Jiu Jitsu Smackdown

Wirespeed is excited and proud to sponsor the 12th Annual Cybersecurity Jiu Jitsu Smackdown event at BlackHat USA on August 7, 2025! The event is open to anyone at any skill levels from none (first time on the mats, like I was back in 2016 when I attended my first Jiu Jitsu Smackdown at BlackHat) to expert. This is actually a very friendly event and safe event, very focused on breaking up the routine of the conference week with a little “rolling” and sweat. You’ll network in very new ways!

The event will once again take place at the Syndicate MMA gym with former UFC Champion and legend Forrest Griffin as the head instructor along with several other very accomplished athletes. (Read the event agenda for the rest of the details!)

#Why would Wirespeed sponsor this event?

Oh, the reasons are so numerous! Over the last several years since my first time on the mats at the 2016 event, I’ve written at least 25 blogs about the parallels between jiu jitsu and cybersecurity (f.k.a. infosec). It’s such an amazing analog to the “combative” or “competitive” nature of securing data, complex applications, and computing environments. If this piques your curiosity or you’re a jiu jitsu (or MMA) afficionado already, check out the reading list below.

Wirespeed Co-Founder Tim MalcomVetter with UFC legend and the event's head trainer, Forrest Griffin, in 2022

#Reading List

1. Start here: Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec. That’s right. Who will win?
2. Some compare the attacker vs. defender conflict of cybersecurity to chess, but jiu jitsu has many more permutations of possible moves, making it a much better comparison to the sprawl of cybersecurity Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Chess
3. Jiu jitsu is all about leverage, where less strength and size doesn’t mean you’ll lose, just like cybersecurity, where no security program ever has all the resources it needs. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Leverage
4. Cybersecurity is full of potential exhaustion and burnout, just like jiu jitsu when not being efficient (spoiler: Wirespeed is all about solving this problem!) Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Conservation of Energy
5. In both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu, the first goal is survival. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Survive
6. In jiu jitsu, those who can feel their opponent’s moves and have a preplanned reflexive response do well against their opponent. Same is true for cybersecurity, and also this is literally why Wirespeed exists. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Feel Your Opponent
7. Both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu benefit from having layers of defense. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Layers of Defense
8. In both, there’s a big difference between competition and actual defense. In cybersecurity we have red teaming, which is competitive by nature, and while that can help defend against the real attack, it often takes on rules and characteristics of its own that deviate from real life defense against attackers, just like jiu jitsu competitions vs. self-defense on the street. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Competition vs Self Defense
9. Both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu have evolving tactics and have gotten more mature over time. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: New Bypasses
10. Both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu benefit by shoring up weaknesses rather than making strengths stronger. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Focus on Weaknesses
11. Both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu have daunting vocabulary. Don’t give up, learn it! Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Vocabulary.
12. Both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu have amazing highs and very low lows that must be navigated. Keep going through the lows! Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Highs and Lows
13. Both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu are all about the details, which matter so tremendously and cannot be overlooked. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: All in the Details
14. A very important strategy for both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu: focusing on learning just one new thing at a time. One thing adds to another and your capabilities grow fast! Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Learn 1 Thing
15. In both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu, you can win from bad positions. In jiu jitsu, that’s on your back on the ground. In cybersecurity, that’s when the attacker picked the time when you weren’t expecting. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Attack from Defense
16. Cybersecurity has the concept of “purple teaming”—safely pressure testing your defenses with offense in a repeatable, fast-learning way. “Positional Sparring” is jiu jitsu’s purple teaming. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Positional Sparring
17. Don’t stop jiu jitsu at the blue belt (the first belt). Don’t stop learning in cybersecurity after a little basic mastery, either. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Black vs Blue
18. Reading and watching videos is no substitute for time on the mats (jiu jitsu) or hands on keyboard (cyber). Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Time on the Mat
19. Everyone has a personal space bubble; training for the worst gets you comfortable when it’s invaded, in either jiu jitsu or cyber. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Personal Space Bubble
20. The best way to gain comprehension in both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu is to study both offense and defense. Don’t focus on just one or you’ll develop a handicap. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Learn Both Sides
21. Layered defense in depth is universal for security in cyber or combat. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Defense in Depth
22. In both jiu jitsu and cybersecurity, the difference between good and amazing is really Mean Time to Respond (MTTR). Wirespeed specializes in fast response for this reason! Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Mean Time To Respond
23. Privileged access matters in both cybersecurity and jiu jitsu! Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Privileged Access
24. Don’t get sucked into threat intelligence about your opponent when you have so many basics to master! Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Threat Intelligence
25. Advanced adversary operations within endpoint operating systems are multi-staged and involve complex setups, just like advanced jiu jitsu. Jiu Jitsu vs InfoSec: Setups & Stagers

This is what root access in jiu jitsu looks like

#See you on the mats!

Cybersecurity Jiu Jitsu Smackdown at Black Hat USA

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