First time attendee, most definitely not the last….
Over the years I have heard lot’s of positive feedback from the Security conference Def Con taking place in Las Vegas every year around August. My first time visit was no disappointment, and it met my expectations and beyond. This event is definitely the place to be for Security interested & people who work in the Security industry. Here is some takes on why private people and companies should invest their money in participating at Def Con.
There are five main reasons Companies & People should invest sending employees to the conference.
- The mere quality of the Presentations (By far, Def Con is the Event with most relevant & informative presentations I have been to. “Working in the Security Industry I do this a a lot”)
- Networking. This is really the main point of the Event. Speak to Experts in the different Villages, other attendees and share experience and knowledge. Make Friends……
- Aspects of Security that you never thought about Securing (Hacking Elevators, Air Con equipment, Office Phones etc.
- Attending CTF & Challenges. At Def Con there are challenges for all skill sets and levels. Even the Badge for entering the Conference is in itself a Challenge. This gives you the opportunity to speak with other people and learn something new.
- Get out of your daily way of thinking Security and Challenge the quality & efficiency of your current Security Strategy
As a new tradition, I will be rating the talks that I attended during the 4 day conference. For friends and the community to assess and allocate their time optimal when videos are released. Within a year from the conference closure, videos will be made public on the Def Con media Server & Youtube. If you work with operational Security or Programming, I highly encourage you to watch the videos alongside previous years Presentations & Talks.
Top 3 must see talks:
| EDR is Coming; Hide Yo Sh!t: |  (5.0 / 5) |
| Windows Exploit Mitigation for ROP Exploit: |  (4.0 / 5) |
| The Tor Censorship Arms Race - The Next Chapter: | (4.0 / 5) |
Overall talk rating:
| Web2Own Attacking Desktop Apps from Web Security’s Perspective: |  (3.5 / 5) |
| Are Quantum Computers Really A Threat To Cryptography: |  (1.0 / 5) |
| Breaking Google Home Exploit with SQlite(Magellan): | (3.5 / 5) |
| Intro to Embedded Hacking—How you too can find a decade old bug in widely deployed devices. Deskphones, a case study: |  (2.0 / 5) |
| Hacking Congress - The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend: | (3.5 / 5) |
| Phreaking Elevators: | (4.0 / 5) |
| Change the World cDc Style - Cow tips from the first 35 years: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| I know What you did Last Summer - 3 Years of Wireless Monitoring at Def Con: | (2.0 / 5) |
| Why You Should Fear Your “mundane” Office Equipment: | (3.5 / 5) |
| Biohacking - Human tested cow implant sensors: | (2.0 / 5) |
I also attended Sky talks, which are “Secret” presentations that are not allowed to be re-communicated or having shared it’s content. For these talks you need to be on-site Las Vegas, but this is also where some of the more juicy Topics are presented.
There is a plan from my side to post a small “pocket” guide for newcomers in 2020, with gathered experience including do’s and don’ts from participating my first year at Def Con 27 2019
My own goal for next year is to prepare and sign up for an entry level CTF challenge, either in one of the Villages or Workshops..