Black Hat Middle East &amp; Africa

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What's on

Programme

Speakers

Zaid Abualrish

Partners Engineer, Google Cloud Security @ Google Cloud Security

The Autonomous SOC: Deploying Agentic AI with Google SecOps to Achieve Hyperscale Defense

Davide Annovazzi

EMEA Security Practice Lead @ Google

Enterprise security, digital transformation, cloud security

Dr. Hussain Aldawood

Director of Cybersecurity Consulting @ EY

Charting the Risk and Regulation Maze

Christopher Dio Chavez

Cybersecurity Expert

Offensive and defensive security practices, cybersecurity education

Aladdin Dandis

Director, GRC Consulting @ Managed Services for Information Technology

GRC 2.0 and Beyond.?

Abdullah AlSulaiman

CCSO, Acting CCO @ Tamkeen Technologies

IT strategy, intelligent defence

Juan Francisco Bolivar

Product Owner, Bug Bounty @ Roche

Bug bounty, offensive security research

Alina Timofeeva

Influence Board Member @ The Chartered Institute for IT

Reinventing Cyber Defence for Financial Institutions; The All-Seeing A-Eye

Asim Khwaja

Cyber Risk Leader @ UK Civil Service

Cyber resilience, quantum security, emerging tech risks

Marc Dacier

Professor of Computer Science @ KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science & Technology)

Cybersecurity research

Bandana Kaur

Security Researcher @ APIsec

Hack One, Hack Them All? Weaponizing LLM Jailbreak Transferability; The Last Human Hacker: What Comes After AI

Areej Alammurat

Senior Consultant @ Confidential

Zero Trust or Bust: Roadmaps for a Boundaryless Security Era

Aysha Bin Haji

Advisor, Security Sector @ WiCSME

The Human Firewall: Can Culture Outperform Technology in Cyber Defense?

Aarushi Koolwal

Security Engineer @ PhonePe

The Bug Bounty Report They Never Agreed On: Hunter vs Triager

Gary Hayslip

CISO-in-Residence @ Halcyon

Tracing the Cyber Shift at Black Hat MEA; Beyond Compliance – Proactive Cyber Strategies for Financial Leaders; AI & Your Security Team

Arwa Alhamad

GM of Cybersecurity (CISO) @ Ministry of Investment

The AI Stack, End to End; Finding Clarity, Opportunity, and Leadership in Cybersecurity Chaos

Dr. Bushra AbBlooshi

Director of Cybersecurity Governance Risk Management Department @ Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC)

Unbreakable: Forging Cyber Resilience and Lightning-Fast Incident Response in a Hostile World

Donato Onofri

Senior Red Team Engineer @ CrowdStrike

eBPF Warfare: Subverting Security Solutions Through Kernel-Space Manipulation

Noor Alhomeed

Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst, Master Student @ King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM)

Exploiting Payment Workflows in Mobile Application: A Generalized Attack Surface

Danish Tariq

Director @ Laburity

Zero to Owned: Mapping the Lifecycle of a Credential Stealer to Corporate Breach

Saeed Abu-Nimeh

Founder and CEO @ SecLytics

Attacker infrastructure analysis, F5 breach, Salesforce breach

Mohammed Almunajam

Black Hat laws, hacker mindset, CISO briefing

David Cass

Chief Information Security Officer @ Keyrock

Critical Infrastructure Security in Volatile Times; Reinventing Cyber Defence for Financial Institutions; Charting the Risk and Regulation Maze; Cybereconomy; Securing Agentic AI: A Full-Lifecycle Approach

Priyanka Chaterjee

CEO / Head of Operations & Founding Partner @ London School of Cyber Security / Women in CyberSecurity MiddleEast (WiCSME), UK

Hack the Future: Student Pathways into Cybersecurity Careers; The Human Firewall: Can Culture Outperform Technology in Cyber Defense?; Privacy vs. Progress: The Data Ethics Tightrope

Anne Marie Zettlemoyer

Fellow @ National Security Institute (NSI)

From Defense to Advantage: How AI Unlocks Cybersecurity's Most Transformative Decade; Cybereconomy

Jaya Baloo

COO & CISO @ AISLE

Tracing the Cyber Shift at Black Hat MEA; Old Wounds, Smarter Weapons; From Imposter Syndrome to Impact: Thriving as a Woman in Cyber

Alex Levinson

Chief Information Security Officer @ Scale AI

When Borders Blur and Breaches Escalate; Agentic to Autonomous: Where Cybersecurity stands in the face of AI

Yara AlHumaidan

Red Teaming Specialist @ Group-IB

Hands-On Purple Team - 'Powered by WiCSME'; AI Gone Rogue: Deepfakes, GenAI Scams & Agentic Attacks

Ira Winkler

CISO & VP @ CYE

Fake People, Real Losses: Managing Synthetic and AI-Forged Identities; RaaS from code to cartel; Charting the Risk and Regulation Maze; AI is Just Math

Nicole Dove

Head of Security, Games @ Riot Games

The Daily Drop Live from Black Hat MEA (Day 1); Trusted Platform, Trusted Game; From Imposter Syndrome to Impact: Thriving as a Woman in Cyber

Ayman Borji

Security Researcher Pentester @ Ericsson

Breaking Into the BEAM: Dynamic Introspection of Erlang Systems in Opaque Environments

Basil Shahin

Sales Director META @ Corelight

Advanced AI Meets the World's Best Network Evidence: Inside Corelight Open NDR

Ralph Chammah

Co-Founder & CEO @ Blacklight AI

Cyber innovation, software development, strategic business expansions

Ali Uzan

Senior Solutions Engineer (EMEA & UKI) @ SOCRadar

Extended Threat Intelligence, Attack Surface Management, Digital Risk Protection

Blake Hudson

Offensive Security Engineer @ PayPal

Threat emulation, red teaming, purple teaming, penetration testing

Aniket Bhardwaj

Vice President Global Cybersecurity and Incident Response @ Charles River Associates

The All-Seeing A-Eye – Exploring How AI and ML are Being Used in the Financial World; Cross-Border Collaboration – A Unified Front Against Financial Cyber Threats; Beyond Compliance – Proactive Cyber Strategies for Financial Leaders

Anshu Gupta

Investor @ Silicon Valley CISO Investments (SVCI)

Cybereconomy; How Cybersecurity VCs are Shaping the Next Wave of Digital Defense; CyberSeed Pitch Competition

Sandip Wadje

MD, Global Head of Emerging Technology Operational Risks & Intelligence @ BNP Paribas

Digital Trust at Scale: Policies to Protect the Future of Finance; Reinventing Cyber Defence for Financial Institutions

Daniel Bowden

The Middle East Data Protection Guide

Jay Vinda

Digital Trust at Scale: Policies to Protect the Future of Finance; Cross-Border Collaboration – A Unified Front Against Financial Cyber Threats

Sounil Yu

Examining the Correlation between AI-Driven Risk Management, Customer Experience and Customer Trust

Sophie Guibaud

Nominee Director @ IFC

Fintech strategy, regulated innovation, banking advisory

Abdullah Alsaadoun

Investing in Digital Trust: Cybersecurity Sovereignty and Tech-Localization

Abdullah AlJaber

Head of Cybersecurity (CISO) @ ROSHN

Cybersecurity leadership, national cybersecurity programs

Abdulrahman Al-Deaj

Director of Cybersecurity @ IBM

Cybersecurity initiatives, SIEM, EDR, NDR, DLP, incident response

Mohammed Almathami

Information Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)

Raymond Cervantes

Founder & Lead Researcher @ Trial By Digital

Repurposing devices, ethical hacking, facial behavior analysis

Sara Aljbli

Director of Technology Audit @ Telecom Industry

Privacy vs. Progress: The Data Ethics Tightrope

Dana Al-Abdullah

Unbreakable: Forging Cyber Resilience and Lightning-Fast Incident Response in a Hostile World

Nouf Almobaraz

The Human Firewall: Can Culture Outperform Technology in Cyber Defense?; AI Gone Rogue: Deepfakes, GenAI Scams & Agentic Attacks

Norah Aldeghaim

WiCSME at Black HAT MEA: A World Record-Breaking Journey of Women Empowerment

Sara Alhamar

Cybersecurity GRC Manager @ Confidential

The GPS of Cybersecurity: Governance, Policy, and Strategy in Motion

Dr. Norah Almubairik

The Power of Campus Cyber Defenders: The How, the What, and the Why?

Abeer Khedr

Next-Gen CISOs: Leading Through Talent, Turbulence & Transformation

Tim Ehrhart

A day in the life of a CISO; When Borders Blur and Breaches Escalate

Dr. Fatimah Alakeel

The Power of Campus Cyber Defenders: The How, the What, and the Why?

Qamar Aftab

How Cybersecurity Startups Win Investor Trust

Basmah Alsinaidi

How Cybersecurity VCs are Shaping the Next Wave of Digital Defense

Topic tracks

Executive SummitBriefingsArsenalCapture the Flag (CTF)Business HallActivity ZoneWoman in FocusSponsored BriefingsCybersecurity Training Courses

Co-located events

Kingdom of Gaming

Separate ticket

Awards

Best International Conference

Annual

Black Hat MEA was named Best International Conference at the AEO Excellence Awards 2025, recognising the event's ambition to host the world's leading cybersecurity minds in Riyadh

source

Organiser Team of the Year

Annual

Black Hat MEA was awarded Organiser Team of the Year at the AEO Excellence Awards 2023, recognising the team behind the cybersecurity event in Riyadh

source

Government supporters

Ministry of Investment (MISA)

Strategic sponsor and investment partner (2025 data)

How the last edition performed

Previous edition

Current edition

2026 · 45,000 visitors · 450 exhibitors

Official Black Hat MEA 2026 exhibit page publishes organiser forecasts of 45,000+ attendees, 450+ global exhibiting brands, 135 countries, 53,000 sqm of exhibition space and 20% international attendance. Over 50% of brands that exhibited in 2025 have already confirmed their return for 2026. These are organiser forecasts, not audited actuals

Forecast — not final

Visitors

40,000

Exhibitors

500

Floor area (sqm)

60,612

Visitor countries

160

Growth over time

New this edition

1
CyberSeed Startup Competition 2026
CyberSeed sits inside Black Hat MEA's cybersecurity market platform and gives one selected company a $30,000 cash prize with zero equity taken. Ten selected startups pitch live on the Main Stage on 3 December, each with three minutes to pitch and three minutes for Q&A. CyberSeed is available exclusively to Startup Pod and Scaleup Kiosk participants. In 2025, the Investor and Startup Program brought together 99 global and regional investors with $14 billion in AUM (
Source
2
Expanded Capture the Flag (CTF) competition with AI Hacking category
The 2026 edition of the Black Hat MEA CTF will offer prizes exceeding SR790,000 ($209,957) and will host the top 150 teams in the in-person finals in Riyadh. The competition will feature advanced challenges across categories including Web Exploitation, PWN, Digital Forensics, Reverse Engineering, Cryptography, AI Hacking, and more. The CTF is officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest in the world, with 1,000 participants in 2024 (https://www.arabnews.com/node/2650972/business-economy) (
Source
3
AI-focused conference content and AI Security Playground
Black Hat MEA 2026 will feature expanded AI-focused content across the programme, including AI security testing tools, LLM security testing tools (prompt injection testing, jailbreak detection, model extraction attacks), agent security testing tools, and an AI Security Playground. The CTF competition includes a dedicated AI Hacking category (https://infosecmap.com/event/blackhat-mea-ctf-qualification-2026/) (
Source
4
Major global vendor participation
Black Hat MEA 2026 will feature leading organisations including IBM, Cisco, Fortinet, and Spire Solutions. Over 50% of brands that exhibited in 2025 have already confirmed their return for 2026, indicating strong exhibitor confidence in the event (https://blackhatmea.com/exhibit/saudi-arabia-business-gateway) (
Source

Next edition outlook

2026

confirmed

Black Hat MEA 2026 returns to the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham from 1-3 December 2026, with organisers forecasting 45,000+ attendees and 450+ exhibiting brands across 53,000 sqm of exhibition space. The event will expand its Capture the Flag competition with prizes exceeding SR790,000 and host the top 150 teams in the in-person finals. CyberSeed will return with a $30,000 equity-free prize for one winning startup. The programme will feature expanded AI-focused content, including an AI Security Playground and an AI Hacking category in the CTF. Major global vendors including IBM, Cisco, Fortinet, and Spire Solutions are confirmed, and over 50% of 2025 exhibitors have already rebooked for 2026

Expanded Capture the Flag prize pool exceeding SR790,000 with top 150 teams competing in-person New AI Hacking category in CTF and AI Security Playground CyberSeed startup competition returning with $30,000 equity-free prize 48 Startup Pods and 20 Scaleup Kiosks, up from previous editions Increased international vendor participation including IBM, Cisco, Fortinet, and Spire Solutions Continued growth in exhibition space and exhibiting brands

Impact

A bigger and stronger platform

Black Hat MEA 2025 solidified Riyadh's position as the global meeting point for cybersecurity. The fourth edition expanded 55% from 2024 to become the world's largest cybersecurity gathering, hosting 40,000+ attendees from over 163 countries across 60,612 square metres of exhibition space. Organised by Tahaluf in partnership with SAFCSP, the event featured 500+ global brands, 300 international speakers, and the world's largest Capture the Flag competition with 500 participants. The Investor and Startup Program brought together 99 global and regional investors managing $14 billion in assets, facilitating more than 25 investment deals. The event reinforced Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 ambitions, with SAFCSP CEO Eng. Muteb Alqany stating: 'Riyadh has become the meeting point for the global cybersecurity industry.'

Audience quality

High-value decision-makers

Black Hat MEA 2025 attracted a high-quality audience of senior decision-makers, researchers, technical professionals, global brands, startups, investors, and government stakeholders. In 2025, 67% of the audience were senior decision-makers, and attendees came from 130+ countries. The event drew thousands of CISOs, founders, policymakers, and researchers, including speakers from Interpol, Booking Holdings, and the UK Ministry of Defence. The presence of 99 global and regional investors managing $14 billion in assets further underscores the event's appeal to top-tier decision-makers. The strong turnout highlighted the Kingdom's progress in developing world-class cybersecurity infrastructure and its capability to host major international specialised events

Exhibitor outcomes

Real business growth

Black Hat MEA delivers measurable ROI for exhibitors by connecting them directly with decision-makers who matter. The event is positioned as a platform where 'three days at Black Hat MEA are incredibly fast-paced, yet somehow you achieve weeks' worth of progress.' In 2025, the exhibition floor sold out with 500+ brands, and over 50% of brands that exhibited in 2025 have already confirmed their return for 2026. The Investor and Startup Program facilitated more than 25 investment deals, with investors managing $14 billion in AUM represented on the show floor. Success stories include Aikido Security, which exhibited at Black Hat MEA in December 2025 and announced a $60 million Series B at a $1 billion valuation one month later, and RASPIRE, which after pitching at CyberSeed progressed into Y Combinator's Spring 2026 batch. Exhibitors consistently cite the quality of meetings, the density of partners, distributors, and customers, and the opportunity to demo products face-to-face as key value drivers

Intelligence

Market context

Key market insights, trends, news and related events to help you understand the bigger picture.

Middle East and Africa (MEA), with primary focus on Saudi Arabia and the GCC

Why it matters

Black Hat MEA is the most commercially significant cybersecurity event in the Middle East and Africa, positioned at the centre of a market undergoing structural transformation. Saudi Arabia's cybersecurity market is projected to grow from USD 4.98 billion in 2026 to USD 7.81 billion by 2031 at a 9.4% CAGR, while the broader Middle East market is estimated to grow from USD 23.54 billion in 2026 to USD 46.39 billion by 2031 at 14.55% CAGR. Gartner forecasts MENA end-user spending on information security to reach $4 billion in 2026, a 10.1% increase from 2025, driven largely by government modernisation and critical infrastructure protection initiatives. For buyers, Black Hat MEA 2026 offers direct access to the technologies, strategies, and partners needed to address a threat landscape increasingly defined by nation-state actors, AI-driven attacks, and critical infrastructure targeting. The event's Executive Summit, Briefings, Arsenal, and Business Hall provide concentrated opportunities to evaluate solutions from 450+ global brands, engage with 500+ CISOs, and participate in investment-focused programming. The 2025 edition welcomed over 40,000 attendees from 130+ countries and featured 500+ exhibiting brands, 330+ speakers, and 53,000 sqm of exhibition space. For exhibitors, Black Hat MEA has become the region's cybersecurity deal room. In 2025, the Investor and Startup Program brought together 99 global and regional investors with $14 billion in AUM. The event compresses months of introductions and meetings into a single week, with distributors, systems integrators, and resellers present to facilitate market entry. As Julian Richard (Co-founder and CTO at Filigran) stated: 'It's really the conference we cannot miss.' For many vendors entering the Middle East, BHMEA has become part of the infrastructure of doing cybersecurity business in the region. The 2026 edition arrives as Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment has committed over SR500 million ($133 million) in cybersecurity investments, global vendors are establishing regional headquarters in Riyadh, and regulatory frameworks such as ECC-2-2024 are mandating cybersecurity spending across all entities managing national infrastructure. This creates sustained, non-discretionary demand for advanced cyber capabilities, particularly in critical infrastructure protection, cloud security, and OT/IT convergence

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

AI shifts from a feature to core security infrastructure

Security leaders across the Black Hat MEA community agree that 2026 is the year AI stops being a bolt-on and becomes core infrastructure. CISOs from AT&T, Rain Capital, and AISLE highlighted that organisations are now utilising AI to drive efficiencies and improve cyber defence, while simultaneously grappling with AI as an infrastructure transformation that requires new governance, controls, and risk ownership models. Gartner forecasts global enterprise security spending will approach $244 billion in 2026, a $29 billion increase on 2025, with AI governance deficiencies cited as a primary driver

Nation-state and critical-infrastructure attacks drive premium spending

State-sponsored groups have shifted from smash-and-grab intrusions to patient, multi-year footholds in operational networks. The Lemon Sandstorm campaign exploited VPN flaws across regional utilities, with Iranian-linked actors maintaining covert access for up to 24 months. In response, governments strengthened real-time threat intelligence exchanges and cross-border coordination, driving premium spending on endpoint hardening, OT visibility tools, and forensics services across the Middle East cybersecurity market

Regulatory compliance mandates convert cybersecurity into non-discretionary spending

Legally binding national transformation roadmaps in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have positioned cybersecurity as a core national security priority. Saudi regulations introduced in December 2024 stipulated penalties of up to SAR 25 million (USD 6.60 million) for non-compliance. The updated ECC-2-2024 framework broadens coverage to include all entities managing national infrastructure, shifting the market from project-based spending to a recurring budget model

Persistent talent gap accelerates managed services and automation adoption

Rapid digitalisation has outpaced the supply of skilled cybersecurity professionals, creating a persistent talent gap across the Middle East. Power utilities in Saudi Arabia struggle to fill key roles even as they raise salaries at double-digit rates. This is driving organisations toward managed detection and response services, AI-augmented security solutions, and automation to cope with the shortfall in expertise

Cloud security becomes the fastest-growing segment

Cloud-based cybersecurity solutions are expected to grow at the highest CAGR throughout the forecast period. Saudi Arabia's national digital transformation initiatives and growing adoption of SaaS and IaaS are driving this trend. Cloud security is expected to increase from an estimated 19.2% of market value in 2025 to 28.5% in 2031. Technologies such as Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) and Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) are becoming essential for maintaining visibility and security across multi-cloud environments

Investment and M&A activity accelerates as global vendors localise in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's cybersecurity market is attracting significant investment. Companies such as StarLink, Darktrace, and Odyssey Cybersecurity are strengthening regional service capabilities, while Kaspersky and Kalaam Telecom are expanding their presence in Riyadh through new data centers and security operations facilities. CrowdStrike signed a memorandum of understanding with Aramco to build a Kingdom-wide cybersecurity model. The Ministry of Investment unveiled over SR500 million in new cybersecurity investments at Black Hat MEA 2025, including regional headquarters openings and exclusive partnerships

Investment and M&A activity accelerates as global vendors localise in Saudi Arabia

Market news

Latest updates from across the market.

Riyadh to host the world's largest cyber challenge as part of Black Hat MEA 2026

Riyadh will host the largest Capture the Flag competition in the world during Black Hat MEA 2026, with prizes exceeding SR790,000 ($209,957). The event, organised by Tahaluf in partnership with SAFCSP and Tuwaiq Academy, will host the top 150 teams in the in-person finals in Riyadh from December 1, 2026. The competition builds on Saudi Arabia's Guinness World Record for hosting the world's largest CTF cybersecurity competition

Saudi Arabia launches major cybersecurity investment package at Black Hat 2025

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment unveiled over SR500 million ($133 million) in new cybersecurity investments at Black Hat MEA 2025, including the opening of regional headquarters, establishment of operational branches, and exclusive partnerships by leading international and local cybersecurity firms. The investments align with Vision 2030 objectives to advance the digital economy and strengthen the Kingdom's technological readiness

CrowdStrike and Aramco sign memorandum to build Kingdom-wide cybersecurity model

CrowdStrike signed a memorandum of understanding with Aramco to build a Kingdom-wide cybersecurity model in Saudi Arabia. The agreement supports Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals around AI-driven digital transformation and national cyber resilience, with plans including a regional headquarters

Saudi cybersecurity market projected to reach USD 7.81 billion by 2031

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia cybersecurity market is expected to grow from USD 4.98 billion in 2026 to USD 7.81 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 9.4%. Increasing investments from the private sector combined with the entry and expansion of global cybersecurity providers are accelerating market development. Managed security services are expected to capture the largest share, while cloud deployment will witness the fastest growth

Saudi Arabia's cybersecurity market enters decisive growth phase driven by Vision 2030

Saudi Arabia's cybersecurity market is entering a decisive growth phase driven by rapid digital transformation, expanding cloud and AI adoption, and increasingly robust regulatory frameworks. According to Dimension Market Research, the Kingdom's cybersecurity market size is expected to reach $11.3 billion by the end of 2033 at a CAGR of 14.2%. Sustained public and private investment under Vision 2030 is expected to propel the sector into one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity markets in the region

Zecurion confirms return to Black Hat MEA 2026

Zecurion confirmed it will once again exhibit at Black Hat Middle East and Africa, the region's leading cybersecurity conference and exhibition, taking place 1-3 December 2026 in Riyadh