Keynotes to address ransomware economics, compliance vulnerabilities, criminal progression, and global cyber attribution

Black Hat, the cybersecurity industry’s most established and in-depth security event series, today announced Max Smeets, Co-Director, Virtual Routes; Linus Neumann, Head of Security Strategy, Security Research Labs; Joe Tidy, Cyber Correspondent, BBC; and Louise Marie Hurel, Researcher, Royal United Services Institute, as Keynote speakers for Black Hat Europe 2025. These security thought leaders will deliver transformative presentations on Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11 at the Excel London, redefining how the industry confronts the most critical threats facing the UK and global digital infrastructure.

Morning Keynotes will open each day of Briefings with timely threat intelligence, while afternoon sessions will deliver breakthrough thought leadership insights that could reshape defensive strategies.

Black Hat Europe 2025 Keynote Lineup:

• Wednesday, December 10 at 9:00 AM – Inside the Ransomware Machine
  • Speaker: This Keynote will be presented by Max Smeets, Co-Director, Virtual Routes. Smeets also holds research positions at ETH Zurich and Stanford University, and is the author of Ransom War: How Cyber Crime Became a Threat to National Security and No Shortcuts: Why States Struggle to Develop a Military Cyber Force.
  • Topic: In this keynote, Smeets will draw on unique access to leaked data and years of analysis to explain what really keeps the ransomware economy running and what might finally stop it.
• Wednesday, December 10 at 1:30 PM – CYBER! Please Check All Boxes Before You Get Pwned
  • Speaker: This Keynote will be presented by Linus Neumann, Head of Security Strategy, Security Research Labs. Neumann is an official spokesperson of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) — Europe’s largest and most influential hacker collective. Together with Thorsten Schröder, he has repeatedly demonstrated vulnerabilities and systemic shortcomings in Germany’s election software systems and authored a forensic investigation of the state-sponsored malware FinSpy.
  • Topic: In this Keynote, Neumann will expose how corporate security's dependence on compliance checklists creates the very vulnerabilities that enable persistent attack trends.
• Thursday, December 11 at 9:00 AM – From Script Kiddie to Cyber Kingpin: Preventing the Predictable Progression
  • Speaker: This Keynote will be presented by Joe Tidy, Cyber Correspondent, BBC. Tidy is the BBC's first ever Cyber Correspondent and the foremost voice in the corporation on cybercrime and hacking. Over the past ten years, he has covered all major cyberattacks for the BBC, having previously worked at Sky News across TV, radio, social media, and news websites.
  • Topic: In this Keynote, Tidy will examine the progression from teenage hacking to serious cybercrime through the lens of the Vastaamo hack and its perpetrator Julius Kivimaki, offering insights on how to break this dangerous cycle.
• Thursday, December 11 at 1:30 PM – Who Gets to Point Fingers? Technical Capacity and International Accountability
  • Speaker: This Keynote will be presented by Louise Marie Hurel, Researcher, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Hurel specializes in cyber diplomacy, tech supply chain security, cyber attribution, the role of cybersecurity companies in statecraft, and cyber capacity building. In her role, she leads RUSI's international work on state responsibility in cyberspace and directs the Institute's Partnership for Responsible Cyber Behaviour.
  • Topic: In this Keynote, Hurel will explore how Global South nations are challenging Western-centric approaches to cyber attribution and state accountability, revealing what happens when countries with limited technical infrastructure seek to attribute cyberattacks and what the private sector can learn from these alternative perspectives.

For registration and additional information on Black Hat Europe 2025, please visit blackhat.com/eu-25/registration.html.

Top Sponsors and Partners of Black Hat Europe 2025 include:

• Titanium Sponsors: Broadcom, Google, and ThreatSpike Labs.
• Diamond Sponsors: Black Duck, Clover, KnowBe4, OX Security, Push Security, runZero, ThreatLocker, and TuxCare.
• Sustaining Partners: Armis, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Cyera, Google, ManageEngine, Qualys, SentinelOne, Sophos, Tenable, ThreatLocker, Trend Micro, Varonis, and Wiz.
• Global Partners: Broadcom, Censys, Concentric AI, Corellium, Fortra, Huntress, HackerOne, and wolfSSL.

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.

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