DEF CON
DEF CON | |
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Status | Active |
Genre | Security Conference, Hacker Conference |
Frequency | Annual |
Venue | Caesars Palace |
Location(s) | Las Vegas, Nevada |
Years active | 25 |
Inaugurated | June 9, 1993[1] |
Founder | Jeff Moss |
Previous event | August 9-12, 2018 |
Next event | August 8-11, 2019 |
Website |
defcon |
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DEF CON (also written as DEFCON, Defcon, or DC) is one of the world's largest hacker conventions, held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the first DEF CON taking place in June 1993. Many of the attendees at DEF CON include computer security professionals, journalists, lawyers, federal government employees, security researchers, students, and hackers with a general interest in software, computer architecture, phone phreaking, hardware modification, and anything else that can be "hacked." The event consists of several tracks of speakers about computer- and hacking- related subjects, as well as cyber-security challenges and competitions (known as hacking Wargames). Contests held during the event are extremely varied, and can range from creating the longest Wi-Fi connection (aircrack-ng) to finding the most effective way to cool a beer in the Nevada heat.
Other contests, past and present, include lockpicking, robotics-related contests, art, slogan, coffee wars, scavenger hunt and Capture the Flag. Capture the Flag (CTF) is perhaps the best known of these contests. It is a hacking competition where teams of hackers attempt to attack and defend computers and networks using certain software and network structures. CTF has been emulated at other hacking conferences as well as in academic and military contexts.
Federal law enforcement agents from the FBI, DoD, United States Postal Inspection Service, DHS via us-cert.gov and other agencies regularly attend DEF CON.[2][3]
History
DEF CON was founded in 1993 by Jeff Moss as a farewell party for his friend, a fellow hacker and member of "Platinum Net", a Fido protocol based hacking network from Canada.[4] The party was planned for Las Vegas a few days before his friend was to leave the United States, because his father had accepted employment out of the country. However, his friend's father left early, taking his friend along, so Jeff was left alone with the entire party planned. Jeff decided to invite all his hacker friends to go to Las Vegas with him and have the party with them instead. Hacker friends from far and wide got together and laid the foundation for DEF CON, with roughly 100 people in attendance.
The term DEF CON comes from the movie WarGames, referencing the U.S. Armed Forces defense readiness condition (DEFCON). In the movie, Las Vegas was selected as a nuclear target, and since the event was being hosted in Las Vegas, it occurred to Jeff Moss to name the convention DEF CON. However, to a lesser extent, CON also stands for convention and DEF is taken from the letters on the number 3 on a telephone keypad, a reference to phreakers. Any variation of the spelling, other than "DEF CON", could be considered an infringement of the DEF CON brand. The official name of the conference includes a space in-between DEF and CON.
Though intended to be a one-time event, Moss received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees, and decided to host the event for a second year at their urging. The event's attendance nearly doubled the second year, and has enjoyed continued success.[5] In 2016, 22,000 people attended DEF CON 24.
For DEF CON's 20th Anniversary, a film was commissioned entitled DEFCON: The Documentary.[6] The film follows the four days of the conference, events and people (attendees and staff), and covers history and philosophy behind DEF CON's success and unique experiences.
In January of 2018, the DEF CON China [Beta] event was announced. The conference will be held May 11-13, 2018 in Beijing, and it marks DEF CON's first conference outside the United States.
Black Badge
The Black Badge is the highest award DEF CON gives to contest winners of certain events. Capture the flag (CTF) winners sometimes earn these, as well as Hacker Jeopardy winners. The contests that are awarded Black Badges vary from year to year, and a Black Badge allows free entrance to DEF CON for life, potentially a value of thousands of dollars.[7]
In April 2017, a DEF CON Black Badge was featured in an exhibit [8] in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History entitled "Innovations in Defense: Artificial Intelligence and the Challenge of Cybersecurity". The badge belongs to ForAllSecure's Mayhem Cyber Reasoning System,[9] the winner of the DARPA 2016 Cyber Grand Challenge at DEF CON 24 and the first non-human entity ever to earn a Black Badge.
Fundraising
Since DEF CON 11, fundraisers have been conducted for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The first fundraiser was a dunk tank and was an "official" event. The EFF now has an event named "The Summit" hosted by the Vegas 2.0 crew that is an open event and fundraiser. DEF CON 18 (2010) hosted a new fundraiser called MohawkCon.
Notable incidents
High-profile issues which have garnered significant media attention.
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Entertainment references
- DEF CON was also portrayed in The X-Files episode "Three of a Kind" featuring an appearance by The Lone Gunmen. DEF CON was portrayed as a United States government-sponsored convention instead of a civilian convention.
- A semi-fictionalized account of DEF CON 2, "Cyber Christ Meets Lady Luck" written by Winn Schwartau demonstrates some of the early DEF CON culture.[29]
- A trip to DEF CON for a hacker showdown figures into the plot of "The Signal". Director William Eubank came to Las Vegas and screened the film at DEF CON Movie Night.
- A fictionalized version of DEF CON called "EXOCON" is the setting for the climax of Jason Bourne, the fifth film of the Bourne film series. The primary antagonist of the film, a fictionalized CIA director (played by Tommy Lee Jones), is a keynote speaker at the event, mimicking DEF CON 20's controversial keynote speaker, NSA director Keith B. Alexander.
- In the "Mr. Robot" Season 3 opener "eps3.0_power-saver-mode.h" Elliot and Darlene visit a qualifying tournament for the DEF CON Capture The Flag (CTF) contest. Sharp-eyed viewers will notice DEF CON's smiley-face-and-crossbones mascot Jack among the set decorations.
- Famed documentarian Werner Herzog included DEF CON in his 2016 film Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World, a film described as a "playful yet chilling examination of our rapidly interconnecting online lives."
Venues, dates, and attendance
Each conference venue and date has been extracted from the DC archives for easy reference.[30]
DC | Hotel | Days | Year | Attendance |
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DEF CON 26 | Caesars Palace and Flamingo | August 9–12 | 2018 | N/A |
DEF CON 25 | Caesars Palace | July 27–30 | 2017 | 25,000[31] |
DEF CON 24 | Paris Hotel and Bally's Hotel | August 4–7 | 2016 | 22,000 |
DEF CON 23 | Paris Hotel and Bally's Hotel | August 6–9 | 2015 | 15,000 |
DEF CON 22 | Rio Hotel & Casino | August 7–10 | 2014 | 16,000 [32] |
DEF CON 21 | Rio Hotel & Casino | August 1–4 | 2013 | 12,000 [32] |
DEF CON 20 | Rio Hotel & Casino | July 26–29 | 2012 | N/A |
DEF CON 19 | Rio Hotel & Casino | August 4–7 | 2011 | N/A |
DEF CON 18 | Riviera Hotel & Casino | July 30 – August 1 | 2010 | N/A |
DEF CON 17 | Riviera Hotel & Casino | July 30 – August 2 | 2009 | N/A |
DEF CON 16 | Riviera Hotel & Casino | August 8–10 | 2008 | 8,000[33] |
DEF CON 15 | Riviera Hotel & Casino | August 3–5 | 2007 | N/A |
DEF CON 14 | Riviera Hotel & Casino | August 4–6 | 2006 | N/A |
DEF CON 13 | Alexis Park Resort | July 29–31 | 2005 | N/A |
DEF CON 12 | Alexis Park Resort | July 30 – August 1 | 2004 | N/A |
DEF CON 11 | Alexis Park Resort | August 1–3 | 2003 | N/A |
DEF CON 10 | Alexis Park Resort | August 2–4 | 2002 | N/A |
DEF CON 9 | Alexis Park Resort | July 13–15 | 2001 | N/A |
DEF CON 8 | Alexis Park Resort | July 28–30 | 2000 | N/A |
DEF CON 7 | Alexis Park Resort | July 9–11 | 1999 | N/A |
DEF CON 6 | Plaza Hotel & Casino | July 31 – August 2 | 1998 | N/A |
DEF CON 5 | Aladdin Hotel & Casino | July 11–13 | 1997 | N/A |
DEF CON 4 | Monte Carlo Resort and Casino | July 26–28 | 1996 | N/A |
DEF CON 3 | Tropicana Resort & Casino | August 4–6 | 1995 | N/A |
DEF CON 2 | Sahara Hotel and Casino | July 22–24 | 1994 | 200 (rough estimate) |
DEF CON 1 | Sands Hotel & Casino | June 9–11 | 1993 | 100 (rough estimate) |
See also
- Black Hat Briefings
- Chaos Communication Congress (C3)
- Electronic voting
- Hack-Tic, a quadrennial European convention
- Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE)
- Security BSides. A community supported conference with locations across the globe
- Summercon. The first American hacker conference, organized by members of Phrack
- ToorCon, a yearly hacker conference held in San Diego, California since 1999
References
- ↑ "Def Con 1 Archive". Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- 1 2 Zetter, Kim (3 August 2007). "Dateline Mole Allegedly at DefCon with Hidden Camera – Updated: Mole Caught on Tape". Wired Blog Network. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
According to DefCon staff, Madigan had told someone she wanted to out an undercover federal agent at DefCon. That person in turn warned DefCon about Madigan’s plans. Federal law enforcement agents from FBI, DoD, United States Postal Inspection Service and other agencies regularly attend DefCon to gather intelligence on the latest techniques of hackers.
- ↑ "DEFCON 15 FAQ's". Retrieved 9 Feb 2011.
Lots of people come to DEFCON and are doing their job; security professionals, federal agents, and the press.
- ↑ Tangent, The Dark. "DEF CON® Hacking Conference – About". www.defcon.org. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ↑ Jeff Moss (July 30, 2007). The Story of DEFCON. Retrieved 9 Feb 2011.
- ↑ DEFCON: The Documentary on IMDb
- ↑ Tangent, The Dark. "DEF CON® Hacking Conference – Black Badge Hall of Fame". www.defcon.org. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ↑ "Innovations in Defense: Artificial Intelligence and the Challenge of Cybersecurity". americanhistory.si.edu.
- ↑ "Mayhem Wins DARPA CGC".
- ↑ Lamos, Rob (31 July 2005). "Exploit writers team up to target Cisco routers". SecurityFocus. Retrieved 2004-07-31.
- ↑ Cassel, David (4 August 2007). "Transcript: Michelle Madigan's run from Defcon". Tech.Blorge.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-08. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
- ↑ Lundin, Leigh (2008-08-17). "Dangerous Ideas". MBTA v DefCon 16. Criminal Brief. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ↑ Jeschke, Rebecca (2008-08-09). "MIT Students Gagged by Federal Court Judge". Press Room. EFF.
- ↑ Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority v. Zack Anderson, RJ Ryan, Alessandro Chiesa, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States District Court District of Massachusetts). Text
- ↑ "Race to Zero". Contest concept.
- ↑ McMillan, Robert (April 2008). "Security Vendors Slam Defcon Virus Contest". IDG News Service.
- ↑ Malicious ATM Catches Hackers | Threat Level | WIRED
- ↑ Fisher, Dennis; Roberts, Paul (August 10, 2011). "Legal Threat Pushes Former HBGary Federal CEO Out Of DEFCON". Business Security. Archived from the original on 2011-08-10.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Greenberg, Andy. "Watch Top U.S. Intelligence Officials Repeatedly Deny NSA Spying On Americans Over The Last Year (Videos)." Forbes. June 6, 2013. Retrieved on June 11, 2013. "Eight months later, Senator Ron Wyden quoted[...]"
- ↑ Wagenseil, Paul. "Hackers Don't Believe NSA Chief's Denial of Domestic Spying." (Archive) NBC News. August 1, 2012. Retrieved on June 13, 2013.
- 1 2 Whitney, Lance. "Defcon to feds: 'We need some time apart'." CNET. July 11, 2013. Retrieved on July 12, 2013.
- ↑ Blue, Violet. "Feds 'not welcome' at DEF CON hacker conference." ZDNet. July 11, 2013. Retrieved on July 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Will Smith Makes Unexpected Appearance At Defcon Hacker Conference". Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ "DEF CON Capture the Flag Final Scores". blog.legitbs.net.
- ↑ Joe Uchill (July 29, 2017). "Hackers breach dozens of voting machines brought to conference". Thehill.com. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ↑ "DEF CON Hacking Warns Voting Machines Vulnerability, Oct 10 2017 | C-SPAN.org". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
- ↑ "O'Reilly Security Conference in NYC 2017 Defender Awards". conferences.oreilly.com. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
- ↑ Hern, Alex; Levin, Sam (August 4, 2017). "Briton who stopped WannaCry attack arrested over separate malware claims". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- ↑ Winn Schwartau. "Cyber Christ Meets Lady Luck" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 9 Feb 2011.
- ↑ "DEF CON® Hacking Conference – Show Archives". www.defcon.org. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
- ↑ ""Voting Machine Hacking Village"" (PDF). September 2017. p. 4. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- 1 2 "Richard Byrne Reilly" (2014-08-12). ""Black Hat and Defcon see record attendance — even without the government spooks"". Retrieved 2017-06-07.
- ↑ "DEF CON 17 FAQ". Retrieved 2018-07-07.
Further reading
- "DefCon's Moss: Undercover Reporter Damages 'Neutral Zone'." Information Week. August 6, 2007.
- Mills, Elinor. "NSA director finally greets Defcon hackers." CNET. July 27, 2012.
- Newman, Lily Hay "To Fix Voting Machines, Hackers Tear Them Apart" WIRED August 1, 2017
External links
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