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August 1 - 6, 2020
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Call for Papers

Important Dates

Call for Papers Open: February 3, 2020
Call for Papers Closed: April 6, 2020
Notification to Submitters: end of May, 2020
Terms are subject to change.

Submit

Submit proposals at usa-briefings-cfp.blackhat.com. All applicants must read and agree to the Call for Papers Submission Requirements prior to making a submission. All submissions must be received on or before April 6, 2020 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

What Are the Black Hat Briefings?

Black Hat Briefings were created more than 22 years ago to provide security professionals a place to learn the very latest in information security risks, research and trends. Each year, internationally leading security researchers take the stage to share their latest work and exploits in a friendly, vendor-neutral environment. Vulnerabilities are often exposed that impact everything from popular consumer devices to critical international infrastructure and everything in between. Black Hat seeks groundbreaking research to fill both 25 and 50-minute speaking slots for each annual show.

Session Formats

  • Briefings are presented in 25 and 50-minute presentations.

Track Descriptions

Determine which track(s) your submission falls under. A complete list of Black Hat USA 2020 track descriptions can be found here.

Recommendations

Sample Submissions

Click here to see samples of accepted submissions that received positive reviews.

Submission Requirements

  1. Submissions may only be submitted by researchers/speakers (no submissions from PR firms/marketing representatives).
  2. Black Hat does not accept product or vendor-related pitches. Black Hat will reject any product or vendor pitch.
  3. Submissions must clearly detail the concepts, ideas, findings, and solutions a researcher or research 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 reject incomplete submissions; complete your submission in its entirety.
  7. Individuals may submit more than one proposal, but each submission must be created separately.
  8. Each submission must include detailed biographies of the proposed speaking team.
  9. Submitters will be contacted directly if Review Board members have any questions about a submission.

Co-ordinated/Responsible Disclosure

Black Hat strongly supports and encourages co-ordinated/responsible 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 Review Board is comprised of 24 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: 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 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

Briefings Speaker
(25 and 50 minute presentations)		 Criteria:
  • Employer logo only on two presentation slides: Introduction and Biography
Remuneration:
  • Speaking Honorarium:
    • $750 USD for one Speaker (25-minute Briefing)
    • $1,000 USD for one Speaker (50-minute Briefing)
  • Travel Reimbursement:
    • Economy-class, round-trip airfare for one Speaker
    • Cap of $1,000 USD domestic travel and $1,300 USD international travel
    • One hotel room for three nights (August 4, 5, and 6) for one Speaker
  • Conference Registration:
    • One Briefings pass per Speaker(s)

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.
  • Researchers and research teams should be aware of the following guidelines regarding the number of researchers permitted to present on stage for each type of Briefing session. Speaking team members must be included in the submission prior to the close of the CFP.
    • 25-minute Briefing – 1 speaker per team
    • 50-minute Briefing – 2 speakers per team
  • Full conference passes (Briefings passes) are only given to those who actively participate as Speakers on accepted presentations.
    • Conference passes are non-transferable.
    • Co-workers, PR representatives, etc. must register and pay for their own conference pass.
      The Black Hat Review Board will have access to all submissions and materials.
    • Review Board access to submissions is provisioned under NDA with Black Hat and Informa.
    • Reviews, acceptances and/or declines are conducted on a rolling basis.
    • All correspondence and queries should be sent to cfp@blackhat.com.
    • Prospective Speakers should not directly contact any Black Hat Review Board member regarding the status of submission(s) or feedback.
  • Black Hat will provide one projector, one screen, one wired microphone (if applicable), and Internet connectivity for the on-site presentation. Speakers are responsible for providing all other necessary equipment, including laptops for their presentation.
  • 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 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.
  • 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.

Additional Event Information

Black Hat reserves the right to change or modify the CFP Terms, dates, and/or content of this page at any time without prior notice. Please visit blackhat.com for previous conference archives, information, and talks.

If you have any questions regarding your submission or the Call for Papers process, please email cfp@blackhat.com.

The Black Hat Team