Important Dates
Submissions due: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Notification to submitters: Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Enigma Track @ USENIX Security
Enigma is a series of engaging talks covering “big ideas” in security and privacy. Our mission is to promote intelligent and informed conversation about emerging threats and defenses in the intersection of society and technology.
After eight years as a standalone conference and a two-year hiatus, Enigma returned in 2025 as a track at USENIX Security. As a track, Enigma complements the Symposium's traditional research papers and poster sessions with discussions on big ideas and their noteworthy intersections. While USENIX Security continues its legacy of uniting researchers, practitioners, and system specialists around cutting-edge advances in security and privacy, Enigma introduces its signature focus on the broader implications of technology in society.
We view broad participation as a key enabler for Enigma's mission and actively work to ensure that the Enigma community represents a wide range of employment sectors, areas of expertise, countries of origin/employment, and racial/ethnic/gender identities.
Call for Speakers
We seek proposals for original 20-minute talks (to be followed by 10-minute Q&A) on current or emerging topics in security and privacy that combine technical depth with broad accessibility. Ideal presentations offer practical applications or operational case studies that illuminate big ideas, whether in traditional areas like web security and cryptography or at fascinating intersections with fields such as law, biology, or ethics. While we welcome both pragmatic guidance and challenges to conventional wisdom, talks must remain vendor-neutral and non-commercial.
Because Enigma complements the main tracks at USENIX Security, this call is expressly looking for submissions from outside of academia. Submissions will be considered from government, industry, nonprofit, and other non-academic speakers. The Program Committee particularly values great explainers who can make complex concepts engaging while maintaining scientific rigor. We will provide accepted speakers practice sessions and coaching to help them craft compelling narratives for the Enigma audience.
Submission Guidelines
To propose a talk, please submit the following information via the Enigma HotCRP site.
We only accept single-speaker submissions. Third-party submissions, even if authorized, are not allowed.
Speaker Information
- Name, email, title, and affiliation.
- Brief biography (max 150 words).
- Video of yourself giving a talk other than the one you are proposing.
- (optional) Website and/or social-networking handles.
We only accept single-speaker submissions. Third-party submissions, even if authorized, are not allowed.
Presentation Information
Approximate length: 1 page suggested, up to 3 pages max
- Talk Title (required)
- Summary (500 words recommended):
- Core idea and why it matters (~200 words).
- Key takeaway for the audience—what’s the “big idea”? (1–2 sentences).
- Brief overview of related work, including any prior presentations you've given on this topic (~150 words).
- High-level talk outline (~100 words; additional details are acceptable to show that you have planned out the flow of the talk).
- Additional Details (required):
- Will you release any code/data? (Y/N)
- Is this work being submitted elsewhere? (Y/N)
- Has a version of this talk been given before? If yes, explain what's new (~50 words)
Note: Submissions should be vendor-neutral and non-commercial. Please focus on technical merit and practical impact. Original proposals are strongly preferred.
All accepted speakers will be offered coaching to help with presentation preparation. We want you to talk about your work and passion in your own way; the role of our coaches is to provide feedback that makes your talk as clear and engaging as possible. Coaches will review slide decks (required to be submitted in advance) and will be available to listen to live practice talks (optional but highly recommended).
The complete set of talks from past Enigma conferences is available online for free per the USENIX open-access policy.
USENIX may decline proposals for any reason, even after initial acceptance.
Questions?
Please contact [email protected].
Enigma Track Chair
David Freeman, Meta
Enigma Track Organizing Committee
Kendra Albert, Albert Sellars LLP
Jack Cable, Corridor
Jeremy Epstein, Georgia Institute of Technology & Georgia Tech Research Institute
Gennie Gebhart, Electronic Frontier Foundation/University of Washington
Yael Grauer
Swathi Joshi, TransUnion
Lea Kissner, LinkedIn
Nick Sullivan, Cryptography Consulting LLC