If you ever went to a blackhat you probably think that the security crowd is a bunch of stuck up, unfriendly, egomaniacs.

That’s why I like the local meetups - the gatherings that bring together people who live in the area and like security as much as you do. Suddenly those same egomaniacs become fun drinking buddies who like to have interesting discussion and share interests.

I just saw an announcement about ARBSEC - “an informal CitySec meetup of local security professionals” in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I spoke at a “rubi-con” conference in Michigan once (is rubi-con still around?) and really liked the local guys. I recommend anybody who likes security and is in the MI area to check it out. If I get to the midwest area on that date I’ll be sure to attend.

The problem with these local meetups is that everybody knows where blackhat is held, but not too many people know where their local security ‘meetup’ is, or if one even exists. I know that there used to be a group meeting in the DC/VA area, and a “Security n’ Suds” monthly gathering in Northern California - both were almost secret and if you didn’t know who to ask, you had no chance of knowing they exist. Other groups like Austin Hackers seem to be defunct or at least stopped updating their web site a few years ago.

So what meetups are currently active? Please share if you know of a local security meeting club. If you want to start a local meetup in your area, try your luck here in the comments section and maybe you’ll find others who would like to join…

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