Amid rising global cyber risk, the three-day event outlines the priorities shaping the next phase of digital security and resilience.
Riyadh — The global cybersecurity community returns to Riyadh this week as Black Hat MEA 2025 opens its doors from December 2 to December 4 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre in Malham. Against a backdrop of escalating threats, AI disruption, and tightening regulatory pressure, the event brings together the people shaping how organisations defend, respond and build resilience. More than 45,000 security professionals, more than 500 exhibitors and leaders from more than 140 countries will decode what the next year of cybersecurity will demand.
AI is accelerating attack volumes and lowering barriers for threat actors. Supply chain exposure is widening. Cloud sprawl, identity debt and legacy infrastructure are fracturing security teams’ ability to maintain visibility at scale. Regulatory expectations are rising faster than many organisations can implement controls. At the same time, demand for skilled cyber talent continues to outpace supply. These pressures converge in Riyadh this week, where Black Hat MEA will act as a control room for technical debate, policy alignment and CISO-level strategy building.
This year’s programme tackles the issues keeping leaders awake. The agenda spans autonomous security operations, forecasting and threat intelligence, zero trust, post-quantum readiness, OT and IoT exposure, cyber insurance and global cyber conflict. Across the Executive Summit, Financial Summit, Briefings, Deep Dive, Campus, Women in Focus, CISO Workshops and Arsenal, the focus is on practical insight. The aim is to give practitioners what they need to strengthen defences, close gaps and adapt their operating models to a fast-moving threat environment.
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 specialised knowledge and national expertise. Through our partnerships with local and international entities, we work to empower national solutions to compete according to global standards.”
Steve Durning, Portfolio Director of Black Hat MEA at Tahaluf commented, “Black Hat MEA now plays a defining role in how the global cyber security industry evolves. The gathering shows the scale of progress in Saudi Arabia’s technology landscape and reflects a commitment to building content, partnerships and talent that deliver real economic impact.”
Global figures will take the stage to guide that process, including some of the most influential voices in cybersecurity. Among them are Dr Rumman Chowdhury, Founder and CEO of Humane Intelligence; Devon Bryan, Global Chief Security Officer at Booking Holdings; and Charles Forte, Director General and CIO for the UK Ministry of Defence. They will be joined by Margarita Rivera, Global CISO at Carnival Corporation; Jerich Beason, CISO at WM; Tim Ehrhart, CISO at Roche; Trina Ford, CISO at iHeartMedia; and Timothy Lee, CISO for the City of Los Angeles. Also featured are Temi Adebambo, GM and CISO at Xbox, and Dr Chenxi Wang, Managing General Partner at Rain Capital. Together, their sessions will break down the operational, regulatory, and geopolitical realities shaping cybersecurity today.
Global technology companies are also using Black Hat MEA to demonstrate where the industry is heading. Fortinet, Zscaler, SentinelOne, Cisco, ManageEngine, Dragos, Huawei, Thales, Trend Micro, Google Cloud Security and Tenable are among the international brands returning to Riyadh.
SentinelOne views Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s fastest-advancing digital economies, and the company is aligning its strategy with the Kingdom’s push for sovereign cybersecurity, national talent development, and AI-driven resilience under Vision 2030.
Meriam ElOuazzani, Regional Senior Director, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, SentinelOne, said: “Saudi Arabia is building one of the most ambitious digital futures globally, and organisations need autonomous, AI-native security to safeguard that momentum. Our priority is to strengthen the Kingdom’s cyber resilience through local expertise, robust partner ecosystems, and unified protection across endpoint, cloud, identity, and data. By advancing sovereign cyber capability and empowering Saudi talent with hands-on training and intelligent security platforms, we aim to help organisations operate with confidence while supporting the nation’s long-term digital growth.”
Echoing similar sentiment, Maher Jadallah, Vice President, Middle East & North Africa at Tenable, said: “Tenable will spotlight its new cybersecurity playbook—AI-powered Exposure Management—at Black Hat MEA 2025, led by the Tenable One platform that unifies visibility across IT, cloud, OT, and identity to anticipate and eliminate risk before breaches occur. Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity market, now exceeding $4 billion under Vision 2030’s digital momentum, has prompted Tenable to strengthen its presence with a newly established legal entity in the Kingdom, expanding local support, aligning with NCA ECC frameworks, and empowering security teams with AI-driven automation to focus on the most critical exposures shaping national resilience.”
Black Hat MEA gives attendees direct access to how security leaders are adapting to a fast-moving threat landscape. Across three days, CISOs, policymakers, engineers and researchers break down real incidents, test new tooling and challenge assumptions about resilience, governance and response.
Sophos is gearing up for Black Hat MEA 2025 with a unified, next-generation cybersecurity approach, bringing advanced XDR, MDR, SIEM, and identity-centric protections to support Saudi Arabia’s fast-evolving threat landscape and Vision 2030 ambitions.
Harish Chib, Vice President, Emerging Markets, Middle East & Africa, Sophos, said: “ Saudi Arabia’s digital acceleration requires cyber defences that are unified, intelligent, and built for real-time response. Our focus is to strengthen the Kingdom’s security posture through advanced MDR and XDR capabilities, deeper identity-threat protection, and a robust partner and MSP ecosystem that supports national skills development. By expanding regional infrastructure and enabling SOC teams with next-generation detection, response, and analytics, we aim to help organisations build resilient, future-ready defences against increasingly sophisticated attacks.”
Nozomi Networks is set to bring advanced OT, IoT, and cyber-physical security innovations to Black Hat MEA 2025, demonstrating how AI-powered visibility and endpoint intelligence can safeguard Saudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding industrial and digital infrastructure.
Muath Alsuwailem, Regional Sales Director, Nozomi Networks, said: “Saudi Arabia is accelerating into a new era of connected industry, and securing converged IT/OT environments has never been more critical. Our focus is to deliver deep, real-time visibility with platforms such as Vantage IQ, Guardian Air, and Nozomi Arc, empowering organisations to detect anomalies, assess risk, and defend their most vital assets. Through alignment with Saudi regulatory frameworks, strong local partnerships, and hands-on expertise, we are committed to supporting the Kingdom’s digital transformation with resilient, AI-powered industrial cybersecurity.”
Mainstage conversations feature confirmed leaders from Booking Holdings, Marsh McLennan, Roche, Legendary Entertainment, Kraft Heinz, Xbox and others who will examine the operational and strategic shifts shaping cybersecurity going into 2025. Technical research sessions uncover new vulnerabilities, open-source tools and exploit scenarios drawn from real environments, while hands-on areas across the venue show how defenders are strengthening detection, hardening infrastructure and preparing for next-generation attacks.
The Activity Zone and Capture the Flag arenas take this further, turning theory into action with interactive challenges, live demos and a SAR 1,000,000 prize pool driving competition across cryptography, reverse engineering and exploit development. These zones aren’t just side attractions: they’re adrenaline-fueled battlegrounds where the best minds race against time, crack complex puzzles and prove who truly owns the cyber edge.
Hosted by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones and co-organised by Tahaluf, Black Hat MEA continues to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 by strengthening global partnerships, accelerating talent development and positioning Riyadh as the world capital for cyber resilience. The event’s growth reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued investment in digital infrastructure, innovation and international collaboration.
For more than 25 years, Black Hat has set the benchmark for cybersecurity events and training worldwide. In 2024, more than 40,000 information security professionals from over 100 countries came together to explore the technologies, strategies, and skills driving the future of cyber defence. This year, across three days, Black Hat MEA delivers high-level Executive Summits, technical Briefings, the latest tools in Arsenal, a dynamic Business Hall and a hands-on Activity Zone with prize pools reaching SAR 1,000,000. Beyond the event, year-round training in ethical hacking and offensive security keeps the community connected and ahead of emerging threats.
