Call for Papers

Important Dates

Call for Papers opens: February 18, 2014
Call for Papers closes: April 4, 2014
Notification to Authors: Early June
Terms are subject to change.

Submit proposals by completing a submission form on the Call for Papers (CFP) server at https://cfp.blackhat.com/. We strongly suggest that you submit earlier than later as the CFP will close early if sufficient quality submissions have been received. All applicants must ready and agree to the Call for Papers Submission Requirements prior to making a submission. All submissions must be received on or before April 4, 2014.

WHAT ARE THE BLACK HAT BRIEFINGS?

The Black Hat Briefings were created more than 16 years ago to provide computer security professionals a place to learn the very latest in information security risks, research, and trends. Presented by the brightest in the industry, the Briefings cover everything from critical information infrastructure to widely used enterprise computer systems to the latest InfoSec research & development and everything in between. These Briefings are vendor-neutral, allowing the presenters to speak candidly about the real problems and potential solutions across both the public and private sectors.

SESSION TYPES

  1. Briefings: 25 and 50 minute presentations (traditional presentation format)
  2. Workshops: 120 minute sessions (hands-on labs and presentations)

SUBMISSION PROCESS & REQUIREMENTS

  1. The original author(s) of a presentation must submit for the Call for Papers. Third parties such as PR firms or speaker representatives may not submit materials on behalf of a potential speaker or speaking team.
  2. Black Hat does not accept product or vendor related pitches. If your presentation is a thinly veiled advertisement for a product or service your company is offering, please do not submit.
  3. Submissions that highlight new research, tools, vulnerabilities, etc. are strongly encouraged and will also be given priority. Submissions that include White Papers will also be given priority.
  4. Speakers may submit more than one proposal but each proposal must be submitted via a separate submission form.
  5. Each submission must include detailed bibliographies acknowledging prior work in the space, distinguishing or highlighting how your presentation is different.
  6. Individuals submitting a proposal will receive a “Your submission for Black Hat USA 2014 has been received” email notification generally within 48-72 hours of receipt of the submission. After selections have been completed, submitters will receive an email confirmation of acceptance or rejection.
  7. Speakers will be contacted if there are any questions about their presentations. If your talk is accepted, you can continue to modify it up until the presentation due date, at which time it is frozen for the printed and other conference materials.
  8. If you have any questions regarding your submission, please email them to cfp@blackhat.com. We ask that all persons who submit to the Call for Papers do not contact Review Board members individually regarding your submission.

REVIEW BOARD + CONTENT SELECTION

The Black Hat Review Board is comprised of 23 of the industry’s most credible and distinguished security professionals and thought leaders throughout various areas of the information security community. The Review Board advises Black Hat on its strategic direction, reviewing and programming conference content and providing unparalleled insight into the research community. You can find more information on the Review Board here: https://www.blackhat.com/review-board.html

Black Hat strives to deliver one of the most empirical content selection processes in the industry. All submissions are vetted thoroughly by the Black Hat Review Board. Each submission is reviewed for uniqueness, overall content expertise and accuracy before any selections are made. Through the course of this dynamic review process, Black Hat Review Board members will frequently ask researchers for clarity on any areas of question in their submissions – whether it be about the uniqueness or audacity of claims made. The best submissions come with academic-grade papers, proof-of-concept code and/or video demonstrations of the work done. Of note, Black Hat does not support pay-for-play Briefings. The Black Hat Briefings are and always have been independently selected based on quality of content and area of expertise rather than sponsorship.

SPEAKING REQUIREMENTS

Black Hat requires that submitted work has not been previously published elsewhere, or if it has, that Speakers have obtained permission for its publication by Black Hat and will promptly supply wording for crediting the original publication and copyright owner.

If you are going to announce or demonstrate a new tool as the primary focus of your talk, that tool must be made available to conference attendees via the Black Hat CD and/or website. All sources of information, software, etc. should be properly cited.

Attendees will expect to receive a copy of your presentation, a White Paper supporting your work, RFC's, and tools/code (if applicable). Presentations and White Papers should reference the tool(s), law(s), website(s), or publication(s) mentioned. This bibliography will greatly help attendees who wish to learn more about your subject, but are not sure where to start.

Black Hat expects Speakers to be available throughout the event to meet and mingle with attendees. Attendees want to meet the Speakers and ask questions. Please advise conference management of time constraints when submitting your materials.

Speakers can assume that the attendees already understand the basic concepts regarding your topic. For example, if you are talking about cryptography, assume that everyone knows the difference between public key vs. secret key algorithms. Black Hat is known as a technical security conference, and demands more detail from its Speakers.

OFFICIAL TERMS

By submitting via the Black Hat Call for Papers system, Speakers understand and agree to the Official Terms as detailed in this section and subsequent sections of this document.

  1. By speaking at the Black Hat Briefings you are granting Black Hat permission to record, reproduce, distribute, advertise, and show your presentation including but not limited to http://www.blackhat.com, conference proceedings and materials, audio, video, printed and/or electronic ads, fliers, mailers, etc.
  2. Full conference passes are given only to those who actively participate as Speakers on accepted presentations. Additional Speakers must be listed as a part of the submitted Call for Papers application prior to the close of the CFP.
    1. Conference passes are non-transferable.
    2. Co-workers, PR representatives, press, spouses, friends etc. must register and pay the appropriate fees.
  3. The Black Hat Review Board will have access to all submitted applications and materials.
    1. Review Board and Speaker Proctor access to submissions is provisioned under NDA with Black Hat and UBM Tech.
    2. Reviews, Acceptances and/or Declines are conducted on a rolling basis.
    3. All correspondence and queries should be sent to cfp@blackhat.com.
    4. Prospective Speakers should not directly reach out to any Black Hat Review Board members regarding the status of submissions or feedback.
  4. Black Hat will provide one projector, one screen, one wired Ethernet connection and one wired microphone (if applicable) for the onsite presentation.
    1. Speakers are responsible for providing all other necessary equipment, including laptops and machines for their presentation.
  5. If the presentation is deemed to be a work of plagiarism or a blatant vendor pitch, Black Hat may revoke the Speaker’s honorarium and the Speaker will not be considered for future speaking opportunities.
  6. Part of speaking at Black Hat requires understanding that our Speakers represent the brand and the community we love. All participants must work together to provide value to their fellow attendees, Speakers, corporate sponsors, as well as volunteers and staff at the show. Please act accordingly.
  7. Black Hat reserves the right to change scheduled speaking times as necessary. While every effort will be made to honor assigned times, Speakers may be called upon to present at any time during the conference.
  8. Black Hat reserves the right to rescind an accepted submission without reason.

DEADLINES

DELIVERABLE DATE
Photo Headshot ** Within 72 hours of acceptance
Signed Speaker Agreement * May 30, 2014
Completed W8 (with Wire Transfer Form) or W9 * (Payment via checks will be sent to mailing address on W9 form) May 30, 2014
Self-Booked Air Travel Receipt (required for reimbursement) * May 30, 2014
Completed White Paper ** July 1, 2014
Completed Presentation / Slide Deck ** July 1, 2014
If a submission included the release of a tool, Speakers will submit a working version of the tool for publication on the website and conference CD. ** July 1, 2014
If applicable, Speakers will submit updated/revised/edited versions of the presentation, white paper, and a copy of the tool(s) and/or code, and a reference to all of the tool(s), law(s), Web sites and/or publications referenced to at the end of the talk and as described in this CFP submission for publication on the Black Hat website. ** August 8, 2014

* Please send these materials to Christina Nguyen at christina.nguyen@ubm.com

** Please send these materials to Steve Oldenbourg at steve.oldenbourg@ubm.com


AGREEMENT TO TERMS OF SPEAKING REMUNERATION

Briefings Speaker (25 minute) Criteria:
  • Open to both new Speakers and previous Black Hat speakers
Remuneration:
  • Speaking honorarium of $500 USD for one speaker and;
  • One Briefings pass per Speaker(s)
Briefings Speaker (50 minute) Criteria:
  • Open to Speakers who have never presented at Black Hat
Remuneration:
  • Speaking honorarium of $500 USD for one Speaker;
  • Coach-class round-trip airfare for one Speaker;
  • One hotel room for three nights for one Speaker and;
  • One Briefings pass per Speaker(s)
Veteran Briefings Speaker (50 minute) Criteria:
  • Open to previous Black Hat Speakers (Trainer or Briefings Speaker) or specifically invited to speak by Black Hat
Remuneration:
  • Speaking honorarium of $1,000 USD for one Speaker;
  • Coach-class round-trip airfare for one Speaker;
  • One hotel room for three nights for one Speaker and;
  • One Briefings pass per Speaker(s)
Briefings Workshop Speaker (120+ minute) Criteria:
  • Open to Speakers who specifically applied to present a workshop
Remuneration:
  • Speaking honorarium of $1,000 USD per hour for one Speaker;
  • Coach-class round-trip airfare for one Speaker;
  • One hotel room for three nights for one Speaker and;
  • One Briefings pass per Speaker(s)
Sponsor Employed Speakers (60 minute) Criteria:
  • Open to both new Speakers and previous Black Hat speakers
  • The presentation must not be a vendor pitch
  • Speaker must use the Black Hat provided slide template
  • Employer logo on two slides: Introduction and Biography
  • Employer's name will be used only in relation to work, demo, or tool and not used as a vendor pitch or product sale
  • If the Employer or Speaker do not agree and fail to meet the above or it is deemed that the talk is a vendor pitch, then the Speaker waives the right to any compensation for travel, accommodations, or honorarium
Remuneration:
  • Speaking honorarium for one Speaker ($500 USD for new Speakers, or $1,000 USD for returning Black Hat Speakers)
  • Coach-class round-trip airfare for one Speaker and;
  • One hotel room for three nights for one Speaker

AIR TRAVEL

LAND TRAVEL

HOTELS AND MISCELLANOUS

PAYMENT TERMS


RESPONSIBLE DISCLOSURE

NOTE: If you have questions about the legal implications of your security research or presentation, consider contacting Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit legal service organization, for a pro bono initial consultation by emailing info@eff.org.

ADDITIONAL EVENT INFORMATION

Please visit https://www.blackhat.com/ for previous conference archives, information, and speeches. Updated announcements about Black Hat USA 2014 will be posted to newsgroups, security mailing lists, and the Black Hat website when available.

We reserve the right to change or modify our Terms, dates and/or content of this page at any time without prior notice.

Thank you for your time!

The Black Hat Team