Press Releases | July 24, 2024

Black Hat Announces Ann Johnson, Sherrod DeGrippo, Danny Jenkins, Jen Easterly, and Harry Coker, Jr. as Main Stage Speakers for Black Hat USA 2024

Main Stage talks are added to the event week schedule alongside Keynote and Locknote programming

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2024 — Black Hat, the cybersecurity industry's most established and in-depth security event series, today announced Ann Johnson, Sherrod DeGrippo, Danny Jenkins, Jen Easterly, and Harry Coker, Jr. as Main Stage speakers for Black Hat USA 2024. The inaugural Main Stage speakers will present on Wednesday, August 7 and Thursday, August 8 as the newest addition to the Black Hat USA 2024 event week programming. Main Stage talks will take place at Oceanside A, Level 2 within the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Black Hat USA 2024 Main Stage Lineup:

• Wednesday, August 7 at 12:15 – From the Office of the CISO: Smarter, Faster, Stronger Security in the Age of AI

  This talk will be presented by Ann Johnson and Sherrod DeGrippo.

  • Ann Johnson is Corporate Vice President and Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Microsoft. In this role, Johnson drives all external engagement for the Microsoft Office of the CISO, and leads security risk management, standards, and governance for the company's Sales and Partner organization. She is a long tenured, recognized thought leader on cybersecurity and a sought-after global speaker and digital author specializing in cyber resilience, online fraud, cyberattacks, compliance, and security.
  • Sherrod DeGrippo is Director of Threat Intelligence Strategy at Microsoft. She was selected as Cybersecurity woman of the year in 2022 and Cybersecurity PR Spokesperson of the year for 2021. Previously, she was VP of Threat Research and Detection at Proofpoint, where she led a global team of threat researchers, malware reverse engineers, and threat intelligence analysts.

• Wednesday, August 7 at 12:40 PM – Understanding and Reducing Supply Chain and Software Vulnerability Risks

  This talk will be presented by Danny Jenkins.

  • Danny Jenkins is CEO & Co-Founder of ThreatLocker, and is a leading cybersecurity expert with over two decades of experience building and securing corporate networks, including roles on red and blue teams. He is dedicated to educating industry professionals about the latest cyber threats and frequently speaks on the topics of ransomware and Zero Trust.

• Thursday, August 8 at 12:15 PM – Let Me Tell You a Story: Technology and the 4 Vs

  This talk will be presented by Jen Easterly.

  • Jen Easterly is the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). As Director of CISA, America's Cyber Defense Agency, Easterly leads CISA's efforts to reduce risk to the critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day. She is also a proud mom, a mental health advocate, and an aspiring electric guitarist.

• Thursday, August 8 at 12:40 PM – Solving the Cyber Hard Problems: A View into Problem Solving from the White House

  This talk will be presented by Harry Coker, Jr.

  • Harry Coker, Jr. was confirmed by the Senate on December 12, 2023, as the second National Cyber Director in the White House Office of the National Cyber Director. Director Coker is a retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) senior executive and career Naval Officer, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, and Georgetown University Law Center.

In addition to the Main Stage programming, Black Hat USA 2024 will also feature Keynotes on Wednesday, August 7 and Thursday, August 8 at 9:00 AM to kick off each day of Briefings. On Wednesday, August 7, Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); Hans de Vries, Chief Cybersecurity and Operations Officer (COO) at the European Union (EU) Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA); and Felicity Oswald, CEO at the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will present their Keynote, "Democracy's Biggest Year: The Fight for Secure Elections Around the World." On Thursday, August 8, Moxie Marlinspike, the founder of Signal; and Jeff Moss, the founder of Black Hat and DEF CON conferences, will present their Keynote, "Fireside Chat with Moxie Marlinspike." Keynotes will take place in the Michelob ULTRA Arena within the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Black Hat USA 2024 will close with the Locknote, "Conclusions & Key Takeaways from Black Hat USA 2024," featuring panelists Nathan Hamiel, Senior Director of Research at Kudelski Security; Window Snyder, Founder & CEO at Thistle Technologies; and Jos Wetzels, Partner at Midnight Blue; and moderated by Ellen Cram Kowalczyk, Security Engineering Manager at Google; and Jeff Moss, the founder of Black Hat and DEF CON conferences. The Locknote will take place on Thursday, August 8 at 4:20 PM at Mandalay Bay H, Level 2 within the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Top Sponsors and Partners of Black Hat USA 2024 include:

• Titanium Sponsors: Armis, CrowdStrike, Qualys, RiskRecon by Mastercard, SentinelOne, and ThreatLocker.
• Diamond Sponsors: Broadcom, Cisco, IBM, KnowBe4, Palo Alto Networks, Sophos, Tenable, and Trend Micro.
• Sustaining Partners: Akamai, Armis, Axonius, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Fortinet, KnowBe4, ManageEngine, Microsoft, Pentera, Proofpoint, Qualys, SentinelOne, Snyk, Sophos, Sysdig, ThreatLocker, Trend Micro, Wiz, and Zscaler.
• Global Partners: Corellium, Hack The Box, HackerOne, KnowBe4, Snyk, Swimlane, Sysdig, Varonis, and Wiz.

For registration and additional information on Black Hat USA 2024, please visit www.blackhat.com/us-24.

About Black Hat
Black Hat is the cybersecurity industry’s most established and in-depth security event series. Founded in 1997, these annual, multi-day events provide attendees with the latest in cybersecurity research, development, and trends. Driven by the needs of the community, Black Hat events showcase content directly from the community through Briefings presentations, Trainings courses, Summits, and more. As the event series where all career levels and academic disciplines convene to collaborate, network, and discuss the cybersecurity topics that matter most to them, attendees can find Black Hat events in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia. For more information, please visit blackhat.com.

Contacts:
PRESS
Stephanie DeAngelo
Black Hat PR & Communications Manager
619.510.1564
BlackHatPR@informa.com