Dr. Dave Venable speaks on cybersecurity, international security, intelligence, critical infrastructure, and emerging forms of strategic conflict. His appearances have included Black Hat USA and Europe, the Warsaw Security Forum, Cyber Future Dialogue in Davos, the George W. Bush Presidential Center, university and academic conferences, and U.S. public-diplomacy programs abroad. He has delivered keynotes, technical briefings, academic presentations, panels, workshops, and long-form recorded interviews for government, industry, and academic audiences.
August 31, 2026 — Denton, Texas
Institutional research presentation introducing the Strategic Pattern Register (SPR), a joint ISRS–UNT NEXUS research initiative designed to identify, classify, and track recurring strategic behaviors across cyber, information, economic, political, and military domains.
The presentation covered the move from incident-based analysis toward pattern recognition, the SPR research methodology, and the inaugural UNT student-research collaboration.
Project:
ISRS Strategic Pattern Register
UNT:
UNT NEXUS–ISRS SPR Internship
June 4, 2026 — Virtual
George W. Bush Institute × Institute for Strategic Risk and Security
Panel discussion examining the emerging strategic alignment among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea through the framework of Synthetic Asymmetry.
Panelists included Dave Venable, Igor Khrestin, Brigham McCown, Tara McFeely, and Wm. David Hamilton. The discussion addressed strategic convergence, cyber conflict, economic coercion, democratic resilience, and how lower-cost technologies enable disproportionate strategic effects.
Video:
Synthetic Asymmetry and the CRINK Challenge — video and panel page
Related publication:
George W. Bush Institute — Synthetic Asymmetry and the CRINK Challenge
April 2, 2026 — University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Opening Keynote
Information Security IS International Security
Opening keynote examining the collapse of the traditional boundary between cybersecurity and national security. The presentation connected cyber operations, information warfare, emerging technology, geopolitical competition, and Synthetic Asymmetry.
The official UNT program lists the keynote from 9:00–9:45 AM.
Conference program:
UNT NEXUS 2026 Conference Program
March 18–20, 2026 — New Orleans, Louisiana
Co-presented with Dr. Helen Potts, University of North Texas
Synthetic Asymmetry: Technological Convergence and Strategic Imbalance
Academic conference presentation developing Synthetic Asymmetry as a formal framework for understanding deliberately engineered strategic imbalance created through converging, increasingly accessible technologies.
ISRS identifies this presentation as the conference-stage development of the Synthetic Asymmetry framework.
Framework:
Synthetic Asymmetry — ISRS
Conference:
IOSSBR
January 21, 2026 — Virtual
With Jacob “Jake” Williams
Joint IANS briefing examining how geopolitical developments increasingly operate as direct drivers of enterprise cyber risk.
Topics included Venezuela, Iran, China, geopolitical instability, state-aligned cyber activity, and the emerging Splinternet—the fragmentation of the global internet into competing political and technological spheres.
January 20–21, 2026 — Schatzalp, Davos, Switzerland
Cyber Future Foundation’s annual high-level international convening held in Davos during World Economic Forum week.
The 2026 theme was “From Protection to Prosperity — Building Global Resilience through Cyber, AI, and Public-Private Partnerships.” Programming addressed cybersecurity, responsible AI governance, digital trust, geopolitical instability, resilience, and public-private cooperation.
Event:
Cyber Future Dialogue / Cyber Future Foundation
October 28, 2025 — George W. Bush Presidential Center, Dallas, Texas
Roundtable: Professionalizing CISOs (PAC)
Panel with Dave Venable, David Hirsch, and Amit Basu examining the maturation of the Chief Information Security Officer role as a profession.
Discussion included professional standards, leadership capabilities, business acumen, ethical expectations, continuing education, mentorship, and the growing strategic role of CISOs. The official agenda lists the session at 10:30–11:15 AM on Day 2.
Event:
Cyber Future Summit 2025
November 11, 2024 — College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina
T20 Brasil 2024 / G20 Brasil 2024-related program
Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peacebuilding: Multilateral Approaches to a World Beyond Wars and Conflicts
Panel discussion organized by the College of Charleston in partnership with T20 Brasil 2024, associated with Task Force 6 on strengthening multilateralism and global governance.
The discussion examined the political, institutional, economic, security, and multilateral challenges involved in rebuilding societies after armed conflict.
Event:
College of Charleston — Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peacebuilding Panel
December 22, 2020 — Recorded podcast
With John Sipher; hosted by Brian Whitmore
Discussion of the aftermath and strategic implications of Russia’s SolarWinds compromise.
Guests were Dave Venable and John Sipher, a 28-year CIA veteran. Topics included Russian intelligence operations, cyber espionage, national-security consequences, and the implications of a major supply-chain compromise.
Audio:
The Great Hack — Power Vertical Podcast
November 18, 2019 — Arlington / Pentagon City, Virginia
Conference appearance associated with recognition by Security Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Security 2019.
Security Magazine selected five individuals in its cybersecurity category, including Dave Venable.
Recognition:
Security Magazine — Most Influential People in Security 2019
August 30, 2019 — Kathmandu, Nepal
U.S. State Department public-diplomacy / cybersecurity engagement
Cybersecurity discussion hosted by the ICT Development Committee of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The event brought together Nepalese business and technology leaders for a discussion of cyber risk, security practices, and the rapidly changing international cybersecurity environment. Contemporary coverage identifies Venable as the visiting U.S. cybersecurity expert.
Event:
FNCCI ICT Development Committee — Cyber Security Expert, USA
August 29, 2019 — Kathmandu, Nepal
U.S. State Department public diplomacy cybersecurity engagement
Roundtable with Nepalese banking and financial-sector technology and security leaders addressing cyber threats affecting financial institutions, international trends, risk management, and the future of cybersecurity in banking.
August 28, 2019 — CAN Federation Central Office, Khusibun, Kathmandu, Nepal
U.S. State Department Public Diplomacy
Cybersecurity roundtable with Dave Venable and Paul Thomas of the Public Affairs Office, U.S. Embassy Nepal.
The discussion focused on Nepal’s cybersecurity environment, cyber risk, institutional preparedness, and the development of a more mature national cybersecurity framework. Contemporary coverage records the event beginning at 10:00 AM.
Event:
Round Table Discussion with Dave Venable
May 21, 2019 — Episode 848
Guest interview with Dave Bittner
Interview on cyber vulnerabilities at the infrastructure level, with particular emphasis on the security implications of 5G, legacy industrial systems, critical infrastructure, and the limits of individual protection against infrastructure-level attacks.
The interview begins at approximately 4:14 in the published transcript.
Audio:
The CyberWire Daily — Episode 848
Transcript:
CyberWire Episode 848 Transcript
2018 — Prague, Czech Republic
PSSI-organized, U.S. Department of State Public Diplomacy
Cyber Warfare in the 21st Century
Public lecture at Charles University examining cyber conflict, information warfare, national-security implications of cyber operations, and the changing character of interstate competition in cyberspace.
The Prague Security Studies Institute’s 2018 annual report explicitly records Dave Venable delivering the public lecture.
Program documentation:
PSSI Annual Report 2018
October 24–25, 2018 — Warsaw, Poland
Speaker at the annual Warsaw Security Forum.
The surviving public archive confirms the 2018 dates and Venable’s multi-year relationship with the forum, although the exact session title for this appearance remains to be conclusively matched to the archived agenda.
Your speaking archive also contains a recorded Warsaw Security Forum session titled:
Protecting Critical Infrastructure
Video:
Video embedded on Dave Venable — Speaking Engagements
2018 — Teku, Kathmandu, Nepal
U.S. State Department Public Diplomacy
One-day cybersecurity workshop organized by the U.S. Embassy and held at iHub in Teku.
Independent attendee documentation records participation in a “1-day Security Workshop from David Venable organized by the US Embassy” in Kathmandu in 2018.
November 2017 — Warsaw, Poland
Speaker / New Security Leaders mentor
Multi-day international security forum examining defense, NATO, geopolitical competition, cyber conflict, European security, and emerging threats.
The official WSF archive lists David Venable among the 2017 speakers.
Archive:
Warsaw Security Forum 2017 Speakers
July 27, 2017 — Las Vegas, Nevada
Information Warfare: Tactics, Techniques, & Procedures
Briefing examining how governments, intelligence services, militaries, political groups, and non-state actors use information operations to influence beliefs and behavior.
The presentation covered historical and modern information-warfare techniques, online amplification, propaganda, influence operations, case studies, and methods for recognizing manipulation in the wild. Black Hat’s official archive confirms the session.
Black Hat:
Black Hat USA 2017 — David Venable
Video:
Video embedded on Dave Venable — Speaking Engagements
April 10–13, 2017 — Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada
Managed Security Services: The Next Opportunity
Panel discussion with Tina Gravel, Bill Gauthier, Cameron Tousley, and Dave Venable examining growth in the managed-security-services market and how technology-service providers could capitalize on rising enterprise cybersecurity demand.
Coverage:
Channel Futures — Managed Security Services: The Next Opportunity
November 4, 2016 — Business Design Centre, London, United Kingdom
10:45–11:45 AM
Breaking Big Data: Evading Analysis of the Metadata of Your Life
Black Hat briefing examining how governments and commercial data platforms use metadata and pattern-of-life analysis to build extraordinarily detailed profiles of individuals.
Topics included mass surveillance, metadata correlation, commercial big data, anonymity, privacy, pattern-of-life analysis, and methods for reducing the ability to associate selected activities with a person’s primary identity.
Black Hat’s official schedule confirms the date, time, and session.
Black Hat:
Black Hat Europe 2016 — David Venable
Video:
Breaking Big Data — Black Hat video listing
Also embedded here:
Dave Venable — Speaking Engagements
October 28, 2016 — Warsaw, Poland
Hosted by Brian Whitmore; with Mark Galeotti
Recorded at the Warsaw Security Forum.
Discussion of the emerging cyber conflict between Russia and the West, including Russian offensive cyber activity, retaliation, cyber deterrence, information warfare, NATO’s recognition of cyberspace as an operational domain, and the possibility of Western offensive cyber responses.
RFE/RL identifies Venable and Mark Galeotti as the episode’s guests.
Audio:
RFE/RL — Will The West Hack Back?
October 26–28, 2016 — Warsaw, Poland
NATO’s Cyber Security — Beyond the Warsaw Summit
International panel examining NATO cybersecurity following the 2016 Warsaw Summit.
Panelists included:
Wiesław Goździewicz — NATO Joint Force Training Centre
Sven Sakkov — NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence
Lior Tabansky — Tel Aviv University
Dave Venable — Masergy / 2015 New Security Leaders alumnus
Andrzej Zybertowicz — Advisor to the President of Poland
Moderator: Izabela Albrycht.
The official WSF archive confirms Venable as a 2016 speaker, and Polish government records confirm the forum dates.
Video:
NATO Cybersecurity panel — embedded on Dave Venable Speaking Engagements
Speaker archive:
Warsaw Security Forum 2016 Speakers
August 3, 2016 — Las Vegas, Nevada
Building a Corporate Security Program from A to Z
Black Hat workshop on designing and scaling a corporate information-security program, including governance, organizational structure, risk management, security operations, executive alignment, and program maturity.
Black Hat’s official archive lists Venable as presenter for the session.
Black Hat:
Black Hat USA 2016 — David Venable
June 8, 2016 — Virtual webinar
With Jeff Pollard, Forrester
Webinar examining changing enterprise cybersecurity priorities, the increasing complexity of threats and IT environments, and strategies for aligning security investments with changing business risk.
Masergy announced the event for June 8, 2016, with Dave Venable and Forrester Principal Analyst Jeff Pollard.
Event announcement:
Rethink Your Cyber Security Strategy
2015 — Warsaw, Poland
Selected for the Warsaw Security Forum’s New Security Leaders Program, an international program bringing together emerging foreign-policy, defense, diplomacy, and security leaders.
This began a multi-year relationship with the Warsaw Security Forum that subsequently included repeated speaking and mentoring appearances.
SMU graduate cybersecurity program
Course presentation examining how security programs can be aligned with business objectives, executive decision-making, governance, risk tolerance, and organizational priorities.
You are under surveillance. We all are. If you're targeted by a government, nothing you can do will save you. But even if you aren't, the metadata of your life is being gathered and stockpiled by collection capabilities that even Orwell couldn't have imagined, and it's not just being done by governments. The big data industry is rapidly growing and may soon be on par with NSA-style mass surveillance, but with a different goal: to learn everything they can about you in order to sell your information, and sell you the next new thing.
Encryption is only half the battle. Your metadata is often more valuable than your data. Every route you drive, every social media post you make, every aisle you visit in the grocery store, every email, every check-in, and every site you browse is being collected and correlated. The intelligence community calls this pattern-of-life analysis, and there's not much you can do to prevent it. Hiding behind seven proxies won't protect you from Google, the NSA, or the app on your phone with global permissions. This complete erosion of privacy impacts every one of us, and there is a complete lack of transparency around this.
In this talk, a former NSA professional will cover a variety of the techniques used by the mass surveillance industry to analyze an individual's metadata and develop a profile of you, your activities, your affiliations, and what you are likely to buy next. Techniques that can be used to prevent selected activities from being associated with your true persona will be covered, with a focus on making your true persona blend in with the masses.
We are at war. But the battlefields are no longer distant deserts and jungles. This war is being fought on your newsfeed, in the comment section, on your TV, in your podcasts, and ultimately in your mind. It's easy to shrug off cries of "FAKE NEWS!" or "meme magic" but governments, militaries, and intelligence agencies have employed information operations techniques for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. And they are often devastatingly effective.
The internet decreases the barriers to entry for information operations to the point that even small non-state actors can use them, while sophisticated and well-funded organizations such as governments and intelligence agencies can dramatically increase the scale and scope of their existing efforts.
In this briefing, a former NSA intelligence professional will review the tactics, techniques, and procedures used in today's information war; along with case studies; and tips on how to identify and defend against these techniques in the wild.
Wiesław Goździewicz - Legal Advisor, NATO Joint Force Training Centre
Sven Sakkov - Director, NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence
Lior Tabansky - Director of Strategy, Cyber Security Group, Researcher, Tel Aviv University, Israel
David Venable - Vice President, Cyber Security at Masergy, Alumni 2015 NSL Program, USA
Andrzej Zybertowicz - Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland
MODERATOR: Izabela Albrycht - Chair of the CYBERSEC Organising Committee, Chair of The Kosciuszko Institute, Poland