DEF CON 18 is in full swing at the Riviera hotel at the end of the Las Vegas strip. If you haven’t heard of DEF CON before, it’s ok; the conference is focused at the über geeks among us.
Attendees at DEF CON include computer security professionals, journalists, lawyers, federal government employees, crackers, and hackers with a general interest in computer code and computer architecture.
From demonstrations of turning Pringles cans into directional antennas, through interactive discussion on hacking ATMs, physical penetration (e.g. lock picking), Internet routers, and building your own UAV to map WiFi and capture videos of your neighbors skinny dipping in their pool, DEF CON pretty much covers it all in gory technical detail.
Chronology
I had a sentimental moment when I saw my first computing platform, the venerable Apple //c on display while I was waiting for the conference tracks to kick off this morning.
Badges
Attendees are given the source code and encouraged to hack the hell out of the badges- including completely reprogramming them to do other, more “evil” things then simply displaying the DEF CON logo.
The late arrivers stick out with their laminated paper that shows a DEF CON-esque graphic, demonstrating the fact that it pays to be on time even in the geek world!
Crowds
At one point I personally felt the crowd snake a couple feet in one direction, you couldn’t help but move. It will be very interesting to see if it thins out as the conference progresses.
Some of the more compelling tracks will assuredly be difficult to get into, including “Weaponizing Lady Gaga; Psychosonic Attacks,” a talk that has been highly popular in the hallway chatter. The talk introduces an emerging attack vector of psychosonics, showing how any .mp3 can be turned into a weapon, a study aid, etc. by simply injecting an alternate data stream attack made up of psychosonic frequencies. Most intriguing, the presentation brief states that the presenters will “attack the audience” so that everyone can judge for themselves.
Tactical?
Military folks are generally not considered feds, though ultimately it is up to the audience to issue a final verdict. For example, someone in CID is highly likely to be labeled a fed, despite the fact that they are active duty military. Odds are this guy to the right is not a fed!
Vendors
DEF CON is an exciting conference, and while I was only able to cover this morning’s event here, stayed tuned for another report sometime next week that summarizes my experiences at both the DEF CON and Black Hat security conferences.