The world-class cybersecurity international conference, "CODE BLUE 2023" Ends on a high note ~First in-person event in four years, with visitors from 24 countries and regions~

The CODE BLUE Executive Committee is pleased to announce that CODE BLUE 2023, Japan’s premier international cybersecurity conference, was held in Akasaka, Tokyo, on November 8-9, 2023, and closed after two days of full-day sessions.This was the first time in four years, since 2019, that the event was held only in-person. The event brought together cybersecurity experts from Japan and abroad to share the latest knowledge and deepen exchanges through lectures, workshops, and networking parties.

Sessions at CODE BLUE 2023

This year marked the 11th year of CODE BLUE. The lectures, which passed the difficult hurdle of being selected more than 10 times, ranged from lectures by security engineers who are active on the front lines of the world, panel discussions by researchers of international law and international politics, and keynote speeches by key persons involved in national diplomacy, showing the diversity of the fields covered by cyber security today. The wide range of presentations shows the diversity of the fields covered by cyber security today. In addition, as befits the name of an international conference, security experts and others from 24 countries and regions will visit Japan*. The conference provided an opportunity for information exchange and interaction across national and language barriers.

*Overseas visitors were from Taiwan, the U.S., Singapore, and other countries, according to ticket sales.

Keynote speech by Mikko Hypponen

The keynote speech by Mikko Hypponen, one of the world's leading experts on cyber security, was well received by the visitors. He talked about the history of attackers and defenders in cyberspace over the past 30 years, and gave a thought-provoking prediction of cybersecurity in the age of generative AI.

On the technical side, Koh Nakagawa's talk on the vulnerability of authentication bypass on Apple silicon-equipped Macs and Orange Tsai's three-year history of participating in the Pwn2Own (hacking contest) were well received by the audience. Other areas of interest included Daniel Kapellmann Zafra's talk on the evolution of cyber threats in OT systems and Jeffrey Tully and Christian Dameff's' research on the impact of ransomware attacks on hospitals and community healthcare.

The closing keynote speaker was Sergiy Korsunsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Japan, who spoke about the importance of cybersecurity in the current global climate and its impact on society.

In addition to the main track, "U25" featured speakers under the age of 25, "Open Talks" were presented by sponsors, and "Bluebox" introduced open source tools. Bluebox" sessions introducing open source tools and other topics. Many visitors gathered to test their skills in the Capture The Flag (CTF) hacking contest and learn new knowledge in the workshops. The "Contests/ Workshops" attracted many visitors, who tested their skills in the CTF (Capture The Flag: hacking contest) and gained new knowledge in the workshops.

This year, more than 30 student staff members from across Japan and volunteer staff from CBNOC (CODE BLUE Network Operation Center), which maintains the venue's network, also participated in the management of the event. The event was attended by a wide range of community members, including students, companies, and industry organizations.

CODE BLUE again this year became a place for networking among 

a wide range of companies, students, and industry organizations

In an event survey, approximately 85% of the respondents answered "satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with CODE BLUE*2.

Participants commented, "I was able to broaden my knowledge by listening to the latest lectures from Japan and abroad," "This is the only event where I can gain broad and deep knowledge from hacking to international affairs and law," "The various workshops were very interesting," "It was easy to interact with companies and I had a meaningful time," etc. CODE BLUE will continue its activities to promote international information exchange and exchange opportunities in the field of cyber security.

*2 Total number of survey responses: 136 (as of November 16, 2023)

■CODE BLUE 2023 Overview

Date: November 8 (Wed.) - November 9 (Thu.), 2023

Venue: Akasaka Intercity Conference (Akasaka Intercity AIR, 4F)

Sponsor: CODE BLUE Executive Committee

Operation: CODE BLUE Secretariat (BLUE Co., Ltd.)

Website: https://codeblue.jp/2023/en/

SNS: [X (formerly Twitter)] https://twitter.com/codeblue_jp

　　［Facebook: https://facebook.com/codeblue.jp

■About CODE BLUE 

CODE BLUE 2023

CODE BLUE is an international cybersecurity conference where top class experts from Japan and the world gather. Celebrating its 11th year, the conference provides state-of-the-art lectures by cybersecurity experts and opportunities for information exchange and interaction that transcend national and language barriers. By bringing together the world's top-level experts active in a variety of fields, we aim to revitalize and strengthen cooperation of cybersecurity in Asia and foster excellent young researchers in Japan and Asia.