Apple to Present at Black Hat Security Conference for First Time

Bloomberg reports that Apple is taking an interesting step into security research publicity, agreeing to present at this week's Black Hat conference in Las Vegas for the first time in the conference's 15-year history.

While many major technology vendors have overcome their reluctance to making a public showing at the conference, Apple, now the world’s most valuable company, has had no problem snubbing a community whose aim is to unearth its vulnerabilities.

That will change Thursday when Dallas De Atley, manager of Apple’s platform security team, is scheduled to give a presentation on key security technologies within iOS, the operating system for iPhones and iPads.

black hat usa 2012 logo
The report notes that Apple's security researchers have attended the conference in past years, but the company has kept a low profile with its presence. Apple researchers were reportedly scheduled to give a panel presentation back in 2008, but the session was canceled once Apple's marketing team learned of the plans.

“Bottom line — no one at Apple speaks without marketing approval,” [Black Hat general manager Trey] Ford wrote in an e-mail. “Apple will be at Black Hat 2012, and marketing is on board.”

The annual Black Hat conference has been a popular venue for security researchers to release their findings on vulnerabilities in OS X, iOS and other platforms. Apple has sometimes moved very quickly to patch holes disclosed at the conference, such as in 2009 when Apple released iPhone OS 3.0.1 to address an SMS security vulnerability revealed at the conference just one day earlier, although the researchers had previously been in contact with Apple about the issue.

Popular Stories

CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
iPhone Security Feature 25

Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:15 pm PDT by
Apple has quite a few security features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs over the years. Now more than ever, it's important to make sure you're taking advantage of the built-in security tools that are available to keep yourself and your data safe, so we've rounded up a list of the most important options. If you don't already have these enabled, you might want to consider turning...
vision air cable

Images of Apple 'Vision Air' Power Cable Emerge Online

Thursday April 17, 2025 5:55 am PDT by
More images of a redesigned power cable allegedly for a future Apple "Vision Air" headset were today shared online by the prototype collector and leaker known as "Kosutami." Yesterday, the leaker explained that the Apple "Vision Air" will feature a thinner design and switch the battery enclosure and several of its internal structures to titanium to reduce the device's overall weight. Most of ...

Top Rated Comments

Kaibelf Avatar
166 months ago
No company that operates without a Roadmap is going to be a defense contractor.

They have a roadmap, haven't you seen?

Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dru` Avatar
166 months ago
Maybe we'll finally see some timely security updates and a little transparency? Or perhaps they're finally recognizing that OS X isn't as secure as they thought :rolleyes:

In your enthusiasm to attack Apple, did you miss that the presentation is on iOS, not OS X? Yes, yes you did.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KnightWRX Avatar
166 months ago
Perhaps they're finally recognizing that OS X isn't as secure as they thought :rolleyes:

They've always pretty much known the security level of OS X. How they chose to spin this in their marketing material as no bearing on their level of knowledge of the actual system.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rhett7660 Avatar
166 months ago
No company that operates without a Roadmap is going to be a defense contractor.

I am sure they operate on a pretty good road map, just not a public one or one they are going to share with a client.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
166 months ago
Maybe we'll finally see some timely security updates and a little transparency? Or perhaps they're finally recognizing that OS X isn't as secure as they thought :rolleyes:

Frankly, they are pretty timely with their updates and do a good job addressing problems quickly. I would rather have them working on fixes than stroking a bunch of whiners who cry about "transparency" all the time. Their focus SHOULD be on the products at all times, not making you feel fuzzy with a series of empty "we apologize for the inconvenience" statements.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lifeinhd Avatar
166 months ago
Maybe we'll finally see some timely security updates and a little transparency? Or perhaps they're finally recognizing that OS X isn't as secure as they thought :rolleyes:
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)