Established in 2010 under the original name hashdays, Area41 is Switzerland's most well-known technical information security conference. Every two years, international speakers present cutting-edge research from a variety of fields, ranging from software vulnerabilities and malware research to threat hunting and offensive security practices. Area41 attracts a diverse crowd of information security professionals, technical managers, as well as students and enthusiasts interested in the field.
Area41 actively curates a lineup consisting of international speakers as well as promising rising stars. Our talk selection focuses on content first. Our speakers, while compensated for their travel expenses, choose to share their knowledge without further compensation.
Our YouTube channel is here.
Since our first sold out event in 2016, we have chosen to cap Area41 at a 400 attendees maximum to ensure that the atmosphere and the ability to connect with other attendees and speakers alike remains intact. Get your tickets early or you might end up on the waitlist.
We will be growing to give more people a chance to attend - new location is TheHall in Zurich (thehall.ch)
We plan the next conference on 18-19.June 2026 - in a new location in Zurich. More space, more fun...
Over the years, we had the pleasure to host many great speakers from all over the world. For the 2026 edition, we strive to live up to the expectations we established in previous years by presenting you with the best line up we can muster.
Below is a selection of some of the speakers who have been presenting at 2024.
There will be one main track. In addition, we will provide a variety of networking opportunities to enable attendees to make optimal use of their time while at Area41.
Agenda will be published in 2026 after the CFP closes.
We are proud to present TheHall as our 2026 conference location partner.
https://thehall.ch/
Hoffnigstrasse 1, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
TheHall is located near Bahnhof Stettbach, just 10 minutes away from Zurich Main Station HB,
and can be easily reached by train when arriving from Zurich Airport (ZRH).
We recommend using public transport since parking is sparse and expensive.
Nearest Parking are Parkhaus Stettbacher-Hof, SBB P+Rail Stettbach, Parking Migros Stettbach
Nearest bus/tram/S-Bahn station is: Bahnhof Stettbach
There are many hotels in Zurich near HB station. Some hotels are nearby the venue:
We could not dream of putting on an event like Area41 without our generous sponsors, some of which have been with us for the past decade.
If you are interested in supporting AREA41 2026, please get in touch (sponsoring@defcon-switzerland.org) to receive our current sponsorship opportunities.
We are thankful for our 2026 sponsors and their trust in us!
Call For Paper (CFP) will open around February 2026 till April 2026
If you have a suggestion for a workshop, then send us details at committee @ defcon-switzerland.org. We are mainly interested in short workshops.
There are some helper spots avaialable - get in contact with us
You can find more videos in our YouTube channel.