SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Hat, the world’s leading producer of information security events, announces expanded community-focused programming to accompany the virtual Black Hat USA, taking place August 1-6, 2020. In order to better serve the needs of information security professionals, Black Hat will provide a platform for discussions around mental health, diversity and inclusion and more, creating a safe space for attendees to gain knowledge and support on lesser discussed topics. Black Hat is also offering scholarship opportunities and health and wellness activities to support these programs.
“The technical content that is presented on the Black Hat stage each year is an important contribution to the industry, but we’ve found that more sensitive topics such as mental health and diversity within the information security community are often not highlighted enough,” said Steve Wylie, Black Hat General Manager. “Through these added programs, we encourage more open and honest conversations within the community in an effort to bring more awareness to these important issues.”
Black Hat USA 2020 Community programs include:
Black Hat Briefings - Community Track:
Developed to provide a focus on more technical topics currently impacting the community, talks within this year’s Community track include:
- Making an Impact from India to the Rest of the World by Building and Nurturing Women Infosec Community – presented by Vadena Verma Seghal, Security Architect, IBM
- Building Cybersecurity Strategies for Emerging Industries in Sub Saharan Africa – presented by Laura Tich, Cybersecurity Consultant, Shehacks_KE & Evelyn Kilel, Security Researcher, Shehacks_KE
- A Paramedic’s Guide to Surviving Cybersecurity – Rich Mogull, Analyst/Securosis, CISO/DisruptOps, Securoris, LLC
Community Sessions & Meetups:
Community sessions and meetups have been developed to create an open dialogue and engage attendees on important topics such as mental health awareness, diversity, and career knowledge. They include:
- Session: When Security Research is a Crime: The Changing Legal Landscape of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act – presented by Naomi Glenns, Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Session: Mental Health Hackers: Contents Under Pressure – presented by Amanda Berlin, Mental Health Hackers
- Session: Help Someone Slide Down the Rabbit Hole. Getting New People to Infosec Cons – presented by Craig Bowser, Blacks in Cybersecurity
- Meet-up: Executive Women’s Forum Meet & Greet
- Meet-up: Chat with Vandana Verma Sehgal – Learn more about how the Infosecirls began and the obstacles that were encountered
- Meet-up: Dealing with Anxiety and Burnout - Hosted by Dr. Heather Eisele
- Meet-up: Peer-to-Peer Mentoring and Networking Event
- Meet-up: A Talk with Camille Stewart About How Systemic Racism Impacts Cybersecurity
Scholarships & Donations:
Each year, Black Hat awards complimentary Briefings passes to a number of recipients through multiple scholarship programs. These scholarships aim to provide those who may not have the means to attend the event with the opportunity to learn, network and collaborate with industry professionals. This year’s new scholarship and donation programs include:
- Blacks in Cybersecurity: As a way to amplify the voices of black and brown practitioners in the industry, Black Hat has partnered with Blacks in Cybersecurity to award complimentary briefings passes for their members.
- COVID-19 Relief: Black Hat will award a number of complimentary Briefings passes to individuals who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- T-shirt Donation: This year, Black Hat will donate the proceeds from the commemorative t-shirt to Black Girls CODE.
- Speaker Honorarium Donation: Black Hat speakers have the option to donate their speaking honorarium to an organization supporting opportunities for black individuals in the technology industry.
Health and Wellness:
To support attendees mental, physical and emotional health during the event, Black Hat will offer various on-demand guided meditation and chair yoga sessions. Attendees can choose from short 10-minute sessions, to longer 45-minute classes when they need to take a break and focus on their wellbeing.
Global & Sustaining Partners of Black Hat USA include: Sustaining Partners: CrowdStrike, Darktrace, ExtraHop, KnowBe4, Mimecast, Qualys, Recorded Future, SecurityScorecard; Global Partners: CheckSec, DomainTools, Facebook, KnowBe4, Qualys, Inc., Recorded Future, Synopsys, Varonis.
About Black Hat
For more than 20 years, Black Hat has provided attendees with the very latest in information security research, development, and trends. These high-profile global events and trainings are driven by the needs of the security community, striving to bring together the best minds in the industry. Black Hat inspires professionals at all career levels, encouraging growth and collaboration among academia, world-class researchers, and leaders in the public and private sectors. Black Hat Briefings and Trainings are held annually in the United States, Europe and Asia. More information is available at: blackhat.com. Black Hat is brought to you by Informa Tech.
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Media Contact:
Heather Donner
Black Hat PR
BlackHatPR@informa.com