Black Hat MEA’s 2025 Edition Emerges As The World’s Largest Cybersecurity Gathering

This year's edition of Black Hat MEA, running from December 2-4, 2025, has become the world’s largest cybersecurity gathering, with the event boasting of a 55 percent growth from last year.

Staged by KSA-based events organizer Tahaluf in partnership with the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP), Black Hat MEA 2025 has brought Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), founders, policymakers, researchers, and more than 14,000 visitors to the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham for three days of briefings, technical sessions, and research updates. 

Following the opening ceremony, Eng. Muteb Alqany, CEO of the SAFCSP, addressed the crowd, saying, “With attendees from more than 163 countries, 500 global brands, and 300 speakers, Riyadh has become the meeting point for the global cybersecurity industry. Our shared goal is clear: to make the digital world safer, smarter, and stronger. Behind the scale is real impact–from turning regional startups into global competitors to delivering world-class training with a 92 percent approval rating. Together, we are shaping the future of cyberspace.” 

In a statement, Faisal Al-Khamisi, Chairman of SAFCSP and Co-Chairman of Tahaluf, said, “Black Hat MEA reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to developing an advanced cybersecurity ecosystem built on specialized knowledge and national expertise. Through our partnerships with local and international entities, we work to empower national solutions to compete according to global standards." 

Throughout the venue, speakers presented new research, discussed emerging vulnerabilities, and demonstrated exploit logic during the Briefings and Deep Dive sessions. Black Hat Campus drew younger talent, including a keynote from 17-year-old cybersecurity specialist Bandana Kaur. Attendees had a chance to get hands-on technical experience under pressure at The Activity Zone, which is supported by a SAR1 million ($US270,000) prize fund, as well as at the Arsenal Labs, the Terminal, and the Root Lounge. 

In one of the early sessions, Devon Bryan, global chief security officer at Booking Holdings, outlined the steps required to fully understand a network and identify security gaps before attackers do. Another session featuring Ricardo Lafosse, Gary Hayslip, Dr. Chenxi Wang, Lance James, and Jaya Baloo, examined how the threat landscape has changed between 2020 and 2025, shaped by faster attack cycles, new AI tools, and shifting defense requirements. 

A fireside discussion with Jennifer Ewbank and Rich Baich addressed the CIA’s digital transformation and the realities of protecting an intelligence agency exposed to continuous attempts by adversaries to test its defenses. Their session offered insight into operational resilience at the agency level. Another session featured INTERPOL's  Bjørn Watne and the KSA Ministry of Investment's Abdullah AlQahtani focusing on the economic dimensions of cyber risk and how governments can prioritize resources, with their discussion highlighting the need for national strategies to adapt in response to attacker capabilities. 

Reflecting on the first day, Steve Durning, Portfolio Director of Black Hat MEA at Tahaluf, commented, “What happened across the stages today is exactly why the world comes to Riyadh. We saw CISOs, founders, policymakers, and researchers challenging each other and breaking down the hard problems. This is how resilience is built. Day one set the tone for a week where ideas become action and collaboration becomes capability.” 

Annabelle Mander, Executive Vice President at Tahaluf, added, “The energy across day one showed how far the Kingdom has come in building a world-class cybersecurity industry. Riyadh is now one of the places where the future of government and enterprise security is being written." 

Pictured in the lead image is a snapshot from the first day of Black Hat MEA 2025. Image courtesy Tahaluf.