Our History

See you in October 2026!

From Consolidation to Services: Driving Cybersecurity with Hackfest The more things change, the more it's the same battle: laws, vulnerabilities, ransomware, broken promises. After consolidation, we're going further — Hackfest is moving into services mode. Our mission: train, raise awareness, act. But now, we're going beyond the walls of the event. We're heading back into schools, businesses, and organizations to build cybersecurity where it matters most: every day. Our podcast La French Connection is also hitting the road — and going video! Invite us to your conferences, events, or parties. We'll bring mics, cameras, and energy to create unique live moments with your teams. And we're going all-in on security practices: - Online and in-person trainings - Targeted pentests - Social engineering: phishing, vishing, smishing As the saying goes, "action speaks louder than intention." This 17th edition of Hackfest is no longer just an annual gathering, it's a launchpad for continuous action.

From Awareness to Action: Strengthening Cybersecurity at Hackfest The more things change, the more they stay the same—whether it's offensive, defensive, legal, ransomware, or even in the area of investments. At Hackfest, our mission is clear: raise awareness and provide training. There's a glaring lack of both, especially since the introduction of Law 96, and let's not forget the sky-high costs that don't always reflect quality. We're tackling this by offering cutting-edge, local training. This year, we're introducing a brand new SCADA/ICS village and social engineering workshops designed to empower organizations and raise awareness. There's an old saying: "Practice what you preach," and it applies perfectly to cybersecurity. With new technologies emerging, it's critical to understand how they work so we can properly assess and mitigate the risks they pose. The same holds true for cybersecurity laws—proper follow-ups and enforcement are essential. Without accountability, there's no resilience, no incentive for improvement, and no progress. That doesn't mean we can shrug off our responsibilities. They may evolve, but it's our duty to remind ourselves and others of the importance of planning for the unexpected—whether it's related to AI, cloud security, or new cybersecurity policies. Welcome to Hackfest 2024! Let's dive in and make this 16th edition our best yet! … 17 …

Taking computer security into the future with a Back to the Future movie theme. We've all yearned for a return to in-person conventions, but the world has changed. It's time for a fresh vision to inspire us. Are you ready to step into the future of computer security? Join us for an electrifying journey into the world of cybersecurity as we proudly present the latest edition of Hackfest, complete with a theme that encapsulates the spirit of our times. Hackfest has always challenged the statu quo, and this year, not deviating from our habits, we're excited to introduce POLAR, an event for startups and managers to dive into cybersecurity's reality and enable some networking. Our commitment to the cybersecurity community continues with a 4000+ member Discord, QuebecSec community initiatives, and a dynamic podcast. We're still waiting on our own members to solve the riddle around it… We're also proud to support the CQEC initiative (Circuit Québécois des événements en cybersécurité), uniting cybersecurity events locally to strengthen Quebec and Canada's digital security. Join us at Hackfest 2023 and be part of the future of cybersecurity!

From the pandemic to the virtual to the resurrection … This 2022 edition was much more complex to realize after 2 virtual editions. Although the last two editions have brought together more than 1200 people each, we have clearly seen a declining interest, in addition to our own, in virtual events. Add to that the fact that several hotels are understaffed, uncertainties and difficult dates to meet our technical needs, this led us to change the date in order to offer you a quality event... It was a very hard decision to do a last minute event, but we believe it was better than a bad event or putting it off. After all, it's time for the community to meet again in real life, discuss the real issues, and not just via Discord! :) In short, this edition focuses on the resurrection of face-to-face editions and resilience, nothing better than a last minute event! At the same time, why not make a change and try new things, for that matter? We also note a more local interest, all centered around community and learning. All up to date with the many events and changes in the field of information security in Quebec. In particular Bill 25/64, the multiple data leaks and the disinformation war around COVID or the war in Ukraine. By the way, trying something new, we strangely booked the 2023 edition before this year edition!

See the anecdotes by clicking on the photos.

See the anecdotes by clicking on the photos.

Breach after breach, As 2019 passed by Quebecers, along with many others, learned there are countless problems when it comes to protecting personal information-- thanks to the breaches of Equifax, Desjardins, Capital One, Revenu Quebec, Canada Post, most of which were due to insufficient computer security practices. While many of these breaches came to light during this past year, the problem is not new. And thanks to PIPEDA1, it is becoming harder for companies to sweep these incidents under the rug in order to avoid consequences. With great power [access], comes great responsibility! Often times in business, there are a lot of assumptions made internally about what safeguards are in place as they relate to security, resulting in little to no verification that they actually exist. Examples of this could be failing to verify that sensitive data is only accessed by necessary employees, or even making sure that proper training is given. Businesses tend to focus their training efforts towards technical elements, leaving a gap to be filled in educating their employees on how to handle attacks like phishing or social engineering which are tailored specifically towards people. Sadly, these avenues are some of the simplest to achieve when targeting a business. Information security is everyone's responsibility, regardless of your role or who your employer is. While we know that encouraging a strong, cohesive security culture in a business is an effective way to start making improvements, many find this idea unachievable or think that it hinders their ability to be agile. Rather than taking responsibility to encourage improvement, pointing a finger or saying "that's not my job" has siloed departments and squandered the hope for change to better the entire organization. Luckily, many are starting to understand that this isn't just a phase we are going through. We are going to continue to see more and more businesses make headlines for not properly securing their customer or employee's data. But where do we begin? How can we make the most positive impact to our security efforts? While the answer isn't easy, a lot of it boils down to education. Education for our employees and on how to properly secure our infrastructure. Information security is everyone's responsibility, regardless of your role or who your employer is. The good news We have observed great strides being made with how companies educate employees and how incidents are handled over the last year. Examples of these improvements include Quebec's provincial government planning a centralized cyber defense center and the transparency displayed by Desjardins in response to their breach. These changes are something that we can all be proud of and continue to learn from. Together we can help to influence these positive changes by continuing the conversation and contributing to further improvements in security as a whole. Let's be proud of our success, let's talk about it and share our knowledge among all of us and our organizations! 1PIPEDA : Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, see https://bit.ly/2cDg5a1

25 YEARS AGO… In a far, far away hacking scene... Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and Usenet are in vogue to connect with communities, even before IRC, in the late '80s and early' 90s. Just like in the spirit of WarGames. Everything was in place to satisfy the curiosity of young people who only wanted to discover and learn new things while exchanging, face to face or online. The fact that everything is not so accessible makes attractive the environment that is still outlawed, whether with the use of ToneLoc, e-zines, warez, bomb recipes, bananadine or still unique games of doors or MMOs. The technology begins and so does the security of information. Exploration of garbage cans, red boxes, whistles from cereal boxes, 2600 meetings, e-zines, DEF CON, the beginnings of free software - in short, opportunities aren't lacking. The whole thing is essentially done in terminal and the only interfaces were made of drawings with characters (ASCII art). Some establish their network of contacts with a local scene, while others connect further, with cDc, Phrack, LoD, CCC, MoD or other groups. Quebec hasn't escaped that wave, especially since many future initiatives stem from projects from this era. Starting from Northern Phun Co and Corruption Addicts via Illegal Granted Access, Total Control, Pyrofreak, Underdark, Quebec Hacker Alliance and Rectum Crew, there was everything to make a world, be it in phreaking, hacking, cracking, virii, carding or other illegal stuff whose authors "protect themselves" from the potential consequences behind dubious disclaimers. This is the intense period when the world exchanges on IRC, be it on EFNet, Undernet or others. The WWW / Internet is becoming accessible to the general public and the cable modem is starting. Mr. and Mrs. everyone discover the long dark world with graphical interfaces accessible by Windows. Piracy is essentially frowned upon and information security is mostly part of the world of network administrators. With this accessibility, other horizons are opening up, since the toll-free calls are quietly a thing of the past, it is possible to communicate with the Francophonie and other countries in a more accessible way (read economic). We discover Madchat, kewl.org, CYBz, Coromputer, ZATAZ, WebHack and other groups. The general public is quietly aware of the existence of this counter-culture as demonstrated by the release of Hackers and The Matrix. Little by little, the BBS and IRC users leave the school and settle on the job market so they mature and grow older/wiser, lack the time to chill on chats. Experience is gained during this decade, while other communities or events take the reins - MafiaBoy, iLoveYou, ... Times change, one generation does not recognize or support the previous one, so things are changing fast, especially malicious actors. Events and meetups are set up to exchange locally, like the 2600 meetups that take place in Montreal and Quebec City (sporadically), the mtl2600 forum and the first version of the Hackfest, organized by CENTINEL (do you know where the name of our mascot comes from?) from Laval University. 10 YEARS AGO After 3 editions of Hackfest organized by Laval University, qc2600 meetings begin with several members of hacking groups and ethical hacking of the Quebec City scene, these being pretty much on the line of legality, turned into meetings monthly at the Cage aux Sports or the Place Laurier Food Court with computer security friends who started a job in the domain from 2004 until around the summer of 2009 where one of our co-founders has the idea to redo the Hackfest but somewhere out of university. So on a certain June morning, a planning took place, an incorporation was created, and the Hackfest Reloaded was born. It was supposed to take place at Laval University but the H1N1 virus robs us of our premises so the event was transferred to a hotel and 4 months later, on November 7, 2009 more than 175 people showed up in the basement the Universal Hotel where about 8 conferences were held followed by a lockpicking contest and a CTF Red vs Blue! TODAY Sharing information, networking, and discussing projects or challenges in the workplace are critical to the progress/evolution of the information security community, especially with malicious actors who have made significant progress in recent years, often after being associated with organized crime or governments. It goes without talking of organizations that are helpless facing challenges and are just starting to organize themselves. This is what Hackfest has been promoting for 10 years and intends to continue! Under the auspices of Hackfest Communication, a non-profit organization, at the local level we got iHack (mini-Hackfest, https://ihack.computer), QuebecSec (conferences and local monthly meetings, https://Quebecsec.ca) and La French Connection's French podcast (https://securite.fm) and DEF CON's Canadian party (https://hack-n-moose.ca). In addition, the Hackfest team is present in schools and various events, such as the ex-CQSI and now SéQCure. In addition, a striking and critical element that allowed many people to flourish and stand out in the middle was the Hackfest CTF, especially with super creative minds bringing ideas equally crazy from each other - nuclear reactor, WarGames, a dam mock-up, reality business, bomb ... The Hackfest would not be what it is without the CTF teams and collaborators who have succeeded each other over the years by constantly raising the bar and not running away from any challenge. At the image of our world that is getting increasingly complex. The number of registrations and the required logistics surprises us from year to year, especially the speed of registrations being sold out! Thank you so much to you!

Hackfest is all about the community. It's YOUR conference and everyone is more than welcome! We are here as partners, colleagues and friends to share ideas, to learn and to have an awesome time. At Hackfest, you will find security professionals, enthusiasts or students. You may also find your next company, your next employee or simply your next brilliant security project! Anyway, today everyone is approachable, no one is a rock star. In the Hackfest community, some are here, some are gone and some remain, but everyone can contribute to it. All together, we wish ourselves as many lives as possible and a terrific Hackfest 9th Edition (9 Lives)!

You are HACKFEST. Your participation today makes you part of the community. A rich and vibrant community, where elitism, doubt and disinformation have not any place. Thanks to you, we are the most important non-profit organization in Canada, gathering together experts, public or private professionals and security enthusiasts. You are HACKFEST. You're like all of us. You want to learn and explore infinite possibilities! Together, knowledge has no limit, so enjoy HACKFEST 8th Edition (Infinity)!

WE ARE THE HACKFEST. We are the largest organization on the East Coast of Canada that brings together the community of experts, private professionals and government officials, as well as passionate hackers in the field of information security. We believe that an ethical approach, based on expertise and collaboration, can bring a lot to society in the face of current security challenges. YOU ARE THE HACKFEST. By being here today you are part of the community. A rich, vibrant community where elitism, doubt and misinformation have no place. You are like us all. You want to learn, understand, go beyond appearances. YOU ARE LUCKY! Happy Hackfest 2015!

QUÉBEC, Nov. 12, 2014 – 600 participants, 24 speakers and 26 hacking games teams gathered in Quebec City on November, 7-8. Among the different talks given this year, topics that were into the heart of the cyber-security challenges recently faced in Canada and in the world by citizens, corporations and governments (credit card fraud, drones, sophisticated cyber-attacks, data encryption, privacy, etc.). This year, more than 10% of participants came from outside the province of Quebec, with a increasing trend. Beyond its original mission to raise awareness, HACKFEST has gained a position as a not-to-be-missed event, which is mobilizing and arousing new talents' interest for Information Technology Security. A strong presence of young people (33% of students), government employees (33%) and experts (33% of professionals) made the event a truly specialized human resources pool, driven by a strong demand in the labour market. Ethical Hacking Games (Capture The Flag) gathered 150 participants (26 teams) who have competed to solve 90 computer security challenges. In addition to the games, participants really appreciated the new "Hackfest Party" concept on Saturday night. That evening was both a social and technical experience, with mini-games, lock picking contest and technical demonstrations (3D printing, hardware hacking).

With 'Strikes Back', Hackfest returns stronger than ever, inspired by science fiction and themes of resistance and counter-attack. An edition that focused on defensive techniques and incident response.

The 'Matrix' edition immerses participants in the cyberpunk universe made famous by the cult film. Reality vs simulation, red pill or blue pill? This edition explored the boundaries between the real world and cyberspace, with presentations on augmented reality and virtual system security.

A tribute to the cult 1995 film 'Hackers', this edition celebrates 90s hacker culture with its neon aesthetic and electronic soundtrack. 'Hack the Planet!' became the rallying cry of this memorable edition that paid homage to the scene's pioneers. See the video here: https://youtu.be/9UJK74YY-ZI?si=6O6WSMzK6a6Z2pB

Inspired by Daft Punk, the 'Harder Better Faster Stronger' edition symbolizes the constant evolution required in cybersecurity. Always stronger, always better - this philosophy perfectly summarizes Hackfest's approach to continuously improving the event and its community's skills.

The first edition of Hackfest launches in Quebec City with the 'Reloaded' theme. This name refers to the fact that it is a version number 2 of the event. The first version was organized by the students of Laval University in the C.E.N.T.I.N.E.L group (where our mascot comes from) and took place in 2001, 2003 and 2005. Founded by enthusiasts, this event would become the largest gathering of ethical hackers in Quebec, inspiring generations of security professionals.