Black Hat 2025 & DEF CON 33: The Attendees’ Guide

Black Hat + DEF CON USA 2025 is just around the corner. Taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, this event is a must-attend for professionals in cybersecurity.

Here’s what we know:

• Black Hat 2025 dates are August 2nd – 7th, 2025 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas.
• DEF CON 33 dates are August 7th – 10th, 2025 at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall.

With these two conferences, attendees will have time for lots of trainings and briefings which will provide opportunities to network with security professionals.

Read on to learn all you need to know about Black Hat 2025 + DEF CON 33. Plus, get the details on the exclusive Splunk AfterParty!

Black Hat USA 2025

Black Hat USA is a premier global cybersecurity conference bringing together security professionals, researchers, and industry leaders.

Location: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas.
Dates: August 2 – 7, 2025.
Schedule for Black Hat USA 2025:

• Four days of expert-led Trainings (Saturday August 2 – Tuesday, August 5).
• Summit Day (Tuesday, August 5).
• Two-day main conference with 100+ Briefings, Arsenal, and Business Hall (Wednesday, August 6 – Thursday, August 7).

All Briefings passes include 30 days of on-demand access to session recordings. Black Hat USA is the place to learn, network, and explore the future of cybersecurity.

Splunk AfterParty at Black Hat 2025

The Splunk AfterParty, co-hosted with Cisco and Contrast Security, is an exclusive evening event on the first night of the Black Hat 2025 main conference. Held at Allegiant Stadium —the new home of the Raiders — this gathering offers a unique chance to network and unwind with industry peers, Splunk security leaders, and experts from the co-sponsoring companies.

When: Wednesday, August 6, 2025 from 6:30 – 9:30.
Where: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.
Highlights of Splunk AfterParty include:

• Book signing: Meet with the Splunk’s SURGe Security Research Team for a signing of their new book, The Threat Hunter’s Cookbook. Attendees will have an opportunity to receive limited-edition signed copies, packed with practical threat hunting insights and tools.
• Networking: Connect with security professionals and engage in insightful conversation in a lively setting.
• Stadium tours: Enjoy behind-the-scenes access with guided tours of Allegiant Stadium offered every hour.
• Complimentary food and drinks: Enjoy free refreshments as you mingle.

Highlights from Black Hat 2024

• CrowdStrike outage & cyber resilience: The widespread CrowdStrike outage underscored the importance of building cyber resilience, secure-by-design principles, and robust incident response plans.
• Election security: With the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaching, sessions focused on protecting election infrastructure from disinformation, nation-state threats, and AI-driven misinformation. Collaboration between public and private sectors was emphasized.
• AI in cybersecurity: Generative AI was discussed as both a powerful threat and defense tool. Vendors debuted new AI-driven threat detection and response solutions, while experts highlighted the risks of deploying AI without understanding potential vulnerabilities.
• New solutions & industry collaboration: Major companies, including Cisco, Fortinet, Infoblox, and Wiz, announced new security innovations and partnerships. Splunk emphasized the need for federated data, TDIR (threat detection, incident & response), and increased use of AI and automation for modern security operations.
• Doxing & privacy intrusions: Presentations highlighted the real-world impact of doxing and privacy breaches, with recommendations for reducing personal information exposure and improving digital and physical privacy practices.

DEF CON 33

DEF CON is one of the world’s largest and most iconic hacker conventions, bringing together security enthusiasts, researchers, and hackers from around the globe.

Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas.
Dates: August 7 – 10, 2025.
Schedule for DEF CON 33 includes:

• Four days of talks, hands-on workshops, contests, and villages.
• Signature events include Capture the Flag competitions, hardware hacking, lockpicking, social engineering challenges, and more.

DEF CON 33 takes place immediately after Black Hat USA, offering a unique and immersive experience for anyone passionate about hacking, cybersecurity, and digital freedom.

Highlights from DEF CON 32

• Diverse hacking villages: Featured 32 specialized villages, including Aerospace, Telecom, Biohacking, Lockpicking, Hardware Hacking, and Car Hacking, offering hands-on experiences in various security fields.
• AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC): Hosted the semi-final round of DARPA’s AI Cyber Challenge, with seven top-scoring teams each receiving $2 million and advancing to the 2025 finals for a chance at a $29.5 million prize pool.
• Browser security flaws: SquareX revealed critical vulnerabilities in Secure Web Gateways (SWGs), demonstrating 25 methods attackers can use to bypass traditional defenses via browser-based "last mile reassembly" attacks. The rise of LLMs makes exploitation easier.
• Deepfake technology & detection: Real-time deepfake demonstrations using DeepFaceLive highlighted both the ease of creating convincing fakes and the ongoing challenge of reliably detecting manipulated media, despite advanced forensic tools.

Hotel recommendations

When traveling, finding a hotel that fits your needs can be quite challenging! Most folks have been to Las Vegas and may have hotels in mind, but below is a short list sorted by price and quality to get you going. All hotels on this list are in good proximity to the conference and the Strip in Las Vegas.

Luxury

• The Venetian (and Palazzo)
• The Wynn (and Encore)
• The Aria
• Bellagio
• Cosmopolitan
• Four Seasons

Happy-medium

• MGM Grand
• Mandalay Bay
• The Westin
• The Renaissance
• Marriott’s Grand Chateau
• Caesars Palace

Wallet-friendly

• Hyatt Place
• Hilton Garden Inn
• Hilton Vacation Club Desert Retreat
• Homewood Suites by Hilton
• New York – New York

Note that Black Hat has designated Convention Housing Partners as the official housing company for Black Hat USA 2025.

Transportation

When navigating Las Vegas, there are two aspects to consider: How to get from the airport to your hotel and then how to navigate the Strip once you are at the hotel.

Airport to hotel

• Uber/Lyft/Taxi (most convenient)
• Rental car
• Airport shuttle (most economical if you have the time)
• Luxury car service

On the strip

• Walking – the cheaper (and health conscious) option
• Uber/Lyft/Taxi – walking may be faster unless you’re going from one end to the other
• Las Vegas Monorail – convenient and cheap

You can purchase a monorail pass that has a total of 7 stops all down the Las Vegas Strip. The 7 stops include MGM Grand, Horseshoe/Paris, Flamingo, Harrah’s/The LINQ, Las Vegas Convention Center, The Westgate, and Sahara. The stop closest to The Mandalay Bay Convention Center is the MGM Grand.

Nightlife

Vegas is known for its nightlife and clearly beyond the scope of this post, but once the conference is over each day, you are free and able to participate in whatever you choose. That could mean finding a nice restaurant for some dinner, decompressing in your hotel room, or exploring the plethora of casinos as that is what Las Vegas is known for.

Hope you enjoy Black Hat USA 2025 and/or DEF CON 33 and your trip to Las Vegas!