How peer review keeps Black Hat’s global stage credible

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities used to surface over weeks. Now they surface in minutes, as attackers move faster than defenders can respond, forcing the industry’s biggest gatherings to rethink how practitioners find trustworthy answers fast. One answer many lean on is cybersecurity peer review — vetting research, startups and threat intelligence before it reaches a stage or a spotlight.

Suzy Pallett (pictured), president of Black Hat, the cybersecurity industry’s most established security event series, stepped into the role in Sept. 2025 after more than 20 years in global events. Pallett previously served as executive vice president for Europe and the Middle East at Money20/20, the financial technology event series.

“We are seeing those vulnerabilities daily, seconds, minutes,” Pallett said. “We still need to focus on the urgency and how we can come together to collaborate in critical environments to devise collective solutions.”

Pallett spoke with theCUBE’s Krista Case at Black Hat USA, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed cybersecurity peer review and Black Hat’s new Global Startup Spotlight competition. (* Disclosure below.)

A global stage built on cybersecurity peer review

Black Hat received thousands of research submissions this year, but only a fraction reach the stage. An independent review board, kept separate from event organizers, evaluates every paper for authenticity and relevance before it’s accepted, according to Pallett.

“It’s only able to get onto Black Hat stage if it’s been independently reviewed by our review board,” Pallett said. “Which means it’s useful, it’s worth sharing, and it’s something critical for the industry to hear.”

That same peer-review model now extends to startups. Black Hat’s new Global Startup Spotlight consolidates competitions once run separately across Asia, Europe, Canada and the U.S. into one worldwide track, with the winner and runner-up set to appear on theCUBE. Nearly every finalist is building AI tools for both defense and offense, Pallett said.

“They have this really huge community of peers that they can lean into,” Pallett said. “That’s not just a moment in time when they can do that at Black Hat USA, but also throughout the year.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Black Hat USA:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Black Hat USA. Sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE