Black Hat Middle East and Africa

Cybersecurity convention in Saudi Arabia

Black Hat Middle East and Africa

Status| Active
Genre| Cybersecurity & hacking
Venue| Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center, Malham, Saudi Arabia
Location(s)| Riyadh
Coordinates| 25°15′5.8″N 46°23′12.98″E﻿ / ﻿25.251611°N 46.3869389°E﻿ / 25.251611; 46.3869389
Country| Saudi Arabia
Inaugurated| 28–30 November 2021
Founders| SAFCSP, Tahaluf
Most recent| 26-28 November 2024
Attendance| 25000+ (2021), 40,000+ (2023)
Website| blackhatmea.com

Black Hat Middle East and Africa, formerly @HACK, is a three-day cybersecurity and hacking convention held annually in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during Riyadh Season. It is one of the largest conventions in its industry.[1][2][3][4]

The event is co-organised by the Saudi Federation For Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), and Tahaluf, an Informa company. It is designed in association with the Black Hat Team.[5][6][7]

## History

[edit]

The first event took place from 28–30 November 2021 at Riyadh Front Expo Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The inaugural edition attracted over 25,000 attendees, 250 cybersecurity exhibitors, 50 expert ethical hackers, and many Black Hat trainers.[8] The event also featured two contests, Capture The Flag and Bug Bounty.[9][10][11][12]

Following the 2021 event, @HACK was rebranded as Black Hat Middle East and Africa and relaunched under this name in 2022.[13] The first event of Black Hat MEA was held from 15 – 17 November 2022 at Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center (RFECC) in Saudi Arabia.[14][15][16] This edition welcomed 30,000+ visitors at the event and hosted over 250 exhibitors and more than 200 speakers.[17][18]

The second edition of the event took place at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center (RFECC) in Saudi Arabia from 14 – 16 November 2023 under the tagline 'Infosec on the Edge.'[19][20] The event was attended by over 40.000 infosec or cybersecurity professionals and featured more than 300 speakers and exhibitors from over 120 countries.[19][21] The line-up included CISOs from Huawei, Netflix, Uber, Airbus, FBI and Zoom.[19][22] The event also featured the youngest-ever speaker, 13-year-old Marco Liberale, with a session on ransomware.[23]

The 2023 edition of Black Hat MEA introduced an Investor Programme with over 80 investors seeking opportunities in cybersecurity startups.[24][25] These new initiatives complemented Black Hat MEA’s existing tournaments and a cybersecurity-focused Activity Zone, sponsored by NEOM in the 2023 edition, with prize funds of up to SAR 1,000,000.[25][26][27]

The third edition of Black Hat Middle East and Africa was held from 26 to 28 November 2024, at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, Saudi Arabia.[28] Branded as "Cybersecurity's Global Stage," the event attracted an attendance of over 45,000 professionals from the cybersecurity and information security sectors worldwide.[29] The three-day event featured over 330 speakers and 450 exhibitors, both international and local, with participants representing 167 countries.[29][30]

The 2024 edition introduced several elements, including the CyberSurge Boot Camp, which provided a learning platform for entrepreneurs aspiring to launch cybersecurity startups in Saudi Arabia,[28] and hosted the Cyberseed Start-up Competition for the third consecutive year, where eight startups competed for a prize of $30,000 by pitching their ideas to a panel of judges.[30][31]

In this edition, the event's Capture the Flag Tournament, introduced in Black Hat MEA 2022, earned a Guinness World Record for being the World's Largest Capture the Flag Tournament (Hackathon).[32]

Black Hat MEA 2025, the event's fourth edition, is scheduled to take place from 24 to 26 November in Riyadh.[citation needed]

## Speakers and sponsors

[edit]

Across its various editions, the conference has hosted many executives, government officials, and security experts, including Jayson E. Street, Jenny Radcliffe, Bruce Schneier,[33][34] Kurt Sanger, Alissa Abdullah, Magda Lilia Chelly,[35] Caleb Sima, Chris Roberts, Kim Albarella,[36] Cynthia Kaiser, Camille Vasquez, Dr. Pascal Andrei, Gary Sorrentino, Jeff Scheaffer, Chris Meenan,[27][37] Kiran P P who is known for being a two-time NASA hacker and Google Hacker,[38] CISOs of major tech companies and local government entities such as Netflix, Uber, Snap Inc, Thales Group, Ministry of Justice (KSA),[17] Coca-Cola, The Wendy's Company, Prada, and Google DeepMind.[39][28]

Black Hat's sponsors and partners include venture capitalists, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, education institutes and start-ups. These included IBM, Cisco, Honeywell, Fortinet, Kaspersky, Cisco, IBM, Spire and Infoblox, Haboob, Trend Micro, FlagYard, Group IB and Cipher.[33][34][40]

## See also

[edit]

* Web Summit
* Consumer Electronics Show
* Slush

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Saudi Arabia showcases its tech ambitions as @Hack named 'largest cybersecurity event of 2021'". December 2021.
2. ^ "SAFCSP Partners With Black Hat Organizers To Launch @Hack Conference In Riyadh To Highlight The Global InfoSec Industry". 8 June 2021.
3. ^ "Largest cybersecurity conference in the world kicks off in Riyadh". 29 November 2021.
4. ^ "Israel's cyber industry quietly prospects in Riyadh". 17 December 2021.
5. ^ "Cover Story: How Informa Markets is putting the Middle East region on the global map". 11 March 2022.
6. ^ "Spire Solutions to support Saudi's @Hack, underpin kingdom's cybersecurity endeavour". 17 November 2021.
7. ^ "Blackhat organizers rope in Spire Solutions as a Strategic Sponsor for @Hack in KSA". 16 November 2021.
8. ^ "Black Hat, the Region's Largest Cybersecurity Event, Comes to Riyadh in Mid-November – General Entertainment Authority". www.gea.gov.sa. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
9. ^ "New Security Event @Hack to Take Place in Saudi Arabia". 10 June 2021.
10. ^ "Saudi's @HACK redefines the cybersecurity landscape of the region". 2 December 2021.
11. ^ "@HACK cybersecurity event, makes Saudi Arabia the centre of ICT security".
12. ^ "Riyadh Season hosts @Hack as biggest cybersecurity event in region".
13. ^ "Black Hat, region's biggest cybersecurity event, comes to Riyadh mid-November". Arab News. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
14. ^ "Riyadh hosts Mideast's first Black Hat tech event". Arab News. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
15. ^ "Google Cloud, Haboob Partner to Strengthen Saudi Arabia's Nationwide Cyber Defense with Chronicle CyberShield". spa.gov.sa. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
16. ^ "Black Hat Middle East & Africa 2024".
17. ^ a b "Riyadh gears up for ultimate hack fest: Black Hat MEA 2022". www.tradearabia.com. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
18. ^ "نماذج مشرفة.. الطالب سيف الإسلام حسام يحقق المركز الثالث عالميا في مسابقة "بلاك هات" بالسعودية.. ويؤكد: 200 فريق من 35 دولة شاركوا بالتصفيات.. المنافسة كانت صعبة.. ووالدى أول من وجهنى لاستغلال طاقتى". اليوم السابع (in Arabic). 17 January 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
19. ^ a b c "Black Hat MEA 2023: Riyadh gears up for global cybersecurity convergence". Arab News. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
20. ^ "Launch of The Second Edition of The World's Fastest Growing Cybersecurity Event "Black Hat"". spa.gov.sa. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
21. ^ "Cybersecurity leader Fortinet showcases OT solutions at Black Hat MEA in Riyadh". Arab News. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
22. ^ Release, Press. "Black Hat MEA prepares for upscaled programme of activities as show witnesses huge international participation growth". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
23. ^ "How a Teenage Saudi Hacker Went From Lockpicking to Ransomware". www.darkreading.com. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
24. ^ "Award-winning Black Hat MEA Exhibition Set for Largest Edition to Date in Riyadh This November". Black Hat Middle East and Africa. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
25. ^ a b "Black Hat Concludes its 2023 Edition with Awards Worth SAR 1,000,000". www.alriyadhdaily.com. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
26. ^ "Black Hat Concludes its Second Edition with Awards Worth SAR 1,000,000". spa.gov.sa. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
27. ^ a b "Cybersecurity Event 'Black Hat' Starts Tomorrow in Riyadh". spa.gov.sa. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
28. ^ a b c "Black Hat MEA 2024 To Bring Cybersecurity Innovation To KSA". Inc. Arabia English - en.incarabia.com. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
29. ^ a b "Emt successfully participates in Black Hat MEA 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in partnership with leading vendors". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
30. ^ a b "The Highly Anticipated Cybersecurity Event Black Hat MEA Returns To Riyadh". Inc. Arabia English - en.incarabia.com. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
31. ^ "Black Hat MEA 2024 Opens in Riyadh, Setting a New Benchmark in Global Cybersecurity - ITP.net". 26 November 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
32. ^ "AI's Positives and Perils Highlighted at Black Hat MEA 2024 in Riyadh - TECHx Media AI's Positives and Perils Highlighted at Black Hat MEA 2024 in Riyadh". 28 November 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
33. ^ a b "Inaugural edition of Saudi's @Hack to tackle challenges of securing the digital world". 18 November 2021.
34. ^ a b "'@Hack' conference kicks off in Saudi Arabia as cyber security experts attend". 30 November 2021.
35. ^ "Black Hat Middle East and Africa". www.cantonfair.net. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
36. ^ "Black Hat MEA: Join the World of CyberSecurity | MAGNiTT". magnitt.com. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
37. ^ "Hollywood star Johnny Depp's defamation case litigator Camille Vasquez to speak at Riyadh event". Arab News. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
38. ^ "Saudi Arabia hosts global cybersecurity conference Black Hat 24". Arab News. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
39. ^ "Black Hat MEA 2024 sets global record as largest cybersecurity event by space". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
40. ^ "Launch of the First MENA Edition of Black Hat in Riyadh – General Entertainment Authority". www.gea.gov.sa. Retrieved 23 July 2024.