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August 5-10, 2023
Mandalay Bay / Las Vegas
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Briefings Call for Papers

Black Hat USA - Call for Papers

Open February 8 - April 12

Call for Papers Opened: February 8, 2023 (12:00am Pacific Time)
Call for Papers Closed: April 12, 2023 (11:59pm Pacific Time)
Notification to Submitters: mid-June 2023
Briefings Dates/Location: August 9-10, 2023 - Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

The deadline has passed. Call for papers is now closed. If you have an account or submitted a proposal, you can still sign in.

Terms & Dates are subject to change.

Sign up here to receive more information on future Calls for Papers for Black Hat Conferences.

Feel free to reach out to cfp@blackhat.com if you have any questions.

What are the Black Hat Briefings?

Since their inception 25 years ago, Black Hat Briefings continue to provide security professionals with a place to learn the very latest in information security risks, research and trends. Leading security researchers from around the world take the stage each year to share their latest work and exploits in a friendly, vendor-neutral environment. Attendees will experience groundbreaking research on topics ranging from vulnerabilities within popular consumer devices, to critical international infrastructure threats, and everything in between.

Event & Session Format

  • Black Hat USA 2023 will be a Live, In-Person Event in Las Vegas, NV USA. On-demand recordings of Briefings will also be available for 30 days post event (beginning on May 18).
    • Selected speakers are expected to present in-person in Las Vegas, NV (We may make exceptions on a case-by-case basis for those unable to travel).
  • Briefings are presented in 30 and 40-minute presentations.

Track Descriptions

Determine which track(s) your submission falls under. A complete list of track descriptions can be found here.

Recommendations

Optional resources to help you create your proposal.

Sample Submissions

View samples of accepted submissions that received positive reviews:

View Samples (PDF)

Submission Requirements

  1. Submissions may only be entered by researchers/speakers (no submissions from PR firms/marketing representatives).
  2. Black Hat does not accept product or vendor-related pitches. Black Hat will disqualify any product or vendor pitch.
  3. Submissions must clearly detail the concepts, ideas, findings, and solutions a researcher or speaking team plans to present.
  4. Submissions that highlight new research, tools, vulnerabilities, etc. will be given priority.
  5. Submissions that include White Papers are highly encouraged and will also be given priority.
  6. Black Hat will disqualify incomplete submissions; complete your submission in its entirety.
  7. Individuals may submit more than one proposal, but each proposal must be submitted via a separate submission form.
  8. Each submission must include biographies of the proposed speaking team.
  9. Submitters will be contacted directly if Review Board members have any questions about a submission.

Coordinated Disclosure

Black Hat strongly supports and encourages coordinated disclosure. To this end, Black Hat has a strong partnership with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to provide pro-bono legal consultations to security researchers on the legality of any research or data they plan to present at the event.

If you have questions about the legal implications of your security research or presentation, contact Electronic Frontier Foundation at info@eff.org.

Review Board & Content Selection

The Black Hat USA Review Board is comprised 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 reviewing and programming conference content and providing unparalleled insight into the research community.

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 submission(s) – 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.

Speaker Benefits

Student Scholarship Nominations:

  • As a way to introduce the next generation of security professionals to the Black Hat community, each speaking team may nominate up to 2 students to receive a complimentary Briefings pass.

Conference Registration:

  • One complimentary Briefings pass per Speaker(s)

Honorarium:

  • $1,000 USD for one Speaker per team

Travel Reimbursement:

  • Economy-class, round-trip airfare for one Speaker per team; cap of $1,000 domestic/$1,300 international USD (receipt must be provided)

Accommodations:

  • One hotel room for three nights (August 8, 9, and 10) for one Speaker. Room will be booked and paid for by Black Hat.

Terms

By submitting a proposal via the Black Hat Call for Papers system, submitters selected to speak understand and agree to the Terms as detailed in this section.

  • By speaking at a Black Hat conference, Speakers grant Black Hat permission to record, reproduce, distribute, advertise, and show a Speaker's presentation including but not limited to blackhat.com, conference proceedings and materials, audio, video, printed and/or electronic ads, fliers, mailers, etc.
  • The Black Hat Review Board will have access to all submissions and materials.
    • Review Board access to submissions is provisioned under MOU with Black Hat and Informa. The MOU outlines the rules of confidentiality, conduct, standards, and policies that guide the Black Hat review process as well as the expectations and responsibilities required to be on a Black Hat Review Board.
    • Prospective Speakers should not directly contact any Black Hat Review Board member regarding the status of submission(s) or feedback.
  • Reviews, acceptances and/or declines are conducted on a rolling basis.
  • All correspondence and queries should be sent to cfp@blackhat.com.
  • Researchers and research teams should be aware of the following guidelines regarding the number of researchers permitted to present.
    • 30 or 40-minute Briefing — Up to 2 speakers (Additional contributors/members of your research team who are not able to present due to the speaker limit will still receive recognition on the Black Hat website and a complimentary Briefings pass as long as they are listed on the original Call for Papers submission. Max 5 contributors.)
  • Conference passes are non-transferable.
  • Co-workers, PR representatives, etc. must register and pay the appropriate fees to attend the Briefings.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Black Hat reserves the right to rescind an accepted submission without reason.
  • Black Hat believes the InfoSec community should be truly open for everyone. As such, Black Hat is committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, or religion. Speakers are required to follow the Black Hat Code of Conduct.

Additional Event Information

Please visit blackhat.com for previous conference archives, information, and talks. Updated announcements about Black Hat 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.

Again, feel free to reach out to cfp@blackhat.com if you have any questions.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Thank you.
The Black Hat Team

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