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Al Khobar – Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, hosted this week the Black Hat Middle East and Africa (MEA) 2025.
The three-day event, running from December 1-3, drew massive international attendance and strengthened Saudi Arabia’s position as a global cybersecurity hub.
The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones organized the event alongside Tahaluf, a joint venture between the Federation, the Events Investment Fund, and Informa International.
This year’s edition attracted around 40,000 visitors from 160 countries, making it one of the world’s premier cybersecurity gatherings.
The conference sprawled across 60,000 square meters and featured more than 500 exhibiting companies.
Organizers scheduled 300 international speakers who delivered over 200 hours of technical content across nearly 270 workshops. The event’s Capture the Flag competitions alone drew 500 participants.
Investor presence surged this year, with participating investors managing assets worth approximately $3.7 billion riyals.
This figure reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing appeal as an environment that encourages investment in cybersecurity technologies and signals rising international confidence in the country’s digital market.
Previous editions of the conference in Riyadh have shown steady growth in international participation.
Past events combined have attracted 4,100 competitors, 1,300 global companies, and 1,300 cybersecurity specialists. The trend demonstrates expanding international collaboration in this sector within the Middle Eastern country.
The conference also announced more than 25 investment deals, with 200 investors and 500 studios and developers taking part. These agreements support the digital economy and strengthen the ecosystem for emerging tech companies.
Black Hat MEA continues to serve as an international platform that brings together cybersecurity experts and enthusiasts, enables knowledge exchange, and advances modern security tools.
The event is in line with Saudi Arabia’s broader path toward enhancing technical sector efficiency and achieving its Vision 2030 targets.
