Black Hat
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Black Hat firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Black Hat
- Legal name
- Black Hat / Informa PLC
- Website
- https://blackhat.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Black Hat industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Events & Training
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Computer Training (611420), Computer Training (61142), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD), Cybersecurity (General) (EDAOAIAB), Cybersecurity (EDAAAPAC), Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH), Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications (EDAAANAA)
Keywords
Where Black Hat is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Black Hat business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Conference Registration: Black Hat generates primary revenue from selling passes to its cybersecurity conferences. Events include multi-day Briefings, Trainings, Summits, and Business Hall access with tiered pricing based on pass type and timing of registration.
- Event Sponsorships: Tiered sponsorship programs including Apex Partners, Strategic Partners, and Global Partners that provide exhibitor booth space, speaking opportunities, branding, and executive networking access at events.
- On-Demand Training: Self-paced online courses including Penetration Testing Fundamentals ($799), Infrastructure Hacking Fundamentals, Black Hat Labs ($375 All Access), and specialized courses like Assessing Highly Sensitive Networks ($599) and Offensive Security for GenAI Models. Courses provide CPE credits and certificates of completion.
- Certification Exams: Proficiency exams offered as add-ons to training courses, providing 3-year certifications that validate expertise gained through Black Hat training programs.
- Webinars: Monthly live webinar series featuring security topics, with CPE credits available for ISC2-certified professionals who attend live sessions. Sponsorship opportunities available for webinar episodes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time | Black Hat USA Conference Passes |
| Subscription | One time | Speaker Benefits - Black Hat USA |
| Subscription | One time | Speaker Benefits - SecTor |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Penetration Testing Fundamentals |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Black Hat Labs All Access |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Assessing and Scanning Highly Sensitive Networks |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Black Hat product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Black Hat organizes and operates global cybersecurity conferences and training programs, including flagship annual events (USA, Europe, Asia, SecTor, India, Middle East & Africa). It sells conference passes, hands-on technical training courses, executive summits, webinars, and sponsorship packages to security professionals, CISOs, and enterprise cybersecurity vendors.
Product overview
Black Hat is a global cybersecurity event and training company offering a portfolio of conference events, professional training, and community programs. The core offerings include Briefings (research presentations), Trainings (hands-on technical courses in multiple formats), Arsenal (open-source tool demonstrations), Summits (topic-focused events), and Webinars (monthly live discussions). Supporting programs include Black Hat(HER) for diversity in cybersecurity, the Cyber War Forum Series for executive-level discussions, Startup Spotlight Competition for emerging companies, and the NOC for real-time network defense during events. Regional variants include Black Hat USA, Europe, Asia, SecTor (Canada), Middle East & Africa, and India. The company operates under Informa PLC and is headquartered in London.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Black Hat USA: The flagship annual cybersecurity conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada, typically in August.
- Black Hat Europe
- Black Hat Asia
- SecTor
- Black Hat Middle East & Africa
- Black Hat India
- Black Hat Briefings
- Black Hat Trainings
- Black Hat Arsenal
- Black Hat Summits
- Black Hat Webinars
- Black Hat(HER)
- Cyber War Forum
Products and services
- Black Hat Briefings Core conference program where security researchers present groundbreaking research on vulnerabilities, zero-day exploits, open-source tools, and security trends across critical infrastructure, IoT, network defense, mobile devices, and applied security.
- Black Hat Trainings Hands-on technical cybersecurity training courses covering cloud security, penetration testing, hardware security, and AI/ML security, offered as live in-person, live online, and self-paced on-demand formats with CPE credits and digital certificates.
- Black Hat Arsenal A space for developers to showcase the latest open-source security tools with hands-on demonstrations in an open, conversational environment, including Arsenal Labs for hardware and open-source tool workshops.
- Black Hat Summits Topic-focused one-day educational events including CISO & Executive Summits and Micro Summits covering AI, Financial Services, Healthcare, Innovators & Investors, and other specialized cybersecurity topics.
- Black Hat Webinars
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 20,000 security professionals attend Black Hat USA annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Black Hat
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Black Hat technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability9 records
Feature3 records
Black Hat partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- HIMSScorePartnership to launch inaugural Healthcare Summit at Black Hat USA 2026 on August 4, 2026. Combines Black Hat's cybersecurity expertise with HIMSS's healthcare technology knowledge. Summit will address cybersecurity threats to patient care and data security, including AI applications in clinical settings.
- Palo Alto NetworkscoreKey security partner for Black Hat Asia 2026, deploying PA-5430 next-generation firewalls and Cortex XSIAM platform to secure Network Operations Center and Security Operations Center. Collaborates with Arista, Cisco, Corelight, and JAMF to manage threat events during the conference.
- SemperiscorePartnership to host world premiere of cyberwar documentary 'Midnight in the War Room' at Black Hat USA 2026 on August 5. Documentary features interviews with 50+ cybersecurity and national security experts. Semperis also partnering with Cyber Future Foundation, ICIT, (ISC)², and WiCyS for preview screenings and expert panels.
- Cyber Future FoundationminorNon-profit partner for preview screenings and expert panels related to 'Midnight in the War Room' documentary at Black Hat USA 2026.
- ICITminorNon-profit partner for preview screenings and expert panels related to 'Midnight in the War Room' documentary at Black Hat USA 2026.
- (ISC)²minorNon-profit partner for preview screenings and expert panels related to 'Midnight in the War Room' documentary at Black Hat USA 2026.
- WiCySminorNon-profit partner for preview screenings and expert panels related to 'Midnight in the War Room' documentary at Black Hat USA 2026.
- ThreatLockerflagshipApex Partner supporting the community through sponsorship at multiple Black Hat events. Zero Trust security platform provider offering blocking of untrusted software and lateral movement limitation.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Black Hat competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SANS Institute: SANS Institute is a leading cybersecurity training and certification organization offering hands-on courses, GIAC certifications, and the SANS Security East/West events. Comparable to Black Hat Trainings and on-demand offerings with deeper certification focus.
- DEF CON: DEF CON is one of the world's largest and oldest hacker conventions, held annually in Las Vegas the same week as Black Hat USA. It competes directly for the same security researcher and practitioner audience with a community-driven, lower-cost model.
- InfoSec World: InfoSec World is a long-running enterprise security conference featuring workshops, keynotes, and training tracks. Comparable to Black Hat Trainings and Summits in catering to mid-market and enterprise security practitioners.
- (ISC)² Security Congress: (ISC)² operates an annual security conference aligned with its CISSP and other certification programs. Overlaps with Black Hat's practitioner training audience and is also a Black Hat partner for preview screenings and panels.
- Infosecurity Europe: Infosecurity Europe (owned by Informa's tech division) is a major European enterprise security exhibition and conference held in London. Sister event within the same parent that competes for overlapping European enterprise buyer and vendor sponsorship spend.
- Hack In The Box (HITB): HITB runs deep-knowledge security conferences in Amsterdam, Dubai, and Singapore, featuring cutting-edge vulnerability research. Directly comparable to Black Hat Briefings in technical depth and global regional event format.
Regional players
- Nullcon: Nullcon is a prominent India-based cybersecurity conference held in Goa, comparable in technical research focus to Black Hat Briefings. It is a regional competitor as Black Hat expands its India event in Bengaluru.
Broad incumbents
- RSA Conference: RSA Conference is the largest cybersecurity industry conference, run by RSA (a Dell Technologies business). It overlaps significantly with Black Hat's enterprise security buyer and vendor sponsorship audience, though with a broader enterprise IT focus.
- Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit: Gartner's flagship security conference targets CISOs and security executives with research-driven content. Competes with Black Hat Summits and Business Hall sponsorships for the same enterprise security buyer segment.
Emerging players
- BSides: Security BSides is a global network of free, community-driven security conferences held in dozens of cities. It competes for entry-level practitioner attendance and grassroots presenter interest that Black Hat Briefings also cultivates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Black Hat social profiles
Digital presenceBlack Hat financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Black Hat leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Black Hat funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Black Hat M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Black Hat
What does Black Hat do?
Black Hat organizes and operates global cybersecurity conferences and training programs, including flagship annual events (USA, Europe, Asia, SecTor, India, Middle East & Africa). It sells conference passes, hands-on technical training courses, executive summits, webinars, and sponsorship packages to security professionals, CISOs, and enterprise cybersecurity vendors.
Is Black Hat a public or private company?
Black Hat is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Black Hat founded?
Black Hat was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Black Hat based?
Black Hat is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Black Hat make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Conference Registration is the primary driver. The others are event Sponsorships, on-Demand Training, certification Exams and webinars.
Who are Black Hat's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SANS Institute, DEF CON, InfoSec World, (ISC)² Security Congress, Infosecurity Europe and Hack In The Box (HITB). Nullcon is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are RSA Conference and Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit. BSides is listed as an emerging player.
Does Black Hat have an API?
No public API is recorded for Black Hat.
What industry is Black Hat in?
Black Hat's product category is Cybersecurity Events & Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAGAK, Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums, with a secondary code of MPAGAGAD, Academic & Scientific Conferences. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 8200.