More British security conferences have recently been canceled.
Organizers of both 44CON, which was due to take place this week, and BSides London, which was due to take place October 23 and 24, have announced in recent weeks that their 2020 events will not take place.
In a statement released today, BSides London said it is “with a heavy heart that we, as event directors, have taken the decision to CANCEL this year’s event” based on the available data and its own risk evaluation. These factors included the likelihood of maintaining social distancing in networking areas, taking temperatures upon entry, the number of people actually able to attend and the possibility of a next wave of COVID-19.
“We want to thank all of you for being patient in these times and supporting the team,” the organizers added.
Also, the organizers of 44CON said there will not be a physical 44CON event this year, or until a COVID-19 vaccine is available and being used, as government rules “mean we can’t hold the physical event in September.”
In the meantime, 44CON announced the first in a series of free-form war gaming exercises.
A host of British cybersecurity conferences have been pulled this year, including the majority of the UK BSides events which were due to take place after lockdown began, and Infosecurity Europe, which announced its physical event was to be replaced with a series of virtual events taking place throughout the year.