Each week, we’ll highlight a major city in the US and cover the places and events you can go to in that area to get your security information fix. This post is part of the information security communities.
This time around, we focus on Buffalo. Not just a place to stop over when going to Niagara Falls, it’s also a great place to enjoy some of its eponymous wings. And while you are in the area, why not drop by Rochester as well? There are also some local professional groups you can be part of here in The Queen City or even Kodak Town.
- OWASP Buffalo Local Chapter – Started on 2004, this group meets four times a year at KnowledgeAir LLC. You can hit up their mailing list for more info or review past presentations.
- OWASP Rochester Local Chapter – This group has a treasure trove of stuff on its site. Click on the link to check out past events, past presentations and meeting dates. Speaking of which, meetings are every third Monday of the month.
- ISSA, Rochester Chapter – They meet every quarter and you can see past meetings here. There are also a few presentations for download in the site.
- ISACA Western New York Chapter – ISACA Western New York Chapter was founded way back in 1980. Back read their past newsletters or even their forum.
- WNYSIP – The Western New York Society of Information Professionals’ mission is to provide a networking and educational forum for the advancement of the IT professional. You can peruse their past events here.
- InfraGard Buffalo and InfraGard Rochester – At its most basic level, InfraGard is a cooperative undertaking between the U.S. Government (led by the FBI) and an association of businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other participants dedicated to increasing the security of United States critical infrastructures. Read about past meetings here.
If you want to get more gritty, there are a few local meetings you can join.
- DC 585 – The Rochester DefCon group’s site has gotten a bit quiet though you can visit it and email the address on site to find out more. They do meet every third Friday though at Interlock Rochester so drop by, they don’t bite.
- Rochester 2600 – This local 2600 group also meets at Interlock every first Friday of the month. You’re even welcome to share a presentation if you like. There’s also an weekly open meeting every Tuesday.
- Dorkbot Buffalo – If creating is your thing, there is also this local Dorkbot group. Be part of their mailing list to know when the next meeting will be.
Rounding out the meets are a list of hackerspaces in the Rochester-Buffalo area.
- Interlock Rochester – The only hackerspace in Rochester, this space caters to a diverse set of intrepid tinkerers. Be a member and have access to group events, 24/7 entrance to the space and discounts on classes and local partners.
- Fraternal Order of Buffalo – Sound high-falutin’ but it’s really just a few guys having fun picking things apart. Not sure where the space is exactly though.
- Buffalo Lab – You will find this collective just 2 scant miles outside downtown Buffalo. Take part in group projects and enjoy a pool of resource for your own hobby by joining.
While security events might not be as numerous in this place, there is one that you need to be in.
- The Rochester Security Summit – Get in touch with other security pros in the area on October 20 and 21. The keynote will be delivered by Stephen Northcutt. The Rochester Security Summit is a collaboration of area organizations and the Rochester Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA). The first Summit was held in 2006.
If you kn0w of any security event or group we missed, feel free to post in the comments.
Awesome post. Would also like to mention Interlock Rochester if we’re putting local hackerspaces on the list. 🙂 Thanks! http://www.interlockroc.org
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