Black Hat USA 2024 took place August 3 to 8 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, uniting thousands of security professionals for six days of technical deep dives and networking. The event opened with four days of Trainings (Aug 3 to 6) across red teaming, incident response, and secure development.
The main conference on August 7 to 8 featured over 100 Briefings, a packed Business Hall with live demos and giveaways, and interactive zones like Arsenal and Community Lounge. From zero-days to AI defense, Black Hat 2024 delivered cutting-edge research and real world tools for today’s evolving threat landscape.
Top Keynotes
Black Hat USA 2024 brought together top global cybersecurity leaders and thinkers. Here are five standout sessions from this year’s lineup:
- Democracy’s Biggest Year: The Fight for Secure Elections Around the World
Speakers:
- Jen Easterly (Director, CISA)
- Hans de Vries (COO, ENISA)
- Felicity Oswald OBE (CEO, NCSC)
- Christina A. Cassidy (Reporter, The Associated Press)
Topic:
A powerful discussion on how governments are defending democratic elections in a year when over two billion people voted worldwide. The panel explored cyber threats, foreign influence, and the role of AI in shaping public trust and electoral resilience.
The impact:
It spotlighted real-time strategies to protect the foundations of democracy on a global scale.
- Fireside Chat with Moxie Marlinspike
Speakers:
- Moxie Marlinspike (Founder, Signal)
- Jeff Moss (Founder, Black Hat)
Topic:
A candid conversation on the tradeoffs between privacy and security, the responsibilities of developers, and why privacy remains essential for societal progress. Moxie and Jeff offered rare insight from behind the scenes of two of cybersecurity’s most influential platforms.
The impact:
It cut through speculation to share firsthand lessons from leaders shaping secure communication.
- From the Office of the CISO: Smarter, Faster, Stronger Security in the Age of AI
Speakers:
- Ann Johnson (Deputy CISO, Microsoft)
- Sherrod DeGrippo (Director, Threat Intelligence Strategy, Microsoft)
Topic:
Microsoft security leaders broke down how they’re using AI, data, and global-scale threat intel to rethink enterprise defense. The session covered real-world decisions, tools, and the mindset shift needed to stay ahead of modern adversaries.
The impact:
It provided an enterprise-scale blueprint for operationalizing threat intelligence and AI.
- Solving the Cyber Hard Problems: A View into Problem Solving from the White House
Speaker:
- Harry Coker (National Cyber Director, Executive Office of the President)
Topic:
In his first Black Hat appearance, Harry Coker shared how the U.S. government is tackling the most persistent cybersecurity challenges, through long-term planning, aggressive coordination, and cross-sector collaboration.
The impact:
It offered a rare look at how national cyber policy is being designed to meet modern threats.
- Let Me Tell You a Story: Technology and the 4 Vs
Speaker:
- Jen Easterly (Director, CISA)
Topic:
In a narrative-driven talk, Easterly reflected on villains, victims, vulnerabilities, and vision, encouraging the cybersecurity community to build with intention and values, especially as AI reshapes the digital world.
The impact:
It reminded attendees that how we build security is just as important as what we build.
Top Highlights: Black Hat USA 2024 Training Sessions
Wide Range of Topics
From ransomware response and reverse engineering to space system exploitation and AI red teaming, the 2024 training lineup reflected the breadth of modern cybersecurity. Attendees explored advanced concepts in cloud forensics, Active Directory security, mobile application hacking, web app exploitation, and hardware-level attacks.
Skill Levels for Everyone
Courses were available for all experience levels, whether attendees were learning to hunt threats for the first time, or building custom exploits in Android kernels. Training paths were clearly defined for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners.
Led by Field-Tested Experts
Sessions were taught by some of the most respected names in the industry, including Microsoft’s AI Red Team, SpecterOps, LMG Security, and mobile and hardware hacking pioneers. Instructors brought real-world incident response, red teaming, and nation-grade cyber experience to the classroom.
Hands-On & Scenario-Based Learning
Most classes were built around live labs and realistic simulations. Students worked in SOC teams, conducted fuzzing operations, tested obfuscation techniques, and tackled Capture-the-Flag challenges in cloud and AD environments.
Focused, Flexible Format
Each training ran for two days, offering deep, focused instruction with practical takeaways. Courses were priced separately from the main conference pass, giving attendees the flexibility to shape their Black Hat experience based on specialization and career path.
Training page: https://www.blackhat.com/us-24/training/schedule/index.html
Briefings
The core of the event lies in the Briefings (Aug 7 to 8):
Over 30 to 40 minute talks by top security researchers, covering everything from zero-day discoveries and cloud exploits to critical infrastructure threats.
Talks spanned tracks like Exploit Development, AI & LLM security, Cloud, Mobile, Privacy, and Nation-State threats.
Presentations included live demos and PoC code. Sspeakers often shared slides and tools online after their sessions.
Talks were vendor-neutral and included real-world case studies, earning CPE credits for attendees.
Check the agenda: https://www.blackhat.com/us-24/briefings/schedule/index.html
Vendors & the Business Hall
Black Hat USA 2024 featured a dynamic Business Hall experience, packed with sponsor booths, interactive exhibits, and new immersive activities:
Vendors like Aqua Security, Armis, Broadcom, Cisco, Claroty, CrowdStrike, ExtraHop, F5, IBM, KnowBe4, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Pentera, Proofpoint, Security Blue Team, Sophos, Splunk, Synack, Sysdig, ThreatLocker, Trend Micro, Varonis, Vectra AI, and ZeroFox showcased live demos, product walkthroughs, raffles, challenges, and one-of-a-kind booth attractions, from blackjack tables and custom t-shirts to real-time hacking games and sketchbot selfies.
New highlights in the Business Hall included:
- Arsenal: Live demos of open-source tools from the community.
- Autonomous Arcade: Drone hacking and CTF-style challenges.
- Bricks & Picks: A fan-favorite LEGO + lock-picking zone.
- Community Lounge: A space for DEI talks and community networking.
- Dark Reading News Desk: Live coverage, interviews, and daily recaps with top industry voices.
With games, giveaways, expert presentations, and hands-on workshops, the 2024 Business Hall offered more ways than ever to explore cybersecurity innovation and connect with the industry’s leading minds.
View Vendors here: https://www.blackhat.com/us-24/
Conclusion
Black Hat USA 2024 brought the global security community together for a week of practical learning, technical depth, and industry-wide exchange. From hands-on Trainings and 100+ expert-led Briefings to interactive demos in Arsenal and new experiences like drone hacking, live sketch art, and community lounges, it was a space for professionals to connect, upskill, and stay sharp. With the Business Hall buzzing with vendor innovations, giveaways, and real-world tools, and speakers covering everything from AI risk to cloud pentesting, the event reflected where cybersecurity is heading, and who’s leading the way.
