Black Hat 2026: Key news, takeaways and security trends

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  Article

  Black Hat NOC sees AI security failures firsthand

  A disturbing trend is unfolding on the ground at Black Hat's elite network operations center: As AI takes off, cyber-risk is rising too. Here's what the NOC wants CISOs to know. Read Now

1News from the conference floor

Black Hat presenters divulged the latest attacks and sounded warning bells on what could be coming next.

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  Behind the scenes at Black Hat's network operations center

  Step inside Black Hat's guarded NOC, where nearly unlimited threats meet unlimited resources, and security experts battle hackers, deploy custom AI agents and mitigate attacks. Read Now

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  Coruna, DarkSword iOS exploits proliferate globally

  Sophisticated iPhone exploit chains previously limited to nation-states are spreading far and wide to organized cybercrime groups. Read Now

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  Critical flaws allow hackers to exploit zero-touch provisioning process in TP-Link Omada

  Attacks can cause widespread damage to trusted devices and data. Read Now

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  Hackers grow more willing to destroy, not just disrupt, OT systems

  Experts said the alarming trend has further stressed infrastructure providers that are already struggling with strong passwords, comprehensive logging and other basics. Read Now

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  15 TP-Link bugs expose risks in zero-trust provisioning

  Researchers are calling attention to the risks inherent in automated network device provisioning, using a world-leading device manufacturer as a case study. Read Now

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  CSS: The hidden threat lurking in your inbox

  CSS was once just about design. Now researchers warn it's powerful enough to exfiltrate data from webmail -- and some vendors aren't prepared. Read Now

2AI attacks, hacks and defenses

AI is in the spotlight -- and is at Black Hat, too. Here's what the experts have to say about AI-enabled attacks, vulnerabilities and security measures.

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  Secure development can help turn the tables as AI alters cyber landscape

  A top Microsoft executive says a shift toward memory safety and other preventative measures can limit the ability to exploit flawed software. Read Now

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  Researcher claims control of ChatGPT secure sandbox

  A researcher demonstrated a proof-of-concept attack chain that provided C2-style influence over ChatGPT's isolated sandbox during a session at Black Hat USA 2026. Read Now

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  AI browsers vulnerable to 'PleaseFix' zero-click agent hijacking

  Attackers can take control of agents through malicious instructions hidden in content supplied to AI browsers, and there's no simple fix for the threat. Read Now

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  OpenAI warns autonomous hacks are 'watershed moment for computer security'

  Company employees said their industry should rethink how it balances capabilities and safeguards. Read Now

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  No perfect fix for AI browser prompt injection flaws

  AI browsers from top vendors remain vulnerable to prompt injection attacks despite multiple security guardrails, according to new research. Read Now

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  AI sends global crime syndicates into fraud nirvana

  Organized crime is convincingly scamming at scale, making billions thanks to AI-enabled voice cloning, deepfake real-time video overlays, LLM-driven persona management and automated translation. Read Now

3Government happenings

The White House, CISA and other leaders will share their insights at Black Hat 2026, covering the latest in regulations, policies and programs.

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  CVE Program eyes automation and globalization to weather AI 'vulnpocalypse'

  The vulnerability coordination project has had a rocky few years, but a key leader says it will "flourish and improve." Read Now

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  AI firms know policymakers won't 'let you make a Terminator factory,' DHS official says

  The Trump administration believes leading AI companies have learned important lessons from recent incidents and regulation isn’t necessary to preserve those lessons. Read Now

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  The coordination gap: How attackers are outpacing law enforcement

  The fight against cybercrime continues because threat actors have adapted their strategies to avoid deterrents, but law enforcement still operates in silos. Read Now

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  From Bobmojis to bobbleheads: How the Democratic party built a security-first culture

  Two former chief security officers of the Democratic National Committee explain that a strong security-first mindset requires executive support -- and a dose of absurdity. Read Now

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  White House walks tightrope on securing AI without stifling tech innovation

  National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said the administration wants to work collaboratively with the private sector. Read Now

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  Western government leaders call for a focus on infrastructure resilience, not AI hype

  U.S. and allied officials said companies should start preparing now for a cyberattack that changes how they provide essential services. Read Now

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  CISA is prioritizing work with critical infrastructure as it begins to recover from cuts

  The agency has been focused on helping secure systems at drinking and wastewater utilities in recent weeks. Read Now

4DEF CON

DEF CON was held in Las Vegas in the days following Black Hat. Here's what happened at the show.

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  Civil-society initiative will pay cybersecurity vendors to protect rural water systems

  DEF CON Franklin is seeking philanthropic grants, but its founder said the federal government ultimately needs to step in. Read Now

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  Outdated cybercrime laws put security researchers at risk

  A public policy expert mapped global cybercrime laws to develop a five-point framework for protecting ethical hackers and good-faith security research. Read Now

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  Experts say healthcare faces cybersecurity crisis: 'These are patient safety issues'

  Regulatory failures, funding constraints and industry consolidation have created serious hacking risks. Read Now

5Black Hat USA 2026 previews

We got a sneak peek at some of the show's presentations -- take a look at what you'll see at the show.

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  Stronger AI safety requires peeking inside the 'black box'

  Researchers propose focusing on identification of certain cognitive elements in LLMs that indicate when AI systems may take an unwanted action. Read Now

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  Ghost credentials expose cloud systems to hidden identity risks

  Dormant nonhuman identities can create security blind spots, says security researcher Aleksandr Krasnov, who plans to release an open source tool next week at Black Hat USA 2026 that sniffs out trust paths. Read Now

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  Agentic browsers rewind web security by 20 years

  PleaseFix class of flaws makes it easy to socially engineer agentic browsers and highlights weaknesses in how they handle cross-origin requests. Read Now

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  When AppSec scanners become a supply chain attack vector

  New research shows how security scanners embedded in the software supply chain can be attacked to serve as a foothold for downstream attacks. Read Now

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  Red agents vs. blue agents: How to make AI better at defense

  The agentic AI playing field was heavily tilted toward offense, so researchers began using red team agents to help teach their blue counterparts.  Read Now

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  AI harnesses burst with potential exploit opps

  A myriad of software makes up the typical AI harness, and trust issues between the components can create concerning attack vectors. Read Now

6Black Hat USA 2026 pre-conference coverage

Black Hat 2026 keynotes and presentations will look at a variety of topics. Check out our pre-show coverage here.

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  'Confused Deputy' flaws persist in Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure

  This category of vulnerabilities allows an attacker to easily acquire administrative-level permissions and bypass cloud providers' access controls. Read Now

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  FBI: Breaking affiliate trust sped along LockBit's takedown

  An FBI agent explains how the multinational law-enforcement Operation Cronos was successful in disrupting the largest ransomware group of its time. Read Now

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  Default Azure Automation setting enables cross-tenant identity takeover

  Microsoft addresses a public-by-default configuration and chain of code flaws in Azure Automation that could have let attackers seize another tenant's identity and access others' data, credentials and cloud workloads. Read Now

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  Flaws in passkey implementation show old attacks still work

  Ahead of Black Hat USA, researchers find exploitable flaws in how Microsoft handles passkeys that could allow attackers to impersonate privileged users. Read Now

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  Using LLMs to find and prioritize vulnerabilities is no easy task

  The latest large language models have high false-positive rates and fail to take into account the context of scans, leading to more work for AppSec professionals. Read Now

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  Agentic AI: Taming the unpredictable

  Agentic AI is creating enough risks for organizations to demand a security reframe. Read Now

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  6 GHz Wi-Fi flaws could disrupt critical systems

  Automated Frequency Coordination systems by default trust client-side data, which could lead to location spoofing and other attacks that disrupt traffic. Read Now

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  Turning the tables on email scammers with 'ScamBuster'

  An open source, AI-driven system adopts victim personas to engage with phishing attackers, allowing organizations and law enforcement to gather relevant data on cybercriminal operations. Read Now

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  Fresh ATM crypto software bugs: Jackpot or bust?

  Organizations, and possibly ATMs, are at risk of compromise, thanks to holes in a Microsoft BitLocker security wrapper. Read Now

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  Can clothes make you invisible to facial recognition?

  Does life feel Orwellian sometimes? One researcher has a solution for you: graphic tees that confuse the neural networks in surveillance cameras. Read Now

7Black Hat 2025 recap

Last year's Black Hat USA conference covered a range of essential topics. Here is an array of highlights to get you up to speed and prepare for this year's event.

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  Identity and data security themes at Black Hat 2025

  Read about the identity and data security happenings at Black Hat 2025, including advancements that enable AI adoption and products that help prepare for a post-quantum world. Read Now

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  Researchers warn of 'hidden risks' in passwordless account recovery

  Passwordless authentication is becoming more common, but account recovery poses increased risks that can lead to account takeovers. It's especially dangerous because even low-skilled attackers can achieve success. Read Now

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  Research shows AI agents are highly vulnerable to hijacking attacks

  Experts from Zenity Labs demonstrated how attackers could exploit widely deployed AI technologies for data theft and manipulation. Read Now

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  Cyber experts ponder a non-government future for the CVE program

  Organizations supporting the security vulnerability program said it needed changes to improve stability and rebuild trust. Read Now

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  Prime Security wins Black Hat's Startup Spotlight Competition

  Security startups of all stripes submitted applications for Black Hat USA's Startup Spotlight. Prime Security won with its AI security architect platform. Read Now