PHDays Fest gathered over 150,000 people for the three-day event, with more than 180,000 viewers tuning in online
Positive Hack Days, the international cybersecurity festival hosted by Positive Technologies, took place in Moscow’s Luzhniki sports complex on May 22–24. The event was supported by the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia. The Moscow Government acted as a strategic partner and this year’s cyberfestival received was supported by the Social Development Complex, the Department of Information Technology and the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development.
How can we ensure a secure digital future for everyone and build sovereign cybersecurity in every country? How can we achieve technological independence and professional readiness to autonomously maintain cyber resilience under any circumstances, using only our own cybersecurity specialists? Is it possible for a country to train skilled personnel independently, without interacting with experts from other countries and global industry leaders?
These were just a few of the questions that delegations from over 40 countries, including Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, discussed at the cybersecurity forum. Among the participants were representatives of government bodies and cybersecurity agencies, business leaders, renowned tech experts, software developers, and ethical hackers.
This PHDays Fest has been the largest in its history since it started in 2011. Over 150,000 people visited the three-day event, with more than 180,000 viewers tuning in online. The technical sessions were grouped in 26 tracks and featured 270 talks covering key cybersecurity issues. More than 500 speakers participated in the festival, ranging from budding tech enthusiasts to top specialists, CIOs, and CISOs of major IT companies.
Digital sovereignty took center stage at PHDays Fest, highlighting how Russia has managed to maintain digital sovereignty by combining the efforts of government agencies and strong domestic vendors. Since 2022, it has been rapidly developing its own technologies, solutions, and services with a focus on security. Having successfully mastered challenges, Russia can share its unique experience in achieving digital autonomy with other countries and partners.
An innovative idea on how to achieve digital sovereignty was proposed at PHDays Fest by Positive Technologies. The concept is based on the idea that strategic cooperation and mutual exchange of expertise can become a source of strength. For example, when developing technologies or products, partners depend on each other only in terms of sharing knowledge and practical experience.
Such synergy can be achieved by moving away from the traditional schemes of importing IT and cybersecurity solutions, which plunge countries into complete dependence on suppliers. Instead, cooperative partners, whether countries or commercial enterprises, can progress together by complementing each other. The concept was positively received by Russian experts and supported by delegates from other countries.
Positive Technologies declared its willingness not only to launch this initiative, but also to take a leading role in its implementation. The company’s experts are ready to openly share their unique experience in the field of cybersecurity, accumulated over more than two decades, with countries. They offer practical expertise in protecting individual facilities and entire economic sectors, as well as methods for developing effective cybersecurity systems.
To foster the growth of local professional talent, the company will act as a mentor and allocate resources to train and upskill cybersecurity specialists and ethical hackers. Positive Technologies also intends to develop local expert communities. This way, the vendor will help partners establish the necessary technological foundation and properly build a sovereign cybersecurity industry, which the partners will be able to maintain and improve independently, relying on their own well-trained and highly qualified specialists.
The company took its first steps in this direction in 2024, specifically by launching an international training program for cybersecurity professionals. In addition, Positive Technologies helps to enhance the competencies of cybersecurity leaders in financial institutions of the Gulf countries to better protect the local financial sector.
“As the official distributor of Positive Technologies in the Middle East and Africa, we are thrilled to be attending Positive Hack Days Fest. This is our second time participating in this event, and it provides a fantastic opportunity to connect with cybersecurity experts from around the world,” said Ali Azzam, Vice President of Mideast Communication Systems. “Positive Technologies offers a range of unique cybersecurity solutions and has significant strengths and key advantages in various sectors. We believe it is essential for us to encourage Egyptians to attend this festival, as they can gain valuable insights that can be applied to the Middle Eastern industries.”
New partnerships and initiatives. Expanding partnerships and advancing cybersecurity in Russia and abroad
During the forum, the DOM.RF Group and Positive Technologies signed a partnership agreement that aims to cultivate the Russian software market and develop domestic alternatives to cybersecurity products for the banking industry. In addition, the FinTech Association has joined forces with Positive Technologies to ensure the cyber resilience of the financial sector. By joining the association, the leading cybersecurity solution developer will collaborate with its fellow members to create conditions in which security issues do not hinder the implementation of the latest technologies in financial companies.
Positive Technologies also signed memorandums of understanding and cooperation with four educational institutions in Indonesia: Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Universitas NU NTB, Business Center Alumni UI (KBA UI), and Sakuranesia Foundation. The collaboration will focus on improving the skills of cybersecurity professionals in Southeast Asia. The company has developed an extensive program to foster local expert communities in friendly countries. These agreements enable Positive Technologies to share its specialized knowledge and assist educational partners in training highly qualified cybersecurity specialists. Through training, the company contributes to the development of sovereign cybersecurity and the strengthening of digital architectures in other countries.
Additionally, the second season of Positive Hack Camp, an international educational project on practical cybersecurity organized by Positive Technologies, was announced. In July, specialists from multiple countries will once again come to Moscow to learn about cybersecurity from leading Russian experts.
Other PHDays Fest highlights
As part of the cyberfestival, the legendary cyberbattle Standoff 15 took place. In this battle, defenders faced off against ethical hackers in conditions as close to real life as possible. More than 40 teams of attackers and defenders from 18 countries, including CIS countries, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, participated in the large-scale competition. The total prize fund for the attackers was 5 million rubles. The Russian team DreamTeam secured the top spot, claiming the title of seven-time Standoff champion.
The open-access zone of the cyberfestival featured Cybercity, a quest packed with interactive installations. In the popular science zone, guests could explore the world of digital innovations, learn useful facts about the technologies that surround us, and develop the necessary skills for safely using and controlling modern technology. Seasoned experts informed the guests about cybercriminal scams, IT career paths, AI, and tech startups. The youngest speakers from the Movement of the First shared their experiences with IT projects.
This zone also featured the Safety in Motion School where visitors could learn the right way, and more importantly, the safe way to use personal mobility devices. At the university and college fair, some of the country’s leading educational institutions, including Higher School of Economics, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, ITMO University, and Moscow State University, informed students and high schoolers about career prospects and educational programs in the field of cybersecurity.
The digital forum and vibrant cyberfestival concluded with a grand evening concert under the open sky, featuring Uma2rman, Minaeva, and GRUNGE.
