In 2026 there are 3 ticket types. A very limited VIP “extreme/ultimate” badge, a general digital/PCB/electronic badge, and analog tickets (redeems a plastic badge). All ticket types grant access to all Wednesday & Thursday presentation tracks, interaction with specialty areas called wards, and contests/content found at the event.

We also provide discounts for students. Please scroll to the bottom of the registration page for more information.

Yes, scroll down slightly on the registration page for additional ticket types or please contact us for more details.

We have your ticket purchase on record. We do not mail you anything, we do not email you beyond an automated receipt that probably went into your spam folder. You will redeem merchandise at the registration or merchandise area during our event.

Yes, with some conditions: You’ll need to contact us less than 3 weeks prior to the event to transfer the ticket. We may need to verify your information before confirming the ticket transfer. We may require you to prove you are the owner of the ticket via order information or original email. In addition may require onsite verification such as showing an ID at the door to grant entry. Each ticket is redeemed at registration during our event. We reserve the right to deny any requests for any reason.

We get that our event is expensive, especially after our early bird specials have expired. We have a sister event the day after CypherCon for $50 at BSidesMKE you’ll definitely want to check out. We also believe financial constraints shouldn’t prevent anyone from attending CypherCon. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to us at [contact] to discuss discount codes, possible grants, or scholarship opportunities. We’ll do our best to help you participate in the conference.

Sorry… no, we have a strict no-refund policy, however we would be happy to help you find an eager and excited student willing to attend on your behalf as a donation.

Note we have invoked a one-time exception: If you have a 2020 or 2021 ticket canceled by the pandemic, we will be rolling most paid 2020 & 2021 tickets purchased before November 1, 2021 into “Forever” tickets. Once you commit to redeeming those tickets for future events, that ticket is now void.  All you have to do to redeem these “Forever” tickets is to contact us.

Our strict no-refund policy states, “Any and all payments made to CypherCon are not refundable for any reason, including, without limitation, failure to use credentials due to illness, change in attendance availability, acts of God, travel-related problems, acts of terrorism, government shutdowns of any kind, loss of employment and/or duplicate purchases.” unless our event insurance gets activated and contributes to reimbursement. We also reserve the right to revoke tickets and access to the event for any reason. So, basically behave and be respectful.

Any attempts to reverse or block a submitted transaction before contacting us will result in a ban from all future events and potentially neighboring events.

Ouch. We will help you refund your order, however we get hit with a processing fee of 3.0%+30 cents. If it was our system’s fault, we’ll refund that. If the fault is on your side, we ask you pay this processing fee as our payment processor does not refund that to us.

Unfortunately we do not have the ability to keep inventory or ship badges out if you are unable to pick up the device in person UNLESS you ask us prior to your purchase.

CypherCon is the single largest technology conference in the state of Wisconsin with over 2750 attendees. We go beyond technology in our culture as our roots were in cryptography, an annual hacker conference, and acts more like a cybersecurity summit. We offer a little of everything for our broad community. We have our event every year downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Baird Center.

Everyone is welcome to attend! That means you! We are a diverse group of attendees that enjoy puzzles, mystery, and discovery. We pride ourselves with a unique culture that focuses heavily on retro-futuristic 70s,80s,90s,00s hacker culture blending the art of dancing between fantasy and reality. Our core event consists of several tracks of speakers about computer- and hacking-related subjects, as well as cyber-security challenges and competitions. In addition we publish puzzles made by the community in unique story worlds. Lastly, we offer a blank canvas for hacker specializations ran by volunteers called wards.

Presentations topics include Cyphers, Hacking, Information Security, Cryptography, Forensics, and other hacker, cypherpunk, and cyberpunk oriented topics.  We also offer presentations for career development, security leadership, AI, IoT, ICS, risk and compliance, and more!

Our 2024 event had 1950 attendees, 88 Speakers, 35 Specialty wards,  29 Sponsors, and a really cool Casino Heist afterparty 🙂 2025 had over 2550 attendees, 40+ wards, 40+ sponsors and Casino Glitch! 2026 we are striving for 3000 or more attendees, but it’s hard to predict with the declining economic positions.

CypherCon 9 will be held April 1-2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Baird Conference Center. After training and before BSidesMKE!

Wednesday:  Registration 8:45am, Sessions are 9:00AM-9:00PM

Thursday: 09:00AM-9:00PM (Afterparty 9pm-1am +/-)

*subject to change on times.

The event’s goal is to unite local and neighboring hackers and information security enthusiasts for an open discussion on strong cryptography, serving as an advocate for privacy and striving to enhance public education with integrity, honesty, and dedication. We are committed to upholding ethical standards and distancing ourselves from any illegal or improper activities. Our mission involves fostering the exchange of knowledge and ideas, propelling the industry forward, all while honoring our rich hacker culture.

In the first five years, our focus has been on seizing the moment and embracing the present.

From years six to ten, we explore the diverse paths and choices available in life. The theme for 2023 was “Underground Singularity” (AI operating without human detection). In 2024, we delved into the thrilling world of a “Casino Heist.”  In 2025, we pondered the theme “Fate or No Fate” – examining the extent of our control over our destiny. 2026 our theme is “Remember when the internet was fun? I do”

The conference offers a dynamic format featuring specialized areas known as wards, captivating talks, casual discussions, networking opportunities, engaging challenges, contests, and competitions. While the primary focus of the conference is on technology and hacking, participants are encouraged to explore other relevant topics. Whether your interests lie in hacking the badge, participating in capture the flag, or attending presentation topics, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and learn from at the event.

CypherCon is a conference of conferences—each one a blank canvas run by incredibly unique individuals like you, dedicated to sharing their specialties within the hacker community. These specialized areas at CypherCon are now officially known as Wards.

This change isn’t just a fresh coat of paint; it’s a nod to Milwaukee’s unique identity, mirroring the city’s tradition of dividing communities into wards—the most famous being Milwaukee’s historic 3rd Ward.

Just as each Milwaukee ward has its distinct culture and character, CypherCon Wards celebrate the specialized skills, passions, and unique cultures within smaller hacker communities. Some wards offer contests or challenges, all designed to be explored and experienced.

Discover your favorite hacker wards, uncover new ideas, meet new friends, embrace new identities, and connect more deeply within CypherCon’s vibrant hacker ecosystem.

Presentations are very diverse, some examples include: decoding cypher puzzles, corporate and network security, privacy, personal rights and freedoms, new technologies, modern exploit techniques, security philosophy, hardware hacking, forensics, reverse engineering, protocol analysis, cryptographic algorithms. The community can even go beyond the standard hacker themes with mushroom cultivation and dark skies. Expect a blank canvas and all-around security and cypher topics with added comedic ‘hacker’ motifs. Lastly, our event is flexible and for anyone, you never have to touch a computer, and can relax and socialize with the community.

We officially direct our attendees to Discord.

We would love to have you! Discord is at https://discord.gg/VfNezRYkrY – This is where you’ll get the latest updates 🙂

Everyone is welcome to CypherCon. CypherCon is a blank canvas shaped by the community. If you are reading this, YOU are this community! Looking forward to meeting you.

A hacker is anyone who is curious and creative and seeks to understand how things work. Ultimately, many people have different characterizations of what a ‘hacker’ is, you can express however and as whomever you wish to be.

Come learn with us, see interesting things, and participate!

*Anyone in good standing with CypherCon and/or the community-at-large may attend. The organizer has the right to deny access or remove anyone for any reason from the event.

CypherCon has no age limits. Adults are ultimately responsible to decide if this community is appropriate for their children. Feel free to contact us for further details in your discussion process.

We comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a Federal civil rights law designed to protect persons with disabilities by prohibiting discrimination in employment (Title I), ensuring equal access to services of state and local governments (Title II), and ensuring equal access to “places of public accommodations” (12 categories of private businesses and/or non-profit organizations) (Title III). ADA compliance is not only an issue for employers in hiring decisions, it’s also important to consider when planning conferences and meetings.

If you have a special request, be it a mobility, visual, or hearing impairment, we would be happy to assist. Please contact us at least one month prior to the event to give us ample time to comply.

To guarantee the independent nature of the conference, CypherCon has always had the following sponsorship guidelines:

• Sponsors cannot affect the agenda
• Sponsorship will not guarantee (nor prevent) a presentation slot
• Zero tolerance for presentations that focus on marketing or directly promoting a commercial product

CypherCon has NEVER offered our general attendee lists to sponsors. We are asking if you would be willing to, to see what that could potentially look like in the future. We value your privacy.

We recommend staying at a hotel in our hotel blocks found at https://cyphercon.com/travel

The Hilton Milwaukee has been our primary recommendation, please use our block.

Hotels in our block with less than a month of the event are likely sold out, meaning you are on your own.

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding hotel options.

If you are looking for a premium place to stay. We recommend the historic hotel downtown Milwaukee called The Pfister Hotel. The Pfister Hotel happened to be the venue for our first year.

TL;DR Basically: We value your privacy. Privacy is a core expectation for these conferences. For many of us we use handles instead of our real names. We honestly try our best to protect your information. We may provide general sponsors with attendee lists, but have not as of this update of 01/01/2025. We do say in general what companies attend. We also want you to be informed and involved so we may email you occasionally about the event. We may sell your information to third parties, but as of writing this 01/01/2025 we have not. That would be super weird anyway, unless there is a truck full of money. (kidding? not kidding?) Anyway, you can read our policy here.

Photos and video may be taken at the event by authorized individuals wearing press badges and approved by CypherCon leadership.

Still Worried? We can figure something out. Contact us.

No, maybe bring a laptop for challenges? Honestly, the best answer is to ask in discord what other gear they recommend!