Which was your favourite?

Welcome to the new 85 cyber warriors who joined us last week. 🥳 Each week, we'll be sharing insights from the Black Hat MEA community. Read exclusive interviews with industry experts and key findings from the #BHMEA23 keynote stage.

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⭐Our ten top-performing blog posts in 2023

Every week, we continue the cybersecurity conversation that takes place in-person at Black Hat MEA – by publishing articles to keep the global BHMEA community connected, even when you’re not all in the same room. 

And it’s been a big year for the fledgling BHMEA blog. We’ve featured everyone from Frank Abagnale to Chris Wysopal, and many other experts in between. 

There’s more to come next year. But before we dive into the work of 2024, we want to end this year on a high – with a roundup of our ten top-performing blog posts in 2023. And if you haven’t already read these, then now is the time: brew a coffee, put your feet up, and dive in. 

This is part one. Watch out for part two in your inbox next week. 

1️⃣ How do you build a career in cybersecurity? 

In this interview with Suresh Sankaran Srinivasan (Group Head of Cyber Defence at Axiata), we demystified the journey of one cybersecurity leader as he built a career in the industry. 

From starting work in an emerging and rapidly changing cybersecurity sector, to problem-solving in an industry that lacked clear structures, to developing a leadership position in the midst of a shifting, unpredictable threat landscape. 

It’s a straightforward look at how one successful cybersecurity career evolved – and you, our audience, loved it. 

🔗Read it

2️⃣ The attack surface grows: Challenges to cyber resilience in 2023

Early this year, we took a zoomed out view of the attack surface – exploring the impact of the polycrisis and a surge in high-profile attacks against large organisations. 

Geopolitical tensions and precarious economies were among the drivers of unpredictability in 2023. And it’s clear that those drivers will remain throughout 2024; although how they’ll evolve is yet to become clear. 

Our 2024 big picture view will be full of different details, but one thing has remained the same. The attack surface was growing in Q1 2023 – and that growth continues. 

🔗Read it

3️⃣ Threat hunting with open-source tools

We want to give you real value whenever we can. So in this blog we laid out some of the key open-source tools available to enable you to implement threat hunting operations in your organisation. 

Discover Cuckoo Sandbox, Yara, Snort, and many more – and customise them to your needs so you can pick up on more threats before they become a problem. 

🔗Read it

4️⃣ The rise of for-profit hacking

These days, most people think of hacking as something criminals do to make money. But that wasn’t always the case – actually, the first hackers weren’t interested in making money at all. 

When we interviewed Gram Ludlow (SVP, CISO at Marriott Vacations Worldwide), he said “For-profit hacking is definitely the biggest threat I see.”

And his words inspired us to look back in time and find out what hackers were aiming for when they first started out; before profit-making scams became the focus of global attention. 

Spoiler alert: hackers built in the Internet. 

🔗Read it

5️⃣ A CISO’s perspective on pressure

Mental health isn’t something that’s talked about openly or often in the cybersecurity industry. So in our interviews this year, we’ve asked questions about pressure and stress – slowly working to shed a light on the human experience of cybersecurity professionals. 

When we spoke to Mihir Joshi (Group CISO at Tata Power; Advisory Board Member for Xchain Technologies) we asked how he manages pressure on a personal level. 

He said:

“We as humans have a natural tendency to manage pressure, and what makes us unique is our propensity to deal with pressure. I’ve realised after multiple failures and trial and errors that even before trying to manage the pressure, it’s very important to know the threshold and identify the pressure triggers.” 

And with those pressure triggers in line, he’s able to counter them with activities that support his well-being. 

🔗 Read it

💡Learn from these thought leaders at Black Hat MEA 2024

Many more thought leaders will share their unique perspectives at Black Hat MEA 2024. It’s going to be our biggest conference yet, and we can’t wait to see you there. Pre-register now.

Do you have an idea for a topic you'd like us to cover? We're eager to hear it! Drop us a message and share your thoughts. Our next newsletter is scheduled for 27 December 2023.

Catch you next week,
Steve Durning
Exhibition Director

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