

With the right attitude, lines can be a defining part of the DEFCON experience, an opportunity to meet new people and learn about other corners of the security world. Your time at DEF CON ~will~ require waiting in long lines - swag lines, food lines, lines for talks. WISP scholars celebrate their time at DEF CON with at Saturday brunch. Even if you’re not ready to compete yourself, you can learn a lot by watching. Most villages host their own CTFs, as does DEF CON proper. I saw the CTF at Social Engineering Village, in which contestants competed to compromise real companies’ security by calling up employees on the front lines and persuading them to hand over sensitive information. Experience a CTFĬTFs - or capture the flags - are contests that allow DEF CON attendees to flaunt their hacking skills in live competitions. Off-the-record is sacred and rare in today’s share-a-thon culture, so the talks are more juicy than typical. And seeing one is an experience: Volunteers constantly shout at attendees waiting in line about the strict off-the-record policy and patrol aisles during talks to ensure phones aren’t out (if the phone comes out, they kick you out!). Watch a SkytalkĪlmost every village hosts its own series of talks, but Skytalks are singular in that they are entirely off the record. Keep an eye out for elaborate ones, or bring foil to make your own - at which point, you will be one of the coolest cats at the conference.

Defcon las vegas full#
As such, tin foil hats come out in full force as fashion accessories at DEF CON. Hacker lore decrees that tin foil hats are an excellent strategy for protecting against hacks (truth: they don’t actually protect you). You’ve been warned - be smart when you use public networks!Īs a total novice, I picked through these four locks in 30 minutes at Lockpick Village.
Defcon las vegas password#
Username and password credentials, along with IP and other details, are then displayed for all to see. They project public WiFi activity on the wall: red represents the number of trackable devices requesting DNS lookups on DEF CON public WiFi, while blue is secure WiFi activity not being tracked.

Wall of Sheep is an exhibit by Packet Hacking Village that hits the point home.
Defcon las vegas Bluetooth#
One lesson at DEF CON is just how exposed we are when we use public WiFi and Bluetooth networks without a VPN or other protections. Highly recommend volunteering for meeting people and finding a small community at the huge conference.
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Most villages are independent non-profits with their own funding and leadership, and many need volunteers to pull off the exhibits. This year there were 32 villages, many of which had own speaker series, competitions, exhibits, and programming. Villages are the forces behind DEF CON’s diverse programming - it’s astounding how many topics fit under the wide umbrella of security. Remember to pay for your badge in cash, and when you get it, play around and explore all that it can do. It could do even more tricks when plugged into a computer, but I didn’t take that security risk. This year’s badge had LEDs that lit up when two badges tapped together, and changed behavior over time as it interacted with other badges. Hack your BadgeĭEFCON badges are legendary. Ready for DEF CON with my badge, guide, and sticker swag.
