2026 Design of Cyber Secure Critical Infrastructure Conference
Critical infrastructures underpin the functioning of modern societies. They enable the continuous provision of essential services, support economic activity, safeguard public safety, and contribute to national and societal resilience.
DCS-CI is a joint academic-industrial forum bringing together researchers, practitioners, regulators, and industry leaders to explore system-level, secure-by-design approaches that address the unique challenges of protecting water systems, energy grids, transportation networks, and other critical infrastructure sectors.
DCS-CI 2026
📅 September 2-3, 2026
📍The Water Tower
Building on DCS-Water 24 and 25
The DCS-CI series has its origins in the DCS-Water conferences, which focused specifically on the cybersecurity challenges facing water and wastewater utilities. DCS-Water 24 and DCS-Water 25, co-hosted by iTrust research centre at the Singapore University of Technology and Design and The Water Tower, brought together world-leading experts to address operational technology (OT) vulnerabilities, cyber-physical attack scenarios, and resilience strategies for water critical infrastructure.
DCS-CI 26 expands upon this foundation. While water infrastructure remains a vital concern, the conference now embraces the full spectrum of critical infrastructure sectors: energy, transportation, healthcare, telecommunications, and beyond. This broader scope reflects the recognition that many of the challenges—and many of the solutions—transcend sectoral boundaries. Secure-by-design principles, threat modeling frameworks, and resilience engineering methodologies are applicable across all domains where cyber and physical systems intersect.
Conference Format
The general format of the conference is as follows:
Day 1 (September 2): Expert Presentations by Leaders from Academia and Industry
- Program coming soon!
Day 2 (September 3): Sessions and Workshops
- Cybersecurity Test Bed for the Water Industry Workshop: The EPA and Idaho National Laboratory are collaborating to construct a cybersecurity test bed specific to water. The test bed will include large scale pumps, tanks, valves, sensors, etc. connected to a SCADA system. Once constructed, the test bed will be used to demonstrate how the system could be hacked, the large-scale impacts of a such an event, and countermeasures that could be implemented. The EPA and INL will hold a workshop in conjunction with the conference where the vision for the test bed will be presented, and an informal discussion will take place with interested conference attendees. The discussion will focus on the design of the test bed, the types of demonstrations and research that could be conducted, and opportunities for collaboration.
- More workshops coming soon!
Call for Papers Now Closed
The Design of Cyber-Secure Critical Infrastructure (DCS-CI) 26 conference invites researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders to submit original work that advances our collective understanding of how to design, deploy, and maintain secure critical infrastructure systems.
The call for papers is now closed. We look forward to featuring exciting, informative sessions at DCS-CI!
Co-Hosted by The Water Tower and iTrust Centre for Research in Cyber Security
To view more information regarding the call for papers and topics of interest, visit our partner's website.
Register
Attendee Registration
- Includes in-person registration for DCS-CI 2026
Public Utility Registration
- Includes in-person registration for DCS-CI 2026
- Valid public utility email required
Student Registration
- Includes in-person registration for DCS-CI 2026
- Valid student ID required
Sponsor
Platinum
- Includes exhibitor booth
- Six (6) attendee registrations
- Prominent recognition in event marketing and promotional materials, including signage, e-blasts, and social media posts
Gold
- Includes exhibitor booth
- Four (4) attendee registrations
- Recognition in event marketing and promotional materials, including signage, e-blasts, and social media posts
Silver
- Includes exhibitor booth
- Two (2) attendee registrations
- Recognition in event marketing and promotional materials, including signage, e-blasts, and social media posts
Bronze
- Includes exhibitor booth
- One (1) attendee registration
- Recognition in event marketing and promotional materials, including signage, e-blasts, and social media posts
Additional Information
Lodging
If you require hotel accommodations for this event, please utilize the links below to access special rates for this event:
Airport Transportation
Linked below you will find a transportation guide to help you navigate from the Atlanta (ATL) airport to The Water Tower.
Transportation Guide from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport to TWT
Directions
Please be sure to enter through the main entrance at the intersection of Woodward Mill and Plunketts Road.
Parking
Please park in the main parking lot in front of the main building (Building A) on Clean Water Court. Overflow parking is available in the gravel lot on the side of the main building.
Visa Request
If you are traveling internationally and require a visa request letter, please contact Melissa Meeker at melissa@theh2otower.org.
DCS-CI Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Conference Organizers
