Hackers Guild

Name: ISSA Meeting - Practical Quantum Safe Cryptography with James Ringold
Start: 2026-05-19T21:30:00.000Z
End: 2026-05-19T23:00:00.000Z
Location: Hackers Guild

4.9•50 ratings

About us

Chat with us on Discord!
https://discord.gg/8NeSyVVbpy

Our Mission:
At Hackers Guild PGH, our mission is to create a thriving community for cybersecurity enthusiasts, professionals, and learners. We provide a collaborative environment where individuals can sharpen their skills, explore new technologies, and contribute to the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity.

Who We Are:
Hackers Guild PGH was founded by a group of passionate cybersecurity professionals and educators who recognized the need for a hands-on, community-driven space dedicated to cybersecurity training and innovation. Located in Pittsburgh, we serve as a hub for individuals at all levels of expertise—from beginners to seasoned experts—offering a range of resources and opportunities to grow and succeed.

What We Offer:
We offer comprehensive training, state-of-the-art facilities, and a vibrant community to support your cybersecurity journey. Our special events include Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions, hackathons, and meetups, making Hackers Guild PGH the perfect place to connect with like-minded individuals and grow your skills.

Our Vision:
We envision Hackers Guild PGH as a place where the next generation of cybersecurity leaders is born. By providing access to cutting-edge technology, expert-led training, and a vibrant community, we aim to be at the forefront of cybersecurity education and innovation.

Join Us:
Whether you’re looking to start your journey in cybersecurity, hone your skills, or connect with like-minded individuals, Hackers Guild PGH is the place for you. We invite you to explore our offerings, participate in our events, and become a part of a community that is shaping the future of cybersecurity.

Our Commitment:
We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of education and ethical practices in cybersecurity. Through our programs and initiatives, we strive to promote a culture of security awareness, continuous learning, and innovation.

Upcoming events

See all

Introduction to 3D Printing: Understanding the Machine
Sun, May 17 · 1:00 PM EDT
Hackers Guild PGH, 2247 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA, US
Space is limited. Please register on Eventbrite to reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988870965597

3D printing has become one of the most accessible and powerful tools for turning ideas into physical objects, but how does it actually work?

In this introductory course, we’ll demystify the inner workings of a 3D printer and show how software, electronics, mechanics, and materials all come together to create three-dimensional objects. This is a beginner-friendly, hands-on overview designed to give you real understanding.

You’ll learn about the major components of a typical 3D printer, including motion systems, extruders, hot ends, build plates, and control electronics. We’ll discuss common 3D printing methods and materials, explaining what they’re good for and why you might choose one over another. A live print demonstration will walk through each step of the process, from loading material to watching the finished part take shape layer by layer.

This class is ideal for anyone curious about 3D printing, considering buying a printer, or wanting a foundational understanding before moving on to design or advanced printing techniques.

What we’ll cover:
- Core components of a 3D printer and what each does
- Common 3D printing methods and materials
- How a print goes from digital file to physical object
- Live print demonstration with step-by-step explanation
Prerequisites:
- None — no prior experience required
What to bring:
- Nothing required; curiosity encouraged
Skill level:
- Beginner
Tags / Categories:
3D Printing, Hardware, Maker Skills, Digital Fabrication, Beginner Workshop

***

## FAQs

Do I need any prior experience with 3D printing?
No. This class is designed for complete beginners.

Will we be designing parts in this class?
No design work is required. The focus is on understanding the machine and printing process.

Will I get to see a printer in action?
Yes. The class includes a live print demonstration.

Is this class hands-on or lecture-based?
It’s a mix of explanation, demonstration, and discussion.

Is this useful if I’m thinking about buying a 3D printer?
Absolutely. This class is a great way to understand what to look for and what ownership involves.
3 attendees
Hackers Guild Morning Mesh
Tue, May 19 · 7:30 AM EDT
Hackers Guild, 2247 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA, US
Morning Mesh is a monthly meetup and networking event in Pittsburgh for the people who actually do the work. Cybersecurity engineers, software builders, infrastructure folks, founders, and the leaders who came up through that world and still think like operators. Hosted by Hackers Guild and held in the morning, it's designed for people whose evenings are already spoken for and whose mornings are when they think clearest.

The format is intentionally simple. Coffee at 7:30. A short talk from someone in the room, usually fifteen minutes on a problem they're working on or a thing they figured out, followed by questions. Then forty minutes of conversation, with light prompts so the room doesn't default to small talk. Out the door by nine, on time for whatever the rest of your day holds.

Hackers Guild has a particular culture. We're rough around the edges in a way Pittsburgh tech tends to be: practical, irreverent, suspicious of jargon, more interested in what you've shipped than what you've titled yourself. Morning Mesh extends that culture across the full range of people who do this work, from the engineers in the trenches to the executives shaping strategy. Both ends of that spectrum have more to learn from each other than the usual industry circuits allow, and a regular morning where everyone shows up, drinks coffee, and talks like equals is how that learning actually happens.

A few things this isn't. It isn't a sales floor, a networking-for-networking's-sake event, or a place to recruit at the door. We don't have sponsors who get speaking slots. We don't have a structured pitch round. If your reason for coming is to extract leads, you'll find the room politely but firmly uninterested. If your reason for coming is to find people who think hard about hard problems and want to compare notes, you've found the right group.

Come once and see if it fits. The mesh gets stronger with every node.
2 attendees
Coding with AI: Building Apps Using Claude CODE
Tue, May 19 · 1:00 PM EDT
Hackers Guild, 2247 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA, US
Space is limited. Please register on Eventbrite to reserve your spot and for Hackers Guild member pricing: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988773020641

AI is rapidly changing how software is written, but using it effectively requires more than just prompting. In this class, Alex will demonstrate how to use Claude CODE on Linux to build interactive web applications through a tight, developer-controlled feedback loop.

Rather than pasting code into chat windows, participants will learn how to connect Claude directly to a local development environment. This enables Claude to read project context, reason about code structure, suggest changes, and help implement features in a way that mirrors real-world collaborative development.

The class emphasizes workflow over hype: understanding what Claude CODE is, how it works, and how to integrate it into an existing Linux-based toolchain. Attendees will follow along as Alex builds and extends a simple interactive web application, demonstrating how AI can assist with architecture decisions, debugging, refactoring, and feature expansion without surrendering control of the codebase.

Topics Covered
- What Model Context Protocol (MCP) is and why it matters
- Setting up Claude CODE in a Linux environment
- Connecting AI to local files and project context
- Using AI to write, refactor, and extend code safely
- Building and iterating on interactive web applications
- Practical limits, risks, and best practices when coding with AI
Prerequisites
- Basic familiarity with programming concepts
- Comfort using the Linux command line
What to Bring
- Laptop
Skill Level
- Beginner to Intermediate
10 attendees
ISSA Meeting - Practical Quantum Safe Cryptography with James Ringold
Tue, May 19 · 5:30 PM EDT
Hackers Guild, 2247 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA, US
Join us on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 for our Chapter Meeting
Featured Speaker: James Ringold
Topic: Practical Quantum Safe Cryptography
Organizations rely on cryptography that was never designed with large‑scale quantum computers in mind. While fully capable quantum machines are still emerging, the risks they pose to today’s data and systems are already very real—especially for information that must remain confidential for years or decades.
Join us for a focused session on practical quantum‑safe cryptography, where we’ll cut through the hype and concentrate on what matters for security and architecture teams right now.
We’ll cover:
1. Where quantum computing really is today (for cryptography): A clear-eyed look at current quantum capabilities, realistic timelines, and what’s signal vs. noise for security planning.
2. How quantum computers threaten today’s cryptography: What algorithms are at risk (e.g., RSA, ECC), what “break” actually means in practice, and which use cases are most exposed.
3. Risk assessment in a “harvest now, decrypt later” world: How to think about long-lived data, regulatory and contractual obligations, and which systems and data sets should be prioritized for quantum‑risk review.
4. What you can do now to prepare for quantum‑safe cryptography: Concrete steps: crypto‑inventory, data‑lifetime analysis, architecture patterns, migration planning, and how emerging post‑quantum standards fit into your roadmap.

Who should attend: Security architects, CISOs, IT leaders, compliance and risk teams, and anyone responsible for protecting sensitive or long‑lived data.
Key takeaway: You’ll leave with a practical, action‑oriented checklist for assessing your organization’s quantum risk and starting a realistic transition toward quantum‑safe cryptography—without waiting for the future to arrive first.

About the Speaker: James Ringold
James Ringold is a cybersecurity leader, speaker, author, and former CISO with 25 years of experience helping organizations strengthen security, compliance, and identity programs. His career spans retail, electronic discovery, investigations, cloud services, aerospace, defense, nuclear energy, and manufacturing, giving him a broad perspective on attacker behaviors, business risks, and technology challenges. He currently serves as a Security Solutions Engineer Manager at Microsoft, where he leads and enables a team of solutions engineers who help customers protect data, systems, and networks using Microsoft Security technologies. His work emphasizes AI‑enabled SOC experiences and maximizing the value of human intelligence in cybersecurity operations.

Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM (Presentation starts at 6:00 PM)
Location:Hackers Guild PGH - 2247 Babcock Blvd - Pittsburgh, PA 15237
RSVP on MeetUp: Pittsburgh ISSA Meeting | Meetup
2 attendees