Paula Januszkiewicz & Sami Laiho
Windows Under Attack: How Hackers Think and How Defenders Win
Duration: 1 day
Instructors: Paula Januszkiewicz & Sami Laiho
Language: English
Location: PDS' offices (next to trainstation Culemborg - 20 minutes from Utrecht central)
As part of Paula's and Sami's sessions at AppManagEvent 2026 on October 9, you have the possibility to attend this 1-day workshop on Thursday October 8 which is the day before the event.
The workshop includes a free ticket to AppManagEvent.
What really happens when attackers target a Windows environment? Why do identity attacks remain one of the most effective ways to compromise an organization? And which security controls actually make a difference?
In this fast-paced session, two world-renowned Windows security experts combine offensive and defensive perspectives to uncover how modern attacks unfold and how organizations can effectively defend against them.
Paula Januszkiewicz will demonstrate how attackers abuse identities, credentials, and Active Directory misconfigurations to gain privileged access. Sami Laiho will take participants under the hood of Windows to explain what happens during these attacks, how authentication works internally, and which native security features provide the strongest protection.
Through real-world examples, live demonstrations, and practical recommendations, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of both the attacker's mindset and the defender's toolkit.
Key takeaways:
- Understand the most common attack paths targeting Windows and Active Directory environments.
- Learn how identity-based attacks such as credential theft and privilege escalation work.
- Gain insight into Windows internals that are critical for security professionals.
- Discover which Windows security features and hardening measures provide the highest defensive value.
- Walk away with practical recommendations that can be applied immediately to improve security posture.
![Paula J.]()
Paula Januszkiewicz
Paula JanuszkiewiczCEO of CQURE Inc., Security Expert, Penetration Tester and Trainer, Microsoft MVP, and Microsoft Regional Director.
Paula Januszkiewicz is an experienced cybersecurity expert, CEO, and founder of CQURE Inc. and CQURE Academy. She is an honorable Microsoft Regional Director for CEE, an Enterprise Security MVP, and a top-rated conference speaker at events such as Microsoft Ignite, RSA, Black Hat, and more. Her presentation was voted the best at Black Hat Asia Briefings 2019. In 2017, she graduated from Harvard Business School.
Paula has over 18 years of experience in the field, including performing penetration tests, consulting, and delivering sessions and trainings. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and has created security awareness programs for various organizations, including top management. Paula is also a member of the Technical Advisory Board at the Royal Bank of Scotland and has been granted access to the source code of Windows.
![sami laiho]()
Sami Laiho
Sami LaihoWindows OS Expert, MVP
Sami Laiho is the Chief Research Officer at Adminize.com and one of the world’s leading professionals in Windows OS troubleshooting and Security. Sami has been working with and teaching OS troubleshooting, management, and security for more than 25 years.
At Ignite 2018, Sami’s “Behind the Scenes: How to build a conference winning session” and “Sami Laiho: 45 Life Hacks of Windows OS in 45 minutes” sessions were ranked as #1 and #2 out of 1708 sessions!! This was the first time in the history of the conference that anyone has been able to do this.
Before that, at Ignite 2017, the world’s biggest Microsoft event, Sami was evaluated as the Best External Speaker!
Also, Sami’s sessions were evaluated as the Best session in TechEd North America, Europe and Australia in 2014, at Nordic Infrastructure Conference in 2016, 2017 and 2019 plus a valued contributor at AppManagEvent
Location
Culemborg (NL)
Date:
Thursday 8 October, 2026
09:00-17:00, CET
Days:
1
Price:
€ 625,00
Note:
Early bird rate for this session is 625 EUR including a ticket to AppManagEvent 2026 on October 9.
After July 1, 2026 the regular price of 725 EUR will apply (still including a AppManagEvent 2026 ticket on October 9!).