Hacker linked to Epstein removed from Black Hat cyber conference website

Vincenzo Iozzo, a well-known figure in the cybersecurity community who has been linked through released documents to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, no longer appears on the website of Black Hat, one of the largest security conferences globally, nor on the site of Japan’s Code Blue.

As of Thursday, Iozzo’s name was absent from the official review board listings of both conferences. He had still been listed on those pages as recently as last week. According to his LinkedIn profile, Iozzo had served on Black Hat’s review board since 2011.

In a statement issued through a spokesperson, Iozzo said he informed Black Hat that he “will not willingly resign” and that he supports “a full investigation.” Representatives for Black Hat did not respond to requests for comment.

Iozzo is currently the founder and CEO of cybersecurity startup SlashID and has built a long career in the industry. He wrote one of the early manuals for hackers researching Apple’s mobile software. In 2015, he founded the cybersecurity company IperLane, which CrowdStrike later acquired. Following the acquisition, Iozzo served as a senior director at CrowdStrike for nearly four years.

Iozzo’s name appears in more than 2,300 documents released on January 30 as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s legally mandated disclosure of materials related to its investigation into Epstein. Some of those documents include email exchanges. The communications between Iozzo and Epstein reportedly span from October 2014 through December 2018.

In late 2018, reporting by the Miami Herald detailed allegations that Epstein had abused more than 60 women, including underage girls. Newly released emails show that after those stories were published, Iozzo sought to arrange a meeting with Epstein at his New York residence.

Among the materials released by the Justice Department was a redacted report from an FBI informant claiming that Epstein had a “personal hacker.” Although the document does not name the individual, certain identifying details in the report have led to speculation that the informant may have been referring to Iozzo. Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera previously reported on the emails and identified Iozzo as the likely individual referenced in the redacted document.

It is important to note that the FBI did not independently confirm the informant’s claims and may contain inaccuracies. Additionally, none of the released emails provides evidence that Iozzo engaged in unlawful conduct on Epstein’s behalf.

In his statement, Iozzo acknowledged knowing Epstein for professional reasons and expressed regret about the association. However, he denied allegations that he acted as Epstein’s hacker or performed any hacking activities for him.

“We were introduced in 2014 when I was a 25-year-old at MIT fundraising for my startup, by people whom I trusted and admired. Because of this, I failed to ask the right questions that, in retrospect, seem obvious,” the statement read, as conveyed by his spokesperson Joan Vollero. “I foolishly accepted the narrative that was presented to me by others, which greatly minimised the magnitude of his horrific actions. I regret the past association and take full responsibility for not exercising greater judgment at the time.”

Iozzo added that his interactions with Epstein centred on potential business opportunities that did not materialise, as well as discussions about markets and emerging technologies. He stated that he neither witnessed nor participated in illegal activity.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting sex from minors as young as 14 and was registered as a sex offender in Florida and New York. In 2018, additional allegations surfaced that he had engaged in serial abuse and trafficked underage girls, including at his private island. In 2019, federal prosecutors formally charged him with trafficking, exploiting, and abusing dozens of minors. Epstein later died while in jail.

Neither Iozzo’s spokesperson nor his attorney, Emma Spiro, explained his removal from Black Hat’s website, though they did not dispute that it occurred.

“MMrIozzo welcomed an independent investigation from Black Hat, rather than a knee-jerk removal decision, because he is confident that he would be cleared through that process,” Vollero said.

Code Blue spokesperson Ken-ichi Saito confirmed that the conference removed Iozzo from its review board. Saito said the organisation had been planning the update for several months to remove Iozzo and two other inactive members, and that the timing of the website revision coincided with the public release of the Epstein-related documents.