Black Hat USA 2022: What you need to know

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Following a successful hybrid event in 2021 that saw more than 6,000 in-person, and more than 14,500 virtual attendees, Black Hat USA returns in 2022 to the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now in its 25^th year, this year’s event has three key components, each equally unmissable, namely these are Trainings, Briefings, and The Business Hall.

Black Hat USA 2022 will open with four days of Trainings on the 6^th of August, and will be followed by the two-day main conference taking place on August 10^th and 11^th. The main conference highlights are the Black Hat Briefings and the Black Hat Business Hall. The former is where industry experts are provided with a platform to share ground-breaking work and ideas, while the latter provides the unique opportunity of networking with thousands of InfoSec professionals.

Trainings

The Black Hat Trainings is a hybrid event comprising a mix of two and four-day courses and takes place from the 6^th through the 9^th of August, virtually, and in-person. The event offers attendees technical courses covering offensive proactive cybersecurity approaches, defensive reactive approaches, and general approaches that utilize elements of both.

A good example of an offensive course in cloud security, for example, is the 2-day virtual Hacking Cloud Infrastructure course, while an example of a defensive course would be the in-person Cloud Security Hands-On (CCSK+) For Azure. Regardless of whether the course is conducted in-person or remotely, what sets the Black Hat Trainings apart are the bespoke nature of its courses. The Training session courses often take a very hands-on, interactive approach where skilled trainers provide ongoing assessment through incremental challenges concentrated on practical real-world applications.

Attendees who are certified through (ISC)² and CompTIA can earn 16 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for attending two-day courses and 32 CPE credits for four-day courses. Black Hat does not maintain records of earned CPE credits but provides its own digital certificates and badges to attendees upon completion.

If you’re eager to discover what other courses are on offer during Trainings, then click here to browse the course index.

Briefings

As with Trainings, the Black Hat Briefings this year are being presented both virtually and in-person. Regardless of whether you attend virtually or in-person, passes include access to all recorded Briefings for up to 30 days following the event. In recommending highlights from the Briefings we would focus on the two keynote talks from Chris Krebs and Kim Zetter. Both are acclaimed industry experts who are more than qualified to conduct their holistic presentations which summarise where the cybersecurity landscape currently lies, and what they believe this means for the industry moving forwards.

Chris’s talk will work through today’s risk trends and what they mean for tomorrow’s network defenders. Along the way, the presentation will suggest the shift required in both mind-set and action to successfully deliver better outcomes while recognizing that we’re going to be forever operating in a contested information environment.

Kim’s 60-minute keynote will undoubtedly draw on her extensive experience covering cybersecurity and American national security for over a decade. Kim has repeatedly been voted as one of the top ten security journalists in the country by security professionals and her journalist peers.

To learn more about what Briefings are on offer, click here for the full schedule, and find a relevant Briefing for you and your business.

Business Hall

The Black Hat Business Hall is the third unmissable event we must draw your attention to. We would encourage you to map your route and effectively plan your time by familiarising yourself with the Business Hall floor plan. Three vendors we would recommend you visit are Tripwire, Digital Guardian, and Terranova Security. Tripwire can be located at Booth #2734 where they will have an informal lounge set-up with experts available for unique engagement opportunities. The Digital Guardian team will be providing product demonstrations, theatre presentations, and exciting giveaways over at Booth #1950. Terranova Security will also be in attendance over at Booth #2702 and be available to discuss all-things cybersecurity from their risk-based campaigns through to their Real-World Phishing Simulations.

Black Hat USA remains one of the largest InfoSec conferences on the globe, so it is important to structure your time to get the most benefit from all there is to see at Black Hat USA 2022. The official Twitter account has been promoting this event for a while and will be providing updates throughout the event here. We are all excited for in-person events to return and it is entirely understandable to have some trepidation as we navigate the “new normal” associated with larger-scale events. Please familiarise yourself with the event’s Code of Conduct and stay informed of the steps event organizers are undertaking to ensure your safety.