Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — The second edition of the Black Hat event will kick off on Tuesday, November 14, in Riyadh with the participation of a number of experts, speakers, security researchers and investors in the cybersecurity sector.
The event, which will be held at Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center and bears the theme "Infosec on the Edge", is organized by the by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP) in collaboration with Tahaluf.
The second edition will present the Executive Summit, which will enable the chief information security officers (CISOs) and executives to exchange vision and experiences, and to discuss the development and future of cybersecurity with the global experts.
Furthermore, there will be a business hall, which is considered the largest gathering for major and emerging local and international companies in cybersecurity, as it will enable them to display their products and services.
This year's edition will also comprise the CISO Club, which will enable the sector leaders to join through a club membership to benefit from the resources and activities associated with the Black Hat event.
Among the areas included in the event is Arsenal, which represents an area where developers will be able to display the open-source programming and encryption tools within various workshops.
There will also be a Deep Dive stage, which delves into unexplored opportunities in the field, as well as the Black Hat Campus, that is dedicated to students and new entrants to the labor market, as it connects them with education and employment agencies.
Moreover, there will be technical workshops that discuss the latest research and studies in information security. The event offers extensive training courses on defensive security techniques, hack testing techniques, mobile app security and many other topics in the field.
The Black Hat event presents 4 awards for emerging companies through the CyberSeed Competition, which are the Innovative Ideator category for pre-revenue startups with promising ideas; Shining Seedling for early-stage revenue-generating startups; Established Excellence for experienced startups; and Saudi Superstar for recognizing cybersecurity talent in Saudi Arabia.
The CyberSeed Competition at Black Hat presents four startup awards, which include the Innovative Ideator: for pre-revenue startups with promising ideas: Shining Seedling: for early-stage revenue-generating startups; Established Excellence: for experienced startups that are larger than the 'Shining Seedling' category; Saudi Superstar: to enhance the profile of cybersecurity talent within the Kingdom.
The event will host a number of expert speakers in the cybersecurity sector from major international companies such as: Uber, Snap Inc, Apple, Zoom, Google, Coinbase, Boom, AirBus, Bae Systems, SocialProof Security, and many other international companies.
The activity zone will offer awards exceeding SR1,000,000, through a number of competitions and challenges, such as Capture the Flag with more than 1,000 participants, Drone Zone, Chip Off Village, Lockpick Village, Bug Bounty Cup, Cyber Escape Room and Smart City Simulation.
The CEO of SAFCSP, Mutaib Al-Qani said that the Black Hat is considered an important opportunity for investors, startups, and those who are interested in the sectors, especially since the most important leaders in the sector and the prominent cybersecurity companies will be present at the event.
He said, "We are seeking to present a distinguished edition of this years' Black Hat, through providing platforms and sessions that discuss the future of cybersecurity, along with a range of diverse events,”.
The event is expected to witness an attendance of more than 40,000 experts, with the participation of more than 350 exhibitors, 50 startups, over 300 speakers and 250 technical sessions and workshops.
