Saudi Arabia launches 1st edition of Black Hat in MENA
In a massive ceremony conducted in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the “Black Hat” event, the biggest technological gathering in the world, was officially launched today for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa.
The event was organized by the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming, and Drones, in partnership with the General Entertainment Authority.
The “Black Hat” event was attended by a number of Their Highnesses, Excellencies, and senior officials.
Turki Al-Sheikh, the chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment’s board of directors, stated that Riyadh’s hosting of the “Black Hat” event is part of attempts to fulfill the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Hundreds of Saudi youth are participating in the event with a level of competence and experience competing with their counterparts from 35 countries. This is the largest competition of its kind in the world.
The Chairman of the Council of the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Faisal Al-Khamisi, confirmed that the technical leadership that the Kingdom has achieved in the region came because it is an “ambitious and passionate nation with a passion for knowledge based on youth.”
Al-Khamisi stressed that hosting “Black Hat” in Riyadh will show that the Kingdom is not just a place to launch big events, but a place that makes global events flourish.
During the launch event, the FlagYard platform was launched; It is an online platform that includes some cybersecurity challenges such as the “Capture the Flag” challenges; To train those interested in the field and develop their skills
The FlagYard platform is distinguished by a competitive atmosphere and talent acquisition; it organizes international challenges, and it is strategically supported by NEOM so that participants may compete and develop together.
The “Black Hat” event was divided into six regions; the Executive Summit Area, Technical Workshops, Business Hall, Arsenal, Training Courses, and Events Area.
There were many heads of the information security sector from the world’s most notable companies and organizations at the event. There were many communication and training sessions and several speakers.
The event included a technical workshop area, in which a group of specialized speakers presented the latest technologies in the field of cyber security.
The developers reviewed open-source tools and products related to programming and coding in the Arsenal area that allowed visitors to connect with and discuss with them.
The participating startups also showcased their creative ideas in the “Cyber Seed” competition, which is being hosted in the Business Hall area.
The event area, which is strategically sponsored by NEOM, has gained wide interest. The “Capture the Flag” competition was launched with the participation of more than 1,000 competitors, comprising 250 teams, who competed for prizes of 700,000 riyals.
The “Gap Rewards Platform Cup” competition was also launched with the participation of many contestants who competed to investigate and discover digital vulnerabilities in several real companies.
The event area included the Cyber Village, which presented 6 different challenges; they are the car hack challenge, the room escape challenge, the smart city challenge, the unlocking challenge, the drone penetration challenge, and finally the electronic chip penetration.
