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Defend the Railroad Cyber Security Collaborative Returns

Coming February 10-11, 2026
TheLink in Columbia, Maryland.

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About The Collaborative :

Defend The Railroad is a mission-driven initiative led by TAC to strengthen cybersecurity across our nation’s rail systems.
 
This year we are in partnership with Cylus, Amtrak, Association of American Railroads (AAR), and American Short Rail and Regional Rail Association (ASLRRA).

As digital threats to critical infrastructure continue to grow, this collaborative brings together government, cybersecurity experts, rail operators, researchers, and industry leaders to protect one of our most vital transportation lifelines.

Through hands-on collaboration, real-world threat discussions, and strategic knowledge sharing, Defend The Railroad empowers participants to identify vulnerabilities, fortify defenses, and shape the future of rail cybersecurity.

What You'll Experience On Board

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Access Speaker Sessions & Presentations

Access to Happy Hour Networking Event

Access To Technology Showcase & Expo

Industry-Led Table-Top Simulations

Group Townhalls

Gain access to policymakers, and frontline experts

Collaborative Speakers

More To Be Announced Soon

Mr. John J. Garstka

Director, Cyber Warfare, OUSW Acquisition & Sustainment
U.S. Department of War

Tariq Habib

Chief Information Security Officer
State of NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Carolyn Hayward-Williams

Director - Office of Railroad Systems and Technology, Office of Safety
Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

Aubrey Wetzelberg

Intelligence Analyst
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Katie Savage

Secretary / State Chief Information Officer, Maryland Department of Information Technology

Karan Sondhi

CTO Global Public Sector, CrowdStrike

Keisha Braden

Cybersecurity Surface Inspector
Transportation Security Administration Department of Homeland Security

Miki Shifman

CTO
Cylus

Annie Fixler

Director and Senior Fellow, Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation
Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Melissa Firstenberg

Sr Mgr Fleet Cybersecurity
Amtrak

Janet St. John

Director, Cybersecurity
Association of American Railroads

Jennifer Gallagher

Cybersecurity and Risk Analysis, Railroad Systems and Technology
Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

Jen Blum

Founder and Principal Consultant
JenAI Group

Yaniv Mallet

Product Manager
Cylus

Jiwon Ma

Senior Policy Analyst
Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Industry Tabletop Exercises

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Simulating the Unthinkable at Defend the Railroad

To help organizations prepare for the reality of these interdependent threats, Bureau Veritas Cybersecurity is leading live cyber crisis simulations at the upcoming Defend the Railroad event in Maryland.

Learn more

Securing Hybrid Identities: Stopping Breaches Where Adversaries Log In

Identity is the new battleground. Today’s adversaries don’t break in—they log in using stolen or abused credentials, exploiting hybrid environments where gaps between siloed tools create blind spots

Learn more

Join The Mission

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Moments from Hack The Railroad 2024

Since 2023, this event has been grounded in a mission that serves our community. What began as Hack The Railroad has evolved into Defend The Railroad, a name change that reflects our deepening commitment to securing critical rail infrastructure. As the threat landscape grows, we’re dedicated to pushing this mission forward and fostering collaboration where it counts most.

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Columbia, MD 21046
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About Bureau Veritas Tabletop Exercise

Simulating the Unthinkable at Defend the Railroad

To help organizations prepare for the reality of these interdependent threats, Bureau Veritas Cybersecurity is leading live cyber crisis simulations at the upcoming Defend the Railroad event in Maryland.
This immersive experience takes participants out of their comfort zones and places them directly into a high-pressure scenario: A multi-faceted cyberattack strikes multiple railway vendors – now what?

Participants will:

- Step into real-world roles such as railway operations, communications, legal, CISO, and IT response
- Navigate evolving incidents based on realistic threat scenarios
- Collaborate under pressure to assess risk, manage communications, and make tough calls
- Gain a hands-on understanding of how operational and cybersecurity decisions must work in tandem

Whether you’re a security leader, IT practitioner, or operational stakeholder, this simulation is a must-attend opportunity to test your readiness and sharpen your response playbook.

About CrowdStrike's Tabletop Exercise

Securing Hybrid Identities: Stopping Breaches Where Adversaries Log In

Identity is the new battleground. Today’s adversaries don’t break in—they log in using stolen or abused credentials, exploiting hybrid environments where gaps between siloed tools create blind spots. In this session, we’ll explore real-world adversary tradecraft across Active Directory, Entra ID, cloud, and SaaS apps, and show how identity misuse accelerates modern breaches. Attendees will learn how unified identity protection—integrating endpoint, identity, SIEM, and expert-driven detection and response—disrupts attacks at every stage, from initial access to lateral movement and data exfiltration. We’ll break down the latest threat trends, hybrid attack sequences, and key identity risks, and demonstrate how organizations can dramatically reduce breach exposure with a single, integrated platform.

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