- Record Attendance, SAR 1 Million in Prizes, and Three Days of Activities Set the Tone for the 2025 Edition of Black Hat MEA
Over 163 Countries, 500 Global Brands, and 300 Speakers Take Part in a Three-Day Event Filled with Technical Showcases and Intelligence Sharing
Black Hat MEA concluded its activities, marking the largest edition in the conference’s history, with unprecedented momentum and 55% growth compared to last year—reinforcing Riyadh’s status as a global hub where visions converge around the future of cybersecurity.
The event spanned 60,612 square meters, maintaining its title as the world’s largest cybersecurity exhibition for the second consecutive year.
It welcomed participants from more than 163 countries, along with 500 global brands and 300 speakers, over three days packed with hands-on simulations, high-level technical demonstrations, and intelligence sharing. The exhibition also showcased investment assets valued at SAR 13.9 billion.
Technical Competitions and Championships
The conference witnessed exceptional competition during the finals of the world’s largest Capture the Flag (CTF) contest, where teams raced to solve advanced challenges covering cryptography, reverse engineering, and AI-driven attacks.
The “Platinum” team secured first place among Saudi teams after three days of successful problem-solving, while team “0xA” claimed first place in the international category.
The “Bug Bounty Rewards” championship concluded with Omar Al-Zughaibi claiming first place after identifying high-impact vulnerabilities within live environments on the BugBounty.sa platform.
The results highlighted the rapid development of local talent and the strength of Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity community.
On the third day, the “CyberSeed” competition took place—one of the day’s most prominent events—aimed at showcasing the region’s most ambitious cybersecurity entrepreneurs. Ten startups pitched before investors and industry experts to prove the global viability of their technologies.
Following a fast-paced, high-pressure round of presentations, team “Sahl” won a USD 30,000 cash prize and earned the opportunity to represent the region at Black Hat America as part of the “Global Startup Spotlight” program.
A total of 37 startups took part in this year’s edition, marking a 24% increase over last year.
Expert Sessions
During one of the sessions, David Redekop, CEO and Founder of ADAM Networks, spoke in “Strike First in the AI War: Rebuilding the Internet Through Zero Trust” about the continued rise of phishing and domain abuse despite years of defensive investments.
He emphasized:
“80% of the global economic engine relies on small and medium-sized businesses, which often lack modern controls, while AI-powered attacks have surged by 4,151%.”
Redekop called on the sector to rethink traditional assumptions, shifting preventive controls to lower layers within the protection ecosystem, stressing the need for early-stage defensive action to contain threats that evade traditional detection layers.
In another session on cyber insurance, Daniel Bodine, Chief Information Security Officer at Marsh McLennan, highlighted the importance of incident-response planning as the most critical factor in an organization’s ability to withstand breaches.
He stated:
“Insurance benchmarks are directly linked to breach probability, and a well-designed and tested incident-response plan is the most important factor in reducing that probability.”
Bodine urged CISOs to view incident response as the “goalkeeper” within the modern defense framework and to work closely with brokers who have extensive expertise managing daily incidents across clients and understanding the weaknesses that surface under pressure.
Closing of the Event
After three days of knowledge exchange and collaboration, Steve Downing, Projects Director at Tahaluf, commented:
“Black Hat MEA welcomed more than 40,000 participants over three days. Across four editions, it has become an unmissable global gathering where the cybersecurity community meets, competes, and helps shape the future of the field here in Riyadh and beyond.”
Black Hat MEA will return for its 2026 edition from 1 to 3 December in Riyadh, featuring a deeper technical program, expanded competitions, and new platforms addressing the key issues highlighted in this year’s event.
Registration for participation is now open
Click here to register.
About Tahaluf
Tahaluf, headquartered in Riyadh, acts as a bridge connecting strategically significant business communities in Saudi Arabia with their counterparts across the Gulf region and around the world, through a leading portfolio of global-scale exhibitions and digital platforms.
The company was established as a joint venture between Informa, one of the world’s largest organizers of trade events; the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones; and the Events Investment Fund.
Sela, a Saudi government-owned company specializing in major event production, is expected to join the joint venture in the near future.
Tahaluf has successfully launched major global events, including LEAP, DeepFest, Money20/20 Middle East, Black Hat MEA, Cityscape Global, the Global Health Exhibition, and CPHI Saudi Arabia.
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