Ben Jones
Acium
Leave With a Hackoween Keepsake
Printed Trading Card
Step up for a photo in your Halloween costume and get a Hackoween trading card with your picture on it, printed on site by Exp Photo Agency.
Digital AI Bobblehead
Exp Photo Agency also turns you into a bobblehead version of yourself in your costume. It's a digital image, not a physical figurine, so you can save it and share it.
What Happens at Hackoween
Live Hacks
Matt Lee, Luke Patneau, and Benjamin Jones execute a real-world attack live, start to finish. Cyber MC Chris Johnson explains in plain language what happened, why it worked, and how businesses reduce their exposure.
You'll see how a hidden USB device can hand over remote access in seconds, how attackers get around some forms of multifactor authentication, and how a fake webpage tricks a browser into running malicious code.
Dark Web Demo With Michigan Cyber Command
An undercover Michigan Cyber Command analyst takes you inside illicit marketplaces and criminal forums that trade in stolen credentials, personal information, cybercrime services, and weapons, then connects what exists there to threats facing businesses and individuals.
Last year's demo used real marketplace listings instead of slides. We needed a fainting couch on standby.
The Haunted Phone Booth
New this year. Think you can hack a pay phone? Follow the clues, use a classic phone-hacking technique, and see how many hidden secrets you can uncover. No cybersecurity experience is required.
We probably shouldn't tell you what happens when you pick up the phone.
A recap of Hackoween 2025.
After the Hack: Cyber Panel and Q&A
The hackers stay on stage for an open Q&A about where defenses fail and the threats each of them is seeing right now.
Matt Lee
Pax8
Luke Patneau
Kaseya
Chris Johnson
Global Technology Industry Assn.
Rob Moore
STACK Cybersecurity
Free Consultations at the Topic Tables
Topic Tables run from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Walk up to any table, no appointment needed, or request a time when you register or by emailing info@stackcyber.com.
CMMC and Compliance
Staffed by the Schoolcraft College APEX Accelerator and Jeanne Schabath-Lewis, Economic Development Specialist for the Michigan Office of Defense & Aerospace Innovation. Ask about Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for defense contractors.
Cyber Insurance
Staffed by Garwood Buda Knight & Associates. Review your policy's exclusions and sublimits before renewal.
Microsoft
Staffed by Microsoft, with Julie Hodges and Ryan Sharer of Ingram Micro. Ask about Copilot and Microsoft 365, with optional follow-up training at your office. Meet the team below.
Cybersecurity and Password Hygiene
Staffed by our partner Keeper Security, Inc. Meet the team below.
Artificial Intelligence
Staffed by Ben Jones of Acium and STACK Cybersecurity. See a live look at STACK's new Managed AI service.
Microsoft and Ingram Micro
Julie Hodges
Julie Hodges is a Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 expert at Ingram Micro, a global technology distributor. She has nearly 20 years in technology distribution and more than a decade focused on Microsoft cloud solutions, and she helps businesses accelerate AI adoption while maintaining strong security, governance, and compliance practices.
A trusted advisor to Microsoft partners and customers across North America, Hodges specializes in AI readiness, Copilot deployment, user adoption, data governance, and responsible AI. She has led executive briefings, webinars, and enablement programs that help businesses get value from AI.
Ryan Sharer
Ryan Sharer is a Business Development Executive for Microsoft Modern Work at Ingram Micro, focused on relationship building and driving cloud business with Microsoft Cloud Solutions. He helps partners, including value-added resellers (VARs) and managed service providers (MSPs), grow their Microsoft cloud practices.
Sharer builds on a strong foundation in Microsoft's cloud suite and continues to develop his focus on leadership, workflow processes, and strategic marketing.
Keeper Security
Richard Hoffman II
Richard Hoffman II is an Account Manager at Keeper Security, where he helps businesses strengthen their cybersecurity and secure access across their teams. He has nearly 10 years of experience in the technology and cybersecurity industries and works closely with partners and customers to connect them with solutions that protect people and sensitive information.
Based in Oklahoma City, Hoffman has spent the past year at Keeper helping teams improve their access security. He is excited to visit Michigan for the first time and connect with the local community.
Roy Baker
Roy Baker is a Solutions Engineer at Keeper Security. He brings more than four years of experience in privileged access management, password management, and identity management for small and midsize businesses, enterprises, and managed service providers. He has worked with thousands of partners on the design, implementation, and support of cybersecurity solutions that meet business objectives and long-term expansion goals.
Baker works with Sales Development and Account Executives across the company to identify new opportunities and support project success for new and current Keeper customers.
CMMC and Compliance
Schoolcraft College APEX Accelerator
APEX Accelerators, formerly known as Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, are managed by the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs. They help businesses pursue government contracts, and most of the assistance is free.
The Schoolcraft College APEX Accelerator staffs the CMMC and Compliance Topic Table.
Jeanne Schabath-Lewis
Jeanne Schabath-Lewis works with the Michigan Office of Defense & Aerospace Innovation at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). At the Topic Table, she answers questions about Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements and compliance obligations for defense contractors.
Come in Costume. Your Hosts Will.
Rich Miller, STACK's founder and CEO, arrives as the Joker. Tracey Birkenhauer, Chief Impact Officer, is Poison Ivy. Costumes are encouraged, not required. The Costume Corner has costumes, wigs, masks, and other adornments for anyone who shows up without one, and STACK awards a prize for the best costume.
Dinner is from Rocky's of Northville, and the bar is open all night. A DJ keeps the music going. Blush & Batter Macarons is providing macarons, and Artisan Buttercream is making a custom cake we're keeping under wraps. There's also a surprise dessert that may be a fire hazard.
Two Awareness Months, One Night
Christine Kinal
October is both Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the two overlap. Abusers use stolen passwords, shared accounts, location tracking, and spyware to monitor and control survivors, so securing devices and accounts is part of staying safe.
Christine Kinal, President & CEO of HAVEN of Oakland County, opens the program at 5:55 p.m. with remarks on why both campaigns matter.
Hackoween's high-end silent auction raises money for HAVEN of Oakland County, a Pontiac-based nonprofit that provides shelter, counseling, advocacy, and forensic services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Expected items include Detroit Lions memorabilia, a Detroit Tigers jersey signed by Hall of Famer Al Kaline, and a Jack Daniel's bottle signed by the members of Three Doors Down. Julia Fidler, founder of Cakes & Candles Project, which partners with HAVEN to provide complimentary celebration cakes for residents in its shelter, is donating a custom celebration cake. The winning bidder chooses the flavor, filling, and design. Items are subject to change. Bidding is open from 5 to 8:45 p.m., with winners announced during closing remarks.
Agenda
5 p.m.
Registration, Open Bar, Dinner, DJ, Networking & Interactive Experiences
Trading cards, digital bobbleheads, the phone booth, the silent auction, and more are open all evening.
5 to 8:30 p.m.
Topic Tables Open
Walk-ins welcome all evening. Pre-registered attendees will have a reserved time with their chosen specialist.
5 to 8:45 p.m.
Silent Auction Benefiting HAVEN
5:45 p.m.
Welcome to Hackoween
Event MC Tracey Birkenhauer.
5:55 p.m.
Why This Matters: Cybersecurity Awareness Month & Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Opening remarks from Christine Kinal, President & CEO of HAVEN of Oakland County.
6:20 p.m.
Live Hack Experience
Executed live by Matt Lee, Luke Dexter Patneau, and Ben Jones, with Cyber MC Chris Johnson translating what's happening into cybersecurity lessons you can use.
7:05 p.m.
After the Hack: Cyber Panel & Audience Q&A
7:35 p.m.
Networking, DJ, Topic Tables & Interactive Experiences
7:40 p.m.
Cake Demonstration
See the custom cake from Artisan Buttercream revealed before dessert service begins.
8:20 p.m.
Dark Web Demo With Michigan Cyber Command
Presented by an undercover Michigan Cyber Command analyst.
8:35 p.m.
Costume Contest, Giveaways & Recognition
8:40 p.m.
Silent Auction Last Call
8:45 p.m.
Silent Auction Closes & Winners Announced
8:50 p.m.
Closing Toast
9 p.m.
Event Ends
Partners and Giveaway Sponsors
Hackoween 2026 is free to attend thanks to these sponsors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should attend Hackoween?
Business owners, executives, IT leaders, compliance professionals, and decision-makers. Formal programming is kept brief so guests have plenty of time to explore the experiences and talk with the experts.
Is Hackoween really free?
Yes. Hackoween is free to attend thanks to support from our sponsors. As a long-standing Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion with the National Cybersecurity Alliance, STACK Cybersecurity wants as many business leaders as possible to leave with cybersecurity knowledge they can use.
Are costumes required?
No. Costumes are encouraged but not required. The Costume Corner on-site offers costumes, wigs, masks, and other adornments, and STACK Cybersecurity awards a prize for the best costume.
Will I be photographed or recorded?
Yes. STACK Cybersecurity photographs and records the event for coverage and marketing, and registering for Hackoween means agreeing to appear in that coverage. The one exception is the Michigan Cyber Command undercover analyst, whose face is blurred or obscured in all photos and video.
What does the silent auction support?
Proceeds benefit HAVEN of Oakland County, a Pontiac-based nonprofit that provides shelter, counseling, advocacy, and forensic services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Bidding is open from 5 to 8:45 p.m., and winners are announced during closing remarks.
Want to see the venue first? Watch the video tour on STACK's About page.
DJ and live production by Rock Out Entertainment. Video by Two Penny Productions.