On August 30, 2025, it was time again: BSides Frankfurt opened its doors – this year in the stylish ambience of the Goethe University’s Casino building. Around 200 to 250 IT security enthusiasts, experts and practitioners came together to spend a day immersed in the world of cyber security. For us at SECUINFRA, it wasn’t just a must-attend event – it was a highlight in the event calendar.
The lecture program already promised a lot – and delivered even more. Eight high-caliber sessions between 9 am and 6 pm covered a wide range of topics: from penetration testing and physical red teaming to threat intelligence and incident response. The mix was not only technically sound, but also extremely balanced – a real added value for all participants, regardless of their specialization in the field of IT security.
A special highlight right at the beginning: the keynote speech by Sergej Epp. In his presentation on the role of artificial intelligence in IT security, he made it impressively clear that the verification of AI output is becoming a mandatory discipline in the field of cyber defense – a topic that is also the subject of intense discussion in our company.
The presentations “Behind Closed Doors: Physical Red Team Tactics” with insights into commissioned physical break-ins to check security concepts and “Hunter vs. Hunted: A Ransomware Showdown with Hunters International”, which was particularly fascinating for us as incident responders, were also exciting. The detailed analysis of the tools and tactics of the Hunters International group provided important insights for our daily work.
Of course, we as SECUINFRA were also represented on stage – with our presentation “Living on the Edge – Evicting threat actors from perimeter appliances”. In it, we shared practical experience from real investigations into compromised edge infrastructures. The focus was on vulnerabilities in Internet-exposed systems from Cisco, Ivanti, Citrix and Fortinet – and how attackers exploit them, be it with a political agenda or purely criminal energy. Our goal: to show how to recognize such incidents, investigate them forensically and effectively defend against future attacks. We were delighted by the great interest and the many specific questions from the audience – a big thank you at this point!
In addition to the professional exchange, networking was not neglected either: in the best late summer weather, the roof terrace became a meeting place for discussions, exchange of ideas and new contacts. The day ended in a relaxed atmosphere in the neighboring beer garden – and those who still had energy left enjoyed the vibrant Museumsuferfest on the Main.
Our conclusion: BSides Frankfurt 2025 was once again a complete success. As in previous years, it not only offered excellent presentations and in-depth professional exchange, but above all the opportunity to get in touch with the local and international IT security community. We will definitely be back – with fresh topics, new insights and the same enthusiasm for cyber defense.
