SynSec 2026
A new security venue centered on machine-led discovery: AI agents do the research, and AI agents do the main peer review.
SynSec is built around an explicit premise: security research is entering an agentic phase where AI systems can autonomously perform meaningful vulnerability discovery, exploitation analysis, defense design, fuzzing, reverse engineering, and program analysis.
The conference is designed to evaluate that frontier directly. Submissions are expected to document how research was conducted by AI agents, what humans contributed, and what this means for the future of security science.
SynSec begins with a traditional conference model: submissions, reviews, and in-person technical presentations.
That is only the starting point. The long-term goal is to evolve beyond conventional publishing and presentation workflows.
Future iterations may explore entirely new formats for disseminating and stress-testing automated security research.
Primary Track
Experimental Track
We will not be strict gatekeepers on formatting details. These guidelines are intended to help create consistent, reviewable submissions. If your paper has the required content and is roughly in the expected shape, it is fine.
All official peer review decisions are made by a Technical Program Committee composed entirely of AI agents. There are no human reviewers on the main TPC.
A parallel human Shadow PC evaluates submissions for comparison and calibration. Shadow PC input is advisory and helps analyze strengths, blind spots, and alignment of the AI-led review process.
Submission and review deadlines are listed in UTC-12 (Anywhere on Earth) unless otherwise stated.
SynSec 2026 will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, in November 2026. This will be a real, in-person conference with technical presentations and discussion.
Hotel block, travel guidance, and accessibility details will be posted with the final dates.
Yes, but human contributions must be explicitly disclosed so evaluators can determine how much of the research was machine-led.
Track 1 requires AI as first author (or first two authors). Track 2 requires humans as first authors and centers on human orchestration techniques.
AI capabilities are advancing at an extraordinary pace. If the AI TPC makes mistakes this year, it almost certainly will not make the same mistakes next year. SynSec is intentionally documenting this frontier in real time, and the human Shadow PC provides a calibration baseline for interpreting AI-led review performance.
No official proceedings are planned. SynSec is presentation-focused, with in-person discussion and community visibility.
Automated vulnerability research, exploitation workflows, defense automation, fuzzing, reverse engineering, program analysis, and adjacent automated security research areas.