Black Hat USA 2024 is in the books and I’m still sweating just writing about it. Yes, it was hot (110)! But luckily all the folks I spoke with were once again, super cool. I’ll get right to the point of this blog: what were some things that caught my eye at the show? Let’s dive in.
- People were back, baby – I thought 2023 had a good showing (22k+), but 2024 seemed even more packed, especially on the first day of the Business Hall. Last year the show seemed ill-prepared for registration (I personally stood in line for close to an hour), but this year, with satellite registration, the lines were gone.
- AI was still the key theme, but evolved – AI was still prominently displayed, but the focus seemed to have shifted from the hype around AI to practical applications. Check out this CSO article for some good highlights.
- Swag steps to the plate, swings, and it’s a miss – In 2023, there was tons of cool swag, but this year, it seemed like most vendors phoned it in. But there were a couple standouts, which you can check out in my “What Swag is in My Bag” video here. Also an additional honorable mention to SpecterOps for their hats with cool swappable patches.
- We need more SentinelOne F1 racing – Simulators and video games concepts were noticeably missing from booths. Let’s be honest, us nerds love competing (and I know it has no real tie-in to the show) so props to SentinelOne for showing up.
- Press seemed focused on suite meets – In past years I’ve been able to pick out press on the showroom floor and say hello (or in the casino), but this year they seemed to only venture into the Business Hall when absolutely required. Rare sighting here of David Spark with CISO Series.
- Some killer booth concepts – There were some real booth standouts this year with Wiz, Torq and CrowdStrike (even though their booth seemed pretty similar to last year, it’s still killer).
