The Zen of DefCon 15 Part 1

DefCon gets quite a lot right and it is not just great content. Actually the content, IMHO, might be the LEAST important aspect to DefCon.

Let’s be honest here. We are all infosec warriors in the information age. We all keep pretty much up to date on security research, malware developments, game hacking, etc…. on a daily basis. Blogs, forums, podcast and other mediums allow us to stay bleeding edge. We have to. Most information in most presentations at most conferences is a good 6 months old (not always, but usually). This is where DefCon distances itself from the pack.

If you really want to see where security theory and research practicality collide (fueled by Brew and Coffee Wars!) then the floor of DefCon is the place to be. Truthfully, it is the activities of DefCon, not the presentations, that you need to get caffeinated for:

* The Network @ DefCon
* 0wn the b0x
* Phreaking Challenge
* CTF (if you gotta ask…….)
* aCTF
* LPCON5 – Lockpicking Contest
* Hacker Jeopardy (one of my personal favorites)
* TCP/IP Drinking Game
* Wardriving Contest
* Wireless Village – ChurchofWiFi
* Lockpicking Village

No disrespect to the presenters or any of their content but pwning-in-action is what makes DefCon well…….. DefCon. This is where the training, conferences and theory all meets the pavement. Can you get root? Can you stop someone from getting root? Do you really know what you are doing? Hey, is that a custom PWS variant that just pwned my data? Ohhhh, I never saw that evasion before!!! It is events like the above where the real education takes place.

Oh and the the Toxic BBQ! Part 2 later today…..