@HACK cybersecurity event marks Saudi Arabia as the centre of ICT security

@HACK, the largest ever dedicated cybersecurity event in the Middle East and North Africa, has concluded. Saudi Arabia is establishing itself as the region’s technology hub, as shown by the local skills and talent at the event. The three days of expert discussions, knowledge sharing, education, and hacking competitions have redefined the region’s cybersecurity landscape.

“@HACK has been a tremendous success, with highly enthusiastic participation from the global and regional cybersecurity communities and from Saudi Arabia’s own growing cybersecurity community. The Saudi Federation of Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones is proud to have presented this event. We believe that the positive response to @HACK and the local expertise and talent on show is proof that Saudi Arabia is taking its place as the region’s technology hub. Well on the way to achieving the goal of Vision 2030 to make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into one of the leading modern, digital economies in the world,” said Faisal Al-Khamisi, Chairman of the Saudi Federation of Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP).

“What Riyadh has accomplished in one year would take 15 years anywhere else,” said Steve Wylie, Vice President, Cybersecurity Market at Informa Tech.

Mike Champion, Regional Executive Vice President of Informa Markets, added: “We are delighted with the response to @HACK from the international cybersecurity community and from Saudi Arabia’s own ICT sector and future security stars. The success of this event and the quality of participants puts Riyadh on the global map as a center for advanced technology and an international destination for mega-events and entertainment. We look forward to hosting more world-class events in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2022.”

The action-packed event in Riyadh, which was organised by the Saudi Federation of Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP) and the world’s leading events firm, Informa Tech, in conjunction with the renowned cybersecurity event Black Hat, drew over 24,872 attendees from 70 nations.

A SAR 1 million hacking challenge, keynote lectures from some of the top names in cybersecurity, involvement from the leading ICT businesses, and 600 hours of advanced training were among the highlights of the show. In 2021, @HACK will be the world’s largest live cybersecurity event, second only to the world-famous Black Hat Las Vegas in terms of education sessions given. The summit was part of the wildly popular Riyadh Season series of events and entertainment.

The @HACK Executive Summit featured keynote talks from some of the most well-known cybersecurity specialists, including ‘World Class Hacker.’ SphereNY’s VP of InfoSec, Jayson E. Street; Jenny Radcliffe, Founder and Director of Human Factor Security, who was named one of the top 25 Women in Cyber in 2020; and Bruce Schneier, nicknamed ‘The Security Guru,’ author, cryptographer, security critic, and commentator

The @HACK Business Hall included 50 Saudi cybersecurity startups and prominent cybersecurity businesses like Fortinet, Kaspersky, Spire Solutions, IBM, Honeywell, Cisco, RSA, Qualys, and Dragos. Exhibitor businesses showcased the most cutting-edge security solutions from all areas of the industry, including software, services, and training, with demonstrations and product launches.

As part of @HACK’s program to increase skills and capacity for Saudi Arabia’s technology community and to ensure that the region’s rapid digital transformation remains on track and safe and secure from cybersecurity threats, over 200 expert speakers, including 50 Black Hat-approved trainers, presented education and knowledge briefings on the latest developments in security.

With the region’s largest-ever Capture The Flag and Bug Bounty contests – with a prize fund of SAR 1 million – @HACK also set a new milestone for local hacking expertise. Over 1,000 competitors from 20 nations competed in a series of tough, difficult tasks over three days to put their ethical hacking talents to the test. The winning team R3Billions from Egypt, won the grand prize of SAR 300,000 in the Capture the Flag game, and Abdulrahman Makki won the top reward of SAR 70,000 in the Bug Bounty tournament.