloud Security

This year's Summits schedule included the Executive Summit and the AI x Cloud Security Summit, featuring speakers, panels, and interactive discussions on emerging cyber threats, AI security, and cloud defense. At the AI x Cloud Security Summit, a live demonstration showed defenders detecting AI agent activity minutes before critical actions occurred. At the Executive Summit, discussions emphasized the need for clear response authority as AI accelerates attacks. AMAs and live polling kept audiences engaged throughout, with interactive content focused on preparing security leaders for evolving AI-driven threats through 2027.

Spotlight Security Wins Startup Spotlight Competition

SecTor’s Startup Spotlight Competition showcased the most promising emerging cybersecurity startups, presenting their innovation solutions in front of a live audience and demonstrating their technical excellence and real-world impact. After evaluation by a panel of industry judges, Spotlight Security was announced as the winner.

• As part of the upcoming Global Startup Spotlight Competition during Black Hat USA 2027, Spotlight Security will be invited to represent SecTor and compete against all of the upcoming regional winners from each Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition ahead of the USA 2027 event.

For more information on upcoming Black Hat events, please visit blackhat.com.

Top Sponsors and Partners of SecTor 2026 include:

• Diamond Sponsors: Concentric AI, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Sophos, and TrendAI.
• Platinum Sponsors: ManageEngine, Okta, Qualys, Rubrik, Thales, ThreatLocker, and Wiz.
• Apex Partners: ThreatLocker.
• Strategic Partners: Cisco, Cyera, Google, ManageEngine, Microsoft, Qualys, ReliaQuest, SentinelOne, ServiceNow, Specter Ops, Tenable, TrendAI, Varonis, and Wiz.
• Global Partners: Broadcom, Cellebrite, Censys, Concentric AI, Corellium, Fortra, HackerOne, Semgrep, Tines, Tracebit, VulnCheck, wolfSSL, XBOW, and Zenity.

About SecTor

Since 2007, SecTor, Canada's largest cybersecurity conference, has brought relevant, engaging, and reputable content for the benefit of the Canadian cybersecurity community. As one of the global events in Black Hat's portfolio, SecTor provides an unmatched opportunity for security professionals to connect with their peers and learn from their mentors. For more information on SecTor, please visit blackhat.com/sector.

About Black Hat

Black Hat is the cybersecurity industry’s most established and in-depth security event series. Founded in 1997, these annual, multi-day events provide attendees with the latest in cybersecurity research, development, and trends. Driven by the needs of the community, Black Hat events showcase content directly from the community through Briefings presentations, Trainings courses, Summits, and more. As the event series where all career levels and academic disciplines convene to collaborate, network, and discuss the cybersecurity topics that matter most to them, attendees can find Black Hat events in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia. For more information, please visit blackhat.com.