Editor's Picks
Best Talks at Kawaiicon 2025 (Kawaiicon III)
Hand-picked from in-depth reviewer verdicts — the top 8 talks from this conference. Skip the noise, find the signal.
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1
The High-Stakes Cat-and-Mouse Game of Phishing
Jacob Torrey
In "The High-Stakes Cat-and-Mouse Game of Phishing," Jacob Torrey, Head of Labs at Thinkst Applied Research, dissects the relentless and rapidly evolving struggle between phishing attackers and security defenders. Far from being a static, easily preventable threat, Torrey…
0 Dr. Zero STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ H Heather Calloway STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ -
2
Ransom Ain't Goin' Nowhere: Shutting Down macOS Ransomware with Native Apple Protections
Calum Hall
In this insightful talk from Kawaiicon, Calum Hall, founder of macOS endpoint detection and response (EDR) product Phorion and a seasoned macOS security researcher, delves into the evolving landscape of macOS malware with a specific focus on ransomware. Hall argues that while…
0 Dr. Zero STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ H Heather Calloway STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ -
3
Why Quantum Cryptanalysis is Bollocks
Peter Gutmann
In his compelling Kawaiicon talk, "Why Quantum Cryptanalysis is Bollocks," Peter Gutmann, a researcher from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Auckland, delivers a scathing critique of the hype surrounding **quantum cryptanalysis**. Gutmann argues that the…
0 Dr. Zero STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ H Heather Calloway STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ -
4
Those Who Do Not Learn from Advisories Are Doomed to Repeat Them
Louis Nyffenegger
In his Kawaiicon talk, "Those Who Do Not Learn from Advisories Are Doomed to Repeat Them," Louis Nyffenegger, founder of PentesterLab, passionately advocates for the proactive study of past Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (**CVEs**) as a cornerstone of effective…
0 Dr. Zero STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ H Heather Calloway STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ -
5
From Plug to Pwn
Kylie McDevitt
In this compelling talk, Kylie McDevitt, founder of InfoSect, takes the audience on a detailed journey through the intricate process of compromising a high-end consumer smart device: the Sonos Era 300 speaker. The presentation centers around InfoSect’s successful participation…
0 Dr. Zero STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ H Heather Calloway STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ -
6
Buzzkill: How Using Hacker Tools Can Get You Owned
Justin Steven
In "Buzzkill: How Using Hacker Tools Can Get You Owned" at Kawaiicon, Justin Steven, Head of Research at Tanto Security, delivered a compelling and technically rich presentation on a critical, often overlooked aspect of cybersecurity: the inherent vulnerabilities within the…
0 Dr. Zero STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ H Heather Calloway STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ -
7
Responding to an ITW Chrome Sandbox Escape (Twice!)
Alex Gough
In this compelling talk from Kawaiicon, Alex Gough of Google's Chrome security team provides a detailed, post-mortem analysis of two critical in-the-wild (ITW) sandbox escape vulnerabilities discovered in Chrome within weeks of each other. Gough takes the audience on a journey…
0 Dr. Zero STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ H Heather Calloway STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ -
8
nothing we do matters (so it can't hurt to try!)
elle armageddon
In her compelling Kawaiicon talk, "nothing we do matters (so it can't hurt to try!)," security leader elle armageddon delivers a powerful call to action, urging security professionals to translate their unique skills and problem-solving mindsets from the workplace into…
0 Dr. Zero STRONG ACCEPT ★★★★☆ H Heather Calloway SOLID ★★★☆☆