I’m writing this on the plane back from Las Vegas. People are packing up their Black Hat t-shirts until next summer—although I suspect many delegates wear them all year. It always strikes me how these shirts are treated like rock concert memorabilia, with older ones worn like badges of honor. I often find myself looking for Bruce Springsteen’s tour dates on them.
Anyway, I digress.
Another year, another Black Hat. I was there. I survived. I got the t-shirt—well, I didn’t actually, for the reasons mentioned above. I think this was my fourth Black Hat. Last year, I sent Drew in my place and, truthfully, I missed it. Despite not quite understanding 25% of the session titles and despite feeling like a bit of a sore thumb, I enjoy the event.
Now in its fifteenth year, Black Hat has grown into a major fixture. This year brought a record-breaking 6,500 delegates. It now carries many of the commercial trappings of a large-scale industry event, but there’s still a raw energy to it—and most importantly, passion.
The Energy and Passion of Black Hat
The people who attend Black Hat truly care about information security. They enjoy their work, they love breaking things—whether it’s passwords, code, or entire systems—and most of the time, they do it for the greater good. Something is inspiring about being surrounded by people who not only understand their craft deeply but are also driven by a sense of purpose.
There’s a subculture to Black Hat that’s hard to articulate but easy to recognize when you’re immersed in it. These are not passive observers. They’re builders, breakers, questioners. They believe in progress, and they want to be part of making the industry better, smarter, and more resilient.
Every time I leave Black Hat, I feel a little sunburnt, slightly poorer from all the dinners and drinks, but massively re-energized about my place in the industry.
A Detour Through Silicon Valley
Before Black Hat officially kicked off, I spent two days in Silicon Valley, meeting vendors and long-time contacts. I’ve written, or am in the process of writing, more in-depth pieces about most of those meetings. But what follows is a summary of some of the more memorable conversations and takeaways from that part of the trip.
The time in Silicon Valley was productive in a different way. The pace was slower, the conversations often deeper, and the access to key thinkers and decision-makers was unmatched. There’s a very particular kind of learning that happens when you sit across the table from someone, away from slides and booths, and just listen.
Lunch with Alberto Yepez: A VC’s Perspective
One of my most engaging meetings was over lunch with Alberto Yepez, managing director at Trident Capital. Yepez has put over $200 million into information security companies and considers himself the largest infosec-focused venture capitalist in the U.S. That’s his assessment, and whether or not it’s factually provable, it reflects the scale of his involvement in the field.
I was introduced to Yepez through a mutual contact and was immediately glad for the connection. We met at a garden restaurant in Palo Alto—Italian food, warm sun, and the kind of open conversation that makes these trips so worthwhile.
Yepez spoke with deep conviction about what he looks for when investing, how he works with founders, what excites him in the market, and where he sees growth coming from—particularly in mobile. He’s a hands-on investor, and that quality came through in every story he shared. He mentors companies closely, helps with strategy, and often leans in harder than typical VCs.
His enthusiasm was so evident that at one point, I started to worry he wouldn’t touch his lunch. The ideas kept flowing. He spoke about the importance of culture, the complexity of scaling start-ups, and why trust between investor and founder matters more than spreadsheets or valuations.
What struck me most was the opportunity to hear an investor’s perspective—not just what they fund, but why. These aren’t just numbers or markets to him. They’re missions. And that lens adds a fascinating layer to how we think about innovation in the security world.
Visiting Alien Vault: Small Company, Big Ideas
Later that day, I visited Alien Vault—one of the companies Yepez had invested in. The meeting was with Russ Spitler, VP of Product Management, and given my earlier conversation with Yepez, I had plenty of questions.
When I asked Spitler about Yepez, his response was immediate and positive. “He’s very hands-on,” he said, echoing what I had heard earlier, “and that’s a real advantage.” He noted that Yepez brings credibility and experience that’s hard not to value.
Alien Vault, at the time, was still a relatively small player in the broader security market. Originally founded in Spain, it now operates mainly from the U.S., with a local CEO and headquarters. The company had gained a reputation for being nimble and innovative, and during our chat, I got a better sense of how they positioned themselves.
What stood out most was our discussion about culture and talent. Spitler acknowledged the challenges of hiring in the Valley, surrounded by massive tech firms with deep pockets. Yet, he pointed to something more powerful: people want to work at a start-up because of the energy, the opportunity, and the challenge.
“A lot of people are eager to work at a cool start-up,” he told me. A colleague of his added, “If you want job security, you may choose one of the big companies. If you want to use your brain, you pick a start-up.” That line stuck with me. It captured not only the mindset of their team but the draw of entrepreneurial culture more broadly.
Returning to Symantec: Campus Vibes and Strategic Shifts
My next stop was Symantec in Mountain View. I’ve visited before—this was probably my third time—but this visit was different. I arrived at the wrong building and ended up taking a long walk across their sprawling campus. There’s a formal feel to the place, a noticeable contrast to some of the other offices I’d been in that week.
Everything at Symantec seemed branded in yellow, from signs to wall colors. It was impossible to ignore. Their PR manager, Elizabeth, gave me a quick tour and explained how real estate in Mountain View has become incredibly tight. Companies like Google and Facebook are expanding faster than space allows. Symantec, fortunately, had already acquired more room through its acquisition of VeriSign back in 2010, which gave it a second campus right across the street.
We sat down for a formal briefing that included a slideshow—an expected, if slightly uninspiring, format. But we talked about evolving threats in the social networking space, and I picked up some new terminology and insight. Symantec’s view of the landscape was structured, data-driven, and practical.
The real gem of that day came later at a media dinner in Las Vegas, hosted by members of Symantec’s research and PR teams. Without a notebook or recorder in sight, and with good food and wine on the table, people opened up.
We talked shop—threat trends, attacker behaviors, zero-day risks—but we also talked about travel, pets, and history. These relaxed moments gave me some of the most candid insights of the week. Something is humanizing about getting to know people beyond their roles and titles. It helps build the kind of understanding that no amount of press releases or demos can provide.
Meeting Ashar Aziz: The Mind Behind FireEye
Following my time in Silicon Valley and the early days at Black Hat, one of the meetings I was most looking forward to was with Ashar Aziz, founder and CEO of FireEye. I’d worked with FireEye before—on webinars, events, and various collaborations—so I was already familiar with their technology and positioning. What I hadn’t yet experienced was a sit-down conversation with the person behind the vision.
Ashar Aziz didn’t disappoint. He was smart—undeniably so—and spoke with the kind of clarity that only comes from deep technical expertise paired with a strong sense of purpose. From the moment we sat down, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a surface-level chat. Aziz had things to say, and he said them with precision and intention.
We spoke at length about the evolution of cyber threats, the nature of modern attacks, and how FireEye’s technology was developed not to react but to anticipate. He explained the architecture of FireEye’s platform in a way that was both technical and accessible, making it clear that he understands the dual responsibility of a founder: building the right technology and explaining it to those who will support and invest in it.
He spoke about nation-state threats, zero-day vulnerabilities, and advanced persistent threats—topics that have since become central to global cybersecurity discussions but were still emerging in public awareness at the time. What struck me most was how grounded he remained. There was no hype, no inflated claims, just a clear-eyed view of the landscape and FireEye’s place in it.
We also talked about the challenges of scaling a security company, attracting the right kind of talent, and staying ahead in an environment that shifts constantly. Aziz was thoughtful, careful not to oversell but also proud of what his team had achieved.
By the end of our conversation, I had developed a genuine respect for him—not just as a CEO, but as a thinker and leader in the field. I’ve already written a full-length piece based on that interview, so I won’t go into further technical detail here. But I will say this: it was one of the most valuable hours I spent all week.
The Industry Behind the Curtain: Conversations Without Agendas
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate most during trips like this is the value of unstructured time. Scheduled interviews and formal presentations are necessary, but the real learning often happens in hallways, over coffee, or in a quiet moment between events.
This year, I found myself part of several such moments. Some were short and spontaneous—a few minutes shared with a delegate waiting in line, or a chat with a vendor after a panel session. Others were longer, more reflective, like the media dinner with Symantec’s research team, where people spoke freely about their views on the evolving threat landscape.
There’s a depth of perspective that emerges when people aren’t on the record. They talk about what keeps them up at night, what trends they think are being overhyped, and what changes they’re making internally based on what they’ve seen in the field. Those conversations are rarely quotable, but they’re always enlightening.
One security architect told me that their biggest concern wasn’t malware but identity abuse and credential misuse—issues that don’t always grab headlines but cause lasting damage. Another researcher shared insights on the emotional toll of dealing with constant attack data, breach investigations, and the ethics of disclosure. These moments reminded me that the security industry isn’t just about firewalls and encryption—it’s also about people, pressure, and personal responsibility.
This informal intelligence gathering is one of the reasons I keep attending events like Black Hat and visiting Silicon Valley. It helps put the polished marketing into context. It reveals what companies are really wrestling with, and what professionals on the front lines are experiencing.
The Tension Between Innovation and Exploitation
A theme that emerged repeatedly in my conversations—both in Silicon Valley and at Black Hat—was the delicate balance between innovation and exploitation. Nearly every person I spoke with acknowledged the complexity of living in an age where technology evolves faster than regulation, where convenience often outpaces security, and where tools built for good can so easily be repurposed for harm.
At Black Hat, this theme was front and center. Presentations ranged from exposing vulnerabilities in industrial control systems to showcasing new forms of malware that evade detection through novel methods. The line between researcher and attacker is thin—intent is everything, but technique is often shared. What separates white hats from black hats isn’t always capability; it’s motivation and ethics.
In Silicon Valley, this balance plays out differently. Innovation is the currency of the region. Start-ups and VCs chase breakthrough ideas, but with speed comes risk. I heard multiple concerns about the pressure to ship fast, sometimes at the expense of secure development. One founder told me that their team knew about a particular vulnerability before launch, but pushed ahead with a fix planned for later. “We couldn’t afford the delay,” they said. It was an honest admission and one that underscores the real-world trade-offs many companies face.
On the flip side, I also heard about progress. Companies building privacy-first architectures. Security baked into product roadmaps from day one. New approaches to identity management that challenge old assumptions. The future of security won’t be about stopping every threat; it will be about reducing risk intelligently, building resilience, and understanding where you’re most vulnerable.
Black Hat’s Growing Influence and Evolving Role
This year’s Black Hat felt bigger than ever—not just in terms of numbers, but in terms of influence. The event has grown from a niche gathering of security purists to a central hub where vendors, researchers, executives, journalists, and policy makers converge. That growth brings both opportunity and complexity.
On the one hand, the increased visibility has helped elevate the importance of security across sectors. It’s no longer seen as an afterthought or a purely technical concern. It’s a boardroom issue. On the other hand, the commercialization of the event means that not all discussions are as open or raw as they once were.
Some veterans of the conference lament the rise of branded parties and the shrinking of underground content. But I see it a bit differently. The core spirit of Black Hat is still alive—it’s just found new spaces to thrive. The side sessions, the informal meetups, the post-panel debates—these are where the original ethos still shines through.
The truth is, Black Hat has always been a mirror of the industry itself. As the industry matures, so too does the event. It still provides a vital space for difficult questions, bold experiments, and passionate debate. And it still manages to attract people who genuinely care—not just about the business of security, but about its impact on the world.
Voices from the Show Floor: Inside the Black Hat Community
While structured interviews and company visits filled much of my schedule, the conversations that unfolded spontaneously on the show floor were equally important. The hallway track—as some call it—isn’t just a casual alternative to the formal program. It’s often where some of the most important, candid, and insightful moments happen.
At Black Hat, you can strike up a conversation with a penetration tester from Eastern Europe, a CISO from a Fortune 500 company, and a teenage researcher who’s flown in on a scholarship—all in the span of a coffee break. These interactions offer a kind of industry cross-section that you rarely get anywhere else. It’s a snapshot of the global security community, with all its diversity of thought, experience, and approach.
One such conversation was with a red team lead who had just presented a session on bypassing endpoint detection. He was still running high from the presentation and spoke with a kind of kinetic energy that comes from months of research finally seeing daylight. He talked about the painstaking process of discovering the bypass, testing it against different environments, and then preparing to share it responsibly. What resonated was his sense of ethical responsibility. “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should,” he said, summing up a philosophy that drives a lot of the work done here.
There was also a group of young professionals I met during a vendor presentation on software supply chain risks. They were from a newer security firm—small, energetic, and self-funded—and had come to Black Hat not just to learn but to pitch their ideas. One of them had developed a tool to map third-party dependencies in CI/CD pipelines. He was hoping to get feedback, maybe spark some interest. He wasn’t discouraged by the competition around him; if anything, it pushed him to work harder. “This is the only place where people won’t look at you like you’re crazy when you talk about memory corruption over breakfast,” he joked.
These casual interactions remind me that the core of Black Hat is not just knowledge exchange, but cultural exchange. Different languages, different backgrounds, different approaches—all united by a shared interest in making systems safer, smarter, and more secure.
Challenges in Security Leadership: Doing More with Less
A recurring theme this year, especially in my discussions with CISOs and security managers, was the tension between rising risk and limited resources. Budgets are tight. Headcounts are capped. Yet the demands placed on security teams continue to grow.
One senior security leader I spoke with described the situation bluntly: “We’re asked to defend against nation-state actors with a team smaller than the average football squad.” It was a dramatic comparison, but not an exaggerated one. Many organizations are facing an onslaught of threats while simultaneously being asked to streamline costs and avoid disruption to business operations.
Part of the challenge is communication. Security leaders often struggle to articulate risk in terms that resonate with business executives. While attackers are evolving, the language used to justify security spend hasn’t kept up. Boards still ask for return on investment figures that are difficult to quantify when your main success metric is “nothing bad happened.”
I also heard frustration about alert fatigue, tool overload, and the increasing complexity of modern security stacks. One CISO mentioned that his team uses nine different dashboards to monitor threats. “Every new solution promises to consolidate, but we just end up adding another screen,” he said.
These leadership challenges are not just operational—they’re also emotional. Burnout is real. The psychological weight of defending systems 24/7, knowing that failure could mean millions lost or reputations damaged, is immense. One head of incident response said the hardest part of his job isn’t the breaches—it’s the constant vigilance. “You’re never off,” he told me. “Even when I’m at home, my brain’s still scanning logs.”
In this context, Black Hat serves a dual purpose. It’s a place for learning, yes. But it’s also a space for security leaders to compare notes, share coping strategies, and feel less alone in a role that is often isolating.
Security Start-Ups: Risk, Reward, and the Long Game
Another area that generated a lot of buzz this year was the evolving role of start-ups in the security ecosystem. Over the last decade, the cybersecurity start-up scene has exploded, with new vendors launching at a staggering pace. At Black Hat, this momentum was on full display. From minimalist booths staffed by founders to well-funded demo zones hosted by polished sales teams, start-ups of all shapes and sizes were vying for attention.
What stood out wasn’t just the innovation—though there was plenty of that—but the tension between building quickly and building securely. Several founders I spoke with acknowledged that the pressure to grow fast often forces compromises. Security start-ups are not immune to security flaws. One founder admitted they had to delay a key product update after a researcher at another company flagged a critical bug. “It was humbling,” he said. “But I’d rather hear it from them than from a customer—or worse, an attacker.”
There was also an undercurrent of realism. Not every product will survive. Not every company will exit. But what many start-ups are aiming for is impact. They want to change how authentication works. They want to rethink perimeter defense. They want to disrupt static approaches to threat detection. These are not small ambitions, and it’s encouraging to see that purpose drives product development.
For investors and analysts watching from the sidelines, Black Hat offers a proving ground. It’s where early traction becomes visible, where buzz begins to form, and where partnerships are often born. Several conversations I overheard involved venture scouts setting up follow-up meetings. Others were about pilot programs, customer feedback, and beta testing timelines.
This intersection of idealism and pragmatism—of vision and viability—is what makes the start-up presence at Black Hat so compelling. It’s not just about what’s working now. It’s about what might work tomorrow.
The Human Factor: Trust, Behavior, and Cultural Shifts
One of the more encouraging trends I observed this year was the increasing focus on the human side of cybersecurity. For too long, the conversation has centered exclusively around firewalls, endpoints, and encryption. But that’s changing. More speakers and researchers are acknowledging that human behavior is both the greatest vulnerability and the greatest potential asset in security.
Sessions on insider threats, social engineering, and behavioral analytics drew large, engaged audiences. There was serious discussion about how to better understand user intent, how to design systems that are harder to misuse, and how to cultivate cultures of security rather than just compliance.
One talk I attended focused on empathy in incident response. The speaker—a former IR lead—argued that how you treat people during and after a breach can impact everything from brand reputation to team retention. “People remember how they’re treated when things go wrong,” she said. “And security is no exception.”
There was also increasing interest in designing better security awareness programs. Not just the annual slide decks or phishing tests, but programs that change behavior. One company shared how they use storytelling and scenario-based training to help employees understand risk. Another spoke about gamification and rewards for secure behavior.
What’s emerging is a more nuanced view of human risk. One that doesn’t blame users, but seeks to empower them. One that recognizes culture as a control surface. And one that accepts that security isn’t just a technical discipline—it’s a social one too.
As my week wrapped up, I found myself reflecting not just on what I’d learned, but on how much the security industry has grown. When I first attended Black Hat years ago, it felt like a specialized niche. Today, it feels central to how the modern world functions. Digital trust, data integrity, online identity—these are no longer just IT concerns. They’re foundational to commerce, governance, and daily life.
The topics that dominated this year—software supply chains, identity management, cloud-native security—are complex, but they’re also vital. And what gives me hope is the seriousness with which people are tackling them. There’s still hype, of course. There’s still marketing noise. But underneath all that, there’s real work being done by real people who care.
Black Hat continues to be more than just a conference. It’s a checkpoint. A place to pause, recalibrate, and connect. It reminds us of the stakes, the pace, and the promise of the work we do.
Looking Ahead: Where Security Is Going Next
After a week immersed in conversations, briefings, demos, and dinners, the final thoughts always come once everything quiets down—usually on the flight home, or the moment the inbox loads again. What stuck with me this year wasn’t just what people were building or what threats were trending. It was the broader question: where is all of this going?
Cybersecurity, as an industry and a mindset, is entering a new phase. The problems are growing more interconnected. Threats are harder to isolate. Attackers are better resourced. And defenders are expected to not just respond, but to anticipate. The stakes are no longer limited to stolen data or financial fraud. We’re now talking about national infrastructure, critical services, the integrity of democratic processes, and the safety of real people.
At Black Hat and throughout my visits to Silicon Valley, this shift was apparent. Security has outgrown its historical image as a backroom function or a niche domain. It’s becoming embedded in every discussion about digital progress. Whether it’s a new SaaS tool, a consumer-facing app, or a cloud-native enterprise stack, security is no longer optional—it’s foundational.
But with this evolution comes a need for new thinking. It’s not enough to keep doing more of the same. The industry needs fresh ideas, diverse perspectives, and a willingness to challenge old models. It needs leaders who can manage complexity without losing clarity. It needs teams that can move fast without breaking trust.
The Power of Collaboration Over Competition
One of the encouraging trends I witnessed, especially in more informal conversations, was the growing emphasis on collaboration. The old model of competing vendors siloed from one another is starting to crack. Increasingly, companies are recognizing that information sharing, integration, and interoperability are not just nice to have—they’re essential.
Threats don’t respect boundaries. A vulnerability in one platform can cascade across industries. A novel attack vector discovered by a researcher in one country can be exploited globally within hours. In this environment, holding knowledge tightly for competitive advantage feels not just outdated, but dangerous.
I heard from multiple vendors who are starting to build APIs that allow their tools to work more easily with competitors. Some are engaging more openly with the research community. Others are supporting open-source projects or joining industry groups focused on standardizing threat intelligence formats. There’s a shift happening, and while it’s not universal, it’s real.
The same goes for the human side of the industry. I spoke with a group of incident responders who created an informal network where they share early signs of attacks across their companies. No formal structure, no marketing, just trust. It’s working because they understand that collective defense is stronger than individual silence.
This collaborative mindset is one of the things that gives me hope. The challenges are enormous, but the willingness to work together—across vendors, geographies, and even roles—is growing.
Rethinking Talent and the Path to Inclusion
Another theme that surfaced again and again was the future of cybersecurity talent. As threats evolve, so must the teams tasked with countering them. But finding, developing, and retaining that talent remains one of the industry’s most persistent challenges.
Many of the companies I spoke with, both established and emerging, are feeling the pressure. There’s a shortage of experienced professionals, and the demand for specialists in areas like cloud security, identity management, and offensive research continues to outpace supply.
But part of the solution lies not in finding more of the same, but in broadening the definition of who belongs in security. There’s an urgent need to make the industry more inclusive, both in terms of background and perspective. The traditional pipeline—from computer science degree to junior analyst to engineer—is still valuable, but it’s not the only way.
Some of the most insightful professionals I met this year had unconventional paths. One was a former teacher who now works in risk communication. Another had started in customer support and transitioned into vulnerability management. Their stories weren’t just inspiring—they were evidence that skill, curiosity, and commitment matter more than any specific credential.
Several initiatives at Black Hat focused on this issue. Mentorship programs, scholarship-funded attendance, and networking sessions for underrepresented groups were more visible this year than in the past. It’s not perfect. There’s still a long way to go. But the recognition that talent exists beyond the usual channels is beginning to take hold.
Security problems are as much about perspective as they are about tools. And when teams are made up of people who think differently, ask different questions, and bring different life experiences, the resulting solutions are usually better.
Maintaining Integrity in a Commercialized Industry
As the industry matures, commercialization is inevitable. It’s easy to look around an event like Black Hat and notice the polished branding, the flashy booths, and the million-dollar marketing efforts. Some long-time attendees feel a sense of nostalgia for the scrappier, more rebellious days. There’s a fear that as security becomes big business, it might lose some of its soul.
It’s a valid concern. But commercialization and integrity aren’t mutually exclusive. What matters is how companies choose to operate. Are they selling fear, or are they offering real insight? Are they listening to the community, or just broadcasting messages? Are they investing in research, transparency, and education—or are they only chasing revenue?
What I saw this year was a bit of everything. There are still companies that put substance first. They support responsible disclosure. They publish technical whitepapers. They show up not just to sell, but to engage. And some vendors rely heavily on buzzwords, with little depth behind them. But attendees are smart. The community can tell the difference. And over time, quality wins.
The integrity of the industry doesn’t depend on avoiding money—it depends on maintaining purpose. As long as the people building and leading in this space stay committed to solving real problems, the industry can grow without losing what makes it important.
A Personal Note: Why It Still Matters
As I boarded my flight home, tired but thoughtful, I found myself returning to the same feeling I have every year: gratitude. Gratitude for the people who are still in this fight, for the researchers who keep asking hard questions, for the professionals who work behind the scenes to keep the rest of us safe—often without recognition.
Cybersecurity is not easy work. It’s complex, it’s high pressure, and it changes constantly. But it also matters in a way that few other fields do. It touches everything from the safety of our financial systems to the privacy of our conversations to the continuity of our critical infrastructure.
This week reminded me that progress is still happening. Innovation is alive. People still care—deeply. And even as the landscape gets more difficult, the passion at the core of the security community hasn’t faded.
That’s what I’m taking with me. Not just the product briefings or the technical notes. But the sense that we’re still building something worth protecting. And that the people doing that work—whether in Silicon Valley or on the show floor in Las Vegas—deserve our attention, our support, and our respect.
Final Thoughts
Looking back on the week, what stands out isn’t any one headline, product demo, or keynote quote. It’s the cumulative impact of the people, ideas, and questions that surfaced again and again. This wasn’t just another conference. It was a reminder of how vital this industry has become—and how much it still has to evolve.
The world we live in is digital by default. The systems we rely on are always connected, always exposed, and increasingly interdependent. In that context, cybersecurity is no longer a technical specialty—it’s a societal necessity. And the people who build, protect, and challenge those systems are now some of the most important contributors to digital life as we know it.
Black Hat and Silicon Valley offered two lenses on the same story: one of progress, pressure, risk, and possibility. From the start-up founder trying to break into a crowded market, to the CISO fighting burnout while defending critical assets, to the investor betting on ideas still forming—this industry is full of individuals working at the edge of what’s known, hoping to push it a little further.
What makes all of this meaningful isn’t the technology alone—it’s the people behind it. The conversations I had this week, both formal and informal, showed me that despite the noise, despite the marketing, and despite the fatigue, there’s still an incredible amount of curiosity, collaboration, and integrity shaping the future of cybersecurity.
There’s no single solution to the problems the industry faces. But many good people are working toward better answers. And as long as that remains true, I’ll keep coming back—sunburnt, sleep-deprived, and re-energized—for the next chapter.