Riyadh - With the presence and active participation of cybersecurity geniuses around the world, the @Hack conference, which is the largest and most famous technical event in the field of cybersecurity, kicked off today in the capital, Riyadh. The Kingdom will host this huge technical event over 3 days, the first time it has been held in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The Hack@ Conference is organized within the activities of the Riyadh Season, organized by the Saudi Federation for Cyber ​​Security, Programming and Drones, in partnership with BlackHat and the General Entertainment Authority, with the aim of exchanging experiences in the field of cybersecurity and reviewing the latest technology in facing challenges related to this field.

During the opening of the conference, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Faisal bin Saud Al-Khamisi, explained that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by hosting this largest technical event, was able to achieve the second largest series of training courses in cybersecurity around the world, after Las Vegas, with 350 interested persons receiving training. Made by BlackHat certified trainers from 9 countries.

Al-Khamisi explained that this hosting of the Hack@ Conference comes within the framework of the strategic objectives of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, which it has set in line with Vision 2030, which is led and supervised by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz - may God protect him - noting that One of the most important strategic objectives of this unique conference is to enhance the advanced cyber skills of the region’s youth and support them with technical skills. In preparation for digital transformation, attracting business tourism and attracting the technology sector, in addition to its contributions to making Riyadh an international technical center.

Michael Champion, Regional Executive Vice President of Informa Markets in the Middle East and Africa, praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's digital superiority in the areas of cybersecurity.

He said: It is clear to me and through the conversations I have had with technology giants around the world such as IBM, CISCO and Kaspersky that everyone agrees that Riyadh will be a global center for technology in the future, and the evidence is that it was able to attract this huge event and reach this volume of participation.

Champion added: “I have worked to launch major events with major partners in more than 12 countries around the world, but here I found vision, willpower and innovation, which is what distinguishes the leaders here who have worked to raise these events to a global level, and I am convinced today that The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not only open to events on a large scale, but it promises a better future for them, which it has touched through good organization, timing and great turnout, which qualifies it to create permanent and long-term global technical events for the benefit of the global business community.

For his part, the CEO of stc Group, the partner and digital enabler for the activities of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Engineer Olayan Al-Wated, considered the presence of such an event in the Kingdom for the first time in the region a pride for the digital sector, especially in light of the Kingdom’s ranking second globally in the cybersecurity index issued From the United Nations, pointing out that the partnership with the federation bore fruit in the presence of such huge events, especially as they come within the activities of the Riyadh season, which is full of many wonderful events with the support of the wise leadership of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom’s hosting of the Hack@ Conference is a consolidation of the Kingdom’s position in the field of cybersecurity, after being ranked second in the world in the field of cybersecurity among 193 countries and first in the Arab world, the Middle East and Asia, according to the Global Cybersecurity Index.

The Hack@ event, which is being held for the first time in the region, includes unique activities to transfer expertise and develop the field of cybersecurity, by hosting elite global experts and trainers and many experts representing major international companies, with more than 250 international speakers and experts in the field. They will be hosted by the Executive Summit as well as technical workshops, in addition to the @Hack Arsenal space, which will showcase open source cyber tools developed by security researchers and cybersecurity experts.

@Hack provided 80 specialized training courses and workshops from global cybersecurity experts. Hack@ Challenges will also witness competitions with a total prize money of one million riyals that will continue throughout the days of the event, divided into two challenges: The first is the “Capture the Flag CTF” challenge, the largest of its kind, with a competition between 800 participants from around the world to solve more than 85 challenges in the field of cybersecurity such as: reverse engineering The second is to challenge distinguished researchers on the Bug Bounty platform to detect software vulnerabilities within a specified period, provided that the winners will be announced on the last day of the event, and there is also an interactive space for exchanging technical opinions, building professional relationships, and many recreational activities. .

In the business hall, more than 170 entities display their services and their latest innovations, including major global companies in the field of cybersecurity, local government and private sector entities, and emerging technology companies.