ICS Village, in partnership with the Institute for Security and Technology, Crowell LLP, the National Security Institute, and the Wilson Center, proudly presents Critical Effect DC! Formerly known as Hack the Capitol, Critical Effect DC is a multi-track conference committed to bridging the gap between technical experts and policy professionals. 

Critical Effect DC provides a unique platform for policymakers, think tanks, and the media to engage with leading voices in ICS and cybersecurity, while facilitating hands-on experiences to encourage informed, actionable discussions.

Join us for the eighth edition of DC’s premiere cybersecurity conference dedicated to ICS and OT security! 

When

Thursday, June 12, 2025 —
Friday, June 13, 2025 

Where 

Crowell and Moring LLP
1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004

Hosts

About Critical Effect DC

Returning This Year: Workforce Development Day!

This track is dedicated to training underrepresented populations—including college students, military veterans, women, and minorities— and providing hands-on experience and connecting them with training programs and job opportunities in ICS/OT security.

2025 Focus Areas

This year, we’re prioritizing timely, solution-driven content with a sense of urgency—focusing on initiatives that can be implemented within the next two years. 

We are particularly interested in:
— Cross-sector challenges: How disruptions in one sector (e.g., water) impact others (e.g., healthcare, emergency management).
— Emergency management involvement: Strengthening coordination in critical infrastructure resilience.

Call for Papers now open!

We invite experts to submit speaking proposals for Critical Effect DC 2025. Please submit your proposal before April 4 2025. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis.

Submit a proposal

For media inquires or other questions, please contact [email protected].

Track I: Policy Panels and Presentations

Policy, strategy, and governance-focused panels and presentations, including keynotes and fireside chats by leading government officials.

Track II: The Boardroom

A series of half-hour individual sessions, each of which will dive deep into leading issues in ICS security. Topics include the corporate, legal and regulatory environment, and specific technical or operational details.

Track III: Technical Talks

Also known as the Beer-ISAC, this featured series of half-hour individual sessions is dedicated to peer-to-peer information sharing.

About Hack the Capitol 7.0

Hack the Capitol 7.0 took place on May 30-31, 2024 in Washington DC at Crowell LLP.

The 2-day event featured a fireside chat with Representative Brad Finstad and Ron Gula; panels on Operation Cyber Shield, adversarial technomics, the evolving threat landscape for critical infrastructure, press perspectives on critical infrastructure, the role of venture capital in supporting critical infrastructure, and more.

More information on Hack the Capitol 7.0