What Is Black Hat USA

Black Hat USA is widely regarded as the most influential technical cybersecurity conference in the world. Founded in 1997 by Jeff Moss, it has grown from a small gathering of elite hackers into an event that draws more than 20,000 security professionals, researchers, government officials, and enterprise decision-makers every August to Las Vegas.

The conference is organized around two core programs: Briefings and Trainings. The Briefings are multi-track technical presentations where independent researchers, academics, and vendors reveal original vulnerability research, attack techniques, and defensive strategies — often making headlines for uncovering flaws in critical infrastructure, consumer devices, or widely deployed software. The Trainings are intensive two- to four-day workshops delivered before the main conference, covering offensive and defensive skills from penetration testing and malware reverse engineering to cloud security and red teaming.

Black Hat USA 2026 will return to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, running from August 1 through August 6. Training courses begin August 1–4, with the main Briefings conference taking place August 5–6. The Business Hall — home to hundreds of security vendors and an active sponsorship floor — runs concurrent with the Briefings.

What sets Black Hat apart from peer events is its strict content review process. All Briefing submissions are evaluated by a technical Review Board of respected practitioners, keeping the content bar high and the vendor marketing influence low. Attendees come expecting original research, not product pitches.

Who's Coming to Black Hat USA

Black Hat USA draws a uniquely concentrated cross-section of the security world. The audience is roughly split between technical practitioners and business-side security leaders.

On the practitioner side, expect penetration testers, red and blue team operators, malware researchers, exploit developers, threat intelligence analysts, and security engineers from both public and private sector organizations. Government agencies — including those from the U.S., EU, and allied nations — regularly send delegations. Law enforcement and intelligence community representatives attend alongside the researchers and hackers they monitor (and sometimes collaborate with).

On the business side, CISOs, security architects, and procurement leaders attend to evaluate emerging vendors, understand the current threat landscape, and benchmark their programs against industry peers. The conference is a primary buying signal event: major enterprise security purchasing decisions frequently trace back to conversations that began on the Black Hat show floor.

The geographic mix skews heavily American but has a significant international component, with strong delegations from the UK, Germany, Israel, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. Attendee counts typically exceed 20,000 across the combined Trainings and Briefings program.

Want to know which companies are exhibiting? Lensmor tracks exhibitor profiles, booth data, and product categories for Black Hat USA and 1,000+ other trade shows. Explore Black Hat USA exhibitors on Lensmor →

Confirmed Speakers / Key Sessions at Black Hat USA

Black Hat's official 2026 speaker list will be announced in the months leading up to the event, following the close of the Call for Papers (CFP). Based on consistent patterns from prior years, here is what to expect from the 2026 program.

Keynote Address. The opening keynote traditionally features a high-profile voice from government, academia, or industry leadership addressing macro-level threats facing the security community. Past keynoters have included NSA officials, CISA directors, and prominent private-sector researchers.

Top Research Categories (historically consistent):

• Web Application Security — New attack classes against modern frameworks, OAuth/OIDC vulnerabilities, and API abuse techniques
• AI and Machine Learning Security — Adversarial attacks on AI systems, prompt injection in LLM-based applications, and model theft techniques
• Hardware and Firmware — UEFI/BIOS vulnerabilities, supply chain implants, and attacks on embedded systems
• Cloud and Container Security — Privilege escalation in Kubernetes, cross-tenant attacks in major cloud providers, and serverless exploitation
• Automotive and Industrial Control Systems — Research targeting connected vehicles and OT/SCADA environments
• Zero-Day Research — Coordinated vulnerability disclosures timed with the conference

Arsenal Demos. The Arsenal program features live, hands-on tool demonstrations from open-source security tool authors — one of the most practically useful parts of the conference for practitioners who want to see tools in action before adopting them.

The full CFP results and speaker schedule will be published on the Black Hat website approximately 6–8 weeks before the event.

Sponsors and Exhibitors at Black Hat USA

The Black Hat Business Hall is one of the most concentrated gatherings of cybersecurity vendors anywhere in the world. In a typical year, 300+ companies exhibit, ranging from category-defining incumbents to pre-launch startups backed by tier-1 venture capital.

Major security platform vendors — including CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, SentinelOne, Microsoft Security, Google Cloud Security, and IBM Security — maintain large presences with demos, sponsored sessions, and dedicated briefing rooms. Specialist vendors in threat intelligence, identity security, data security posture management (DSPM), and application security testing also make strong showings.

The Business Hall is structured around a mix of standard booths, Innovation City (for emerging companies), and a dedicated Partner Summit for channel-focused vendors. The Startup Spotlight program gives early-stage companies curated visibility with buyers and press.

Lensmor provides real-time exhibitor intelligence for Black Hat USA, including company profiles, product categories, and booth locations. Access the full exhibitor list →

Why You Should Attend Black Hat USA

Peer-reviewed technical content. No other conference applies the same rigorous, independent review process to its security research program. Every Briefing that makes the stage passed scrutiny from a community of recognized experts — meaning the signal-to-noise ratio on research quality is unusually high.

Early warning system for your security program. Research published at Black Hat routinely exposes vulnerabilities in products and platforms your organization uses. Attending — or following the research post-conference — gives security teams a head start on understanding and remediating newly disclosed risks.

Training that accelerates careers. The Trainings program is among the most concentrated collections of elite security instruction available commercially. Four days with a world-class instructor in a specialized domain (offensive operations, cloud security, reverse engineering) delivers practical skills that typically require months to accumulate otherwise.

The right network. The hallways, after-hours events, and the conference's satellite ecosystem (parties, dinners, meetings) produce meaningful professional connections. Hiring decisions, partnerships, and acquisition conversations happen routinely in the margins of Black Hat.

Vendor evaluation at scale. If your organization has a security budget to deploy, no single event gives you more vendor density, more live demos, and more peer comparison opportunity than Black Hat's Business Hall.

Travel & Logistics

Venue. Mandalay Bay Convention Center, 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89119. The convention center connects directly to the Mandalay Bay and Delano resort hotels.

Getting There. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) is approximately 5 miles from the venue. Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) and taxis are the most practical options; the airport-to-Strip corridor is well served. Rental cars are available but parking at the venue is expensive.

Where to Stay. Black Hat blocks hotel rooms at Mandalay Bay and Delano at conference rates — book early, as the block sells out fast. Overflow options along the south Strip include MGM Grand, Park MGM, and Vdara. Prices during Black Hat week are substantially elevated; booking 3–4 months in advance is strongly recommended.

Registration. Black Hat offers four pass types: Briefings only, Trainings only (2-day or 4-day), and combined Briefings + Trainings packages. Prices increase in tiers from early registration through on-site purchase. Corporate training budgets are the standard funding vehicle; per-attendee cost for the full experience typically runs $3,000–$6,000+ depending on training selection.

What to Pack. The Mandalay Bay conference center is heavily air-conditioned — bring layers regardless of the August heat outside. Comfortable shoes are essential; the show floor and session rooms are spread across a large footprint. A laptop (configured safely for a hostile network environment) is advisable for training attendees.

Badge Policy. Badges are non-transferable. Bring government-issued photo ID for pickup. Badge pickup opens the day before Briefings begin.

FAQ

Q: What is the difference between Black Hat and DEF CON?

A: Both conferences occur in Las Vegas in early August (Black Hat first, DEF CON immediately after), and many attendees do both — commonly called the "Hacker Summer Camp" double-header. Black Hat is a professional, ticketed event with a formal business hall, institutional sponsors, and a corporate-friendly atmosphere. DEF CON is a community-driven hacker conference with a cash-at-the-door ethos, villages (specialized interest groups), CTF competitions, and a more countercultural feel. Research overlaps, but the audiences and formats differ substantially.

Q: Is Black Hat suitable for someone new to cybersecurity?

A: The Briefings content is advanced and assumes a technical baseline — complete beginners will find much of the research opaque. However, select Trainings are structured for intermediate skill levels, and the Business Hall is accessible to anyone evaluating the security vendor landscape. If you are within 2–3 years of entering the field, targeting specific Trainings and supplementing with conference networking is a viable approach.

Q: How do I submit a talk to Black Hat?

A: Black Hat opens a Call for Papers (CFP) typically in early spring. Submissions are reviewed by the independent Review Board. The CFP details, submission portal, and review criteria are published on the Black Hat website. Accepted speakers receive complimentary registration.

Q: Are talks recorded and available after the event?

A: Selected Briefing presentations are released on the Black Hat YouTube channel and website in the weeks following the conference. Not all talks are recorded or published — some researchers withhold slides or recordings for responsible disclosure reasons.

Q: How can I prepare for my time on the show floor?

A: Define your objectives in advance — are you evaluating vendors, consuming research, building a professional network, or some combination? Prioritize Briefings sessions by reviewing the schedule and bookmarking sessions in the conference app. For the Business Hall, build a target exhibitor list before arriving. Tools like Lensmor help you research exhibitors before arriving — you can filter by industry, company size, and product category to build a target list.

Q: What is the network security situation at Black Hat?

A: Black Hat's conference network is a research environment monitored by volunteer network operations staff who publicly report on malicious traffic. Treat any shared network at the venue as hostile. Use a VPN, avoid sensitive transactions, and follow your organization's security policies. Many experienced attendees use dedicated travel devices or hardened configurations specifically for Black Hat week.