At DEF CON 2026, Finite State will speak at two sessions focused on emerging cybersecurity challenges, including AI-driven security testing, IoT vulnerabilities, and the impact of new AI regulations. The company will also host the Factory Floor MVP Incident Response Challenge, a hands-on competition where participants investigate simulated attacks against a manufacturing environment.
WHO:
Larry Pesce, VP of Services, will discuss how AI is transforming security testing and vulnerability discovery, including where AI excels and where it falls short, and a practical blueprint for building AI-assisted security testing workflows in his session, “Dr. Strangepwn: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the LLM.”
Joshua Marpet, Senior Product Security Consultant, will explore emerging AI regulations through a security researcher’s lens, including where the legislation strengthens transparency, where critical gaps remain, and what security professionals should understand in his session, “AI Safety Theater: What the RAISE Act Regulates, and What It Does Not.”
WHEN & WHERE:
DEF CON 2026, Las Vegas Convention Center | Las Vegas, NV
Speaking Sessions:
Dr. Strangepwn: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the LLM
Friday, Aug 7 | 12:30-1:15 PM, at IoT Village, Stage 3
AI Safety Theater: What the RAISE Act Regulates, and What It Does Not
Saturday, Aug 8 | 5:00-5:30 PM, at Creators Stage 1
Factory Floor MVP Incident Response Challenge:
Friday, Aug 7 and Saturday, Aug 8 | 1:00-3:00 PM, at AppSec Village
Participants will step into the role of a defender responsible for protecting a modern manufacturing environment as they investigate active cyberattacks across industrial control systems, engineering workstations, sensors, historians, and connected infrastructure.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITY:
Finite State experts will be available at DEF CON for practical guidance on firmware-grounded product security, exploitability-driven vulnerability prioritization, and understanding how modern connected systems actually fail in operational environments. For interviews on AI security, connected device vulnerabilities, software supply chain risk, and the future of product security, interested media can contact press@finitestate.io.
For more information on the Finite State sessions and challenge, visit: https://finitestate.io/events/defcon-2026.
About Finite State
Finite State empowers device OEMs to ship securely while enabling engineering teams to move at the speed of AI, immediately transforming product artifacts into audit-ready assurance through a single automated workflow. Leveraging deep binary analysis and AI-native execution, the platform unifies code, compiled components, and firmware in minutes – connecting security design with deployed software. By continuously generating SBOMs, VEX, and signed compliance packages, Finite State enables connected device companies across industries such as medical devices and automotive to meet evolving regulations, including the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and deliver continuous compliance at speed. Learn more at https://finitestate.io/
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260731612164/en/
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