Defcon Media Coverage

This is a comprehensive list of all articles known to have been written about DEF CON. Many publications are no longer in existence, and much of this history is lost. If you know of any articles or write-ups not on this list, or have copies of articles whose links are now broken, please mail us!
A note to journalists: Please stop writing clever articles entitled 'Fear and Hacking in Las Vegas', as it becomes difficult to tell them apart.

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Print Articles

• Red Herring (Feb 2005): DT comments on Antivirus Guarantee.
• Wired Magazine (Dec 2004): Bluesnarfing and other DC12 coverage in the article "When Cell Phone Hackers Attack".
• FHM Magazine (Dec 2004): DEFCON was featured in the December 2004 issue of FHM.
• Wired Magazine (Nov 2004): Blurb on the DC 12 Wi Fi Shootout.

General/Misc

• Slashdot - Defcon 12 Running Man Contest - Local Copy
• Slashdot - Slashdot | Blackhat/Defcon Report - Local Copy
• Slashdot - DEFCON 12 - After the Hangover - Local Copy
• Slashdot - Combining Port Knocking With OS Fingerprinting - Local Copy
• The Register - Rampant capitalism upsets delicate Reg reader - Local Copy
• The Register - Vegas braces for DEFCON | The Register - Local Copy
• The Register - VoIP hackers gut Caller ID - Local Copy
• PC World - PDA Viruses Could Get Nasty - Local Copy
• PC World - PCWorld.com - School for Hackers - Local Copy
• Blogs.PC World - Today @ PC World - New MyDoom Strikes Search Engines - Local Copy
• The Inquirer - Hackers and establishment to mingle at DEFCON - Local Copy
• The Inquirer - DEFCON 12: Feds Yes, Anarchy No. - Local Copy
• TomsHardware - Hackers descend on Las Vegas - Local Copy
• TomsHardware - Defcon 12's Fear and Hacking in Vegas - Local Copy
• Las Vegas Sun - Las Vegas SUN: Hackers gather in Vegas for annual digital huddles - Local Copy
• MarketPlace Public Radio - Marketplace Morning Report for August 2, 2004 - Local Copy
• Las Vegas City Life - Hacking the planet - Local Copy
• Searchsecurity - REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: Impressions of DefCon 12 - Local Copy
• Searchsecurity - Capture the Flag competitions can net far more than fun - Local Copy
• PCWorld - Feds Seek a Few Good Hackers - Local Copy
• ZDNet - Hackers plan global game of 'capture the flag' - Local Copy
• Geek.Com - Global Capture the Flag game for hackers - Local Copy
• ZDNet - Why you should Google yourself--and often - Local Copy
• NewsForge - Google hacks are for real - Local Copy
• NewsForge - Blackhat/Defcon: The final report - Local Copy
• NewsForge - DEFCON 12: Opening Day - Local Copy
• ComputerWeekly - Hackers conference shown how to bypass Active Directory controls - Local Copy
• eBCVG - Training Ethical Hackers: Training the Enemy? - Local Copy
• Forbes Technology Playing Role in GOP Protests - Local Copy

EFF & DVR

• Wired - Group Warns DVRs Endangered - Local Copy
• Telecom Web - EFF's Digital Television Liberation Project Starts Its Engines - Local Copy

Wireless & Wifi Shootout

• Slashdot - DefCon WiFi Distance Competition Calls For Entrants - Local Copy
• Slashdot - DEFCON WiFi Shootout Winners Set A Land Record - Local Copy
• Slashdot - The Dark Side Of DefCon's Wireless Network - Local Copy
• Slashdot - Ready, Aim, HACK! - Local Copy
• Wi-Fi Planet - High Noon for High Range Wireless - Local Copy
• USA Today - Teens' wireless feat could be world record - Local Copy
• LocalTechWire - AirDefense Says Hackers Growing More Sophisticated - Local Copy
• TechWeb - Techweb > News > WLAN security > Wireless Hacks Growing Threat > August 3, 2004 - Local Copy
• Wired - Wired News: Wi-Fi Shootout in the Desert - Local Copy
• TomsHardware - Wireless Wizardy and chaos during at talk at Defcon - Local Copy
• ComputerWire - WiFi and Bluetooth Distance Records Smashed - No Local Copy - pay site
• TheRegister - Wi-Fi 'sniper rifle' debuts at DEFCON | The Register - Local Copy
• P2PNet - Wi-Fi ground distance record - Local Copy
• P2PNet - Bringing goatse - Local Copy
• InternetWeek - WLAN Attacks Getting More Sophisticated, Vendor Says - Local Copy

Bluetooth

• Slashdot - Bluesniper Creator Interviewed on Gizmodo - Local Copy
• Gizmodo - IMterview With Bluetooth Hacking Flexilis's John Hering - Local Copy
• PCWorld - PCWorld.com - Bluetooth Phones Could Leak Data - Local Copy
• P2PNet - Bluetooth mobile snipers - Local Copy
• Wired - Wired News: Security Cavities Ail Bluetooth - Local Copy
• Esato - Bluetooth-cracking gun - Local Copy
• SearchNetWorking - Bluetooth: Security's 'silent killer' - Local Copy

Evoting

• NYTimes - The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial Observer: Rolling Down the Highway, Looking Out for Flawed Elections - Local Copy
• IHT (same as NYTIMEs story) - Meanwhile: Chasing down flaws in electronic voting - Local Copy
• Slashdot - Hackers, Public Differ Greatly On E-voting - Local Copy
• News.com - Poll: E-voters not so afraid of election-day hacks | CNET News.com - Local Copy
• GCN - Government Computer News (GCN) daily news -- Public and experts split over e-voting security - Local Copy
• ZDNet - Poll: E-voters not so afraid of election-day hacks - News - ZDNet - Local Copy
• ComputerWorld - Can you hack the vote? - Local Copy
• ComputerWorld - Public, security experts' e-voting views differ sharply - Local Copy
• GCN - Government Computer News (GCN) daily news; Public and experts split over e-voting security - Local Copy

DNS

• News.com - Internet's 'white pages' allow data attacks - Local Copy
• Slashdot - Network Attacks Via DNS - Local Copy
• Silicon.Com - DNS hack leaves corporate networks wide open - silicon.com - Local Copy
• CBROnline - Researcher says DNS can stream voice, control Trojans - Computer Business Review - Local Copy

Anonymity

• Slashdot - Tor: A JAP Replacement - Local Copy
• Wired - Wired News: Onion Routing Averts Prying Eyes - Local Copy
• CBROnline - Tor offers onion routing for anonymity - Local Copy
• CBROnline - Freenet project struggles with overload - Local Copy

Press Releases

• Net Security - Syngress Publishing Announces the Release of "Zero Day Exploit ... - Local Copy
• Itseccity - DEFCON : One-Hundred Leading Hackers to Present New Material to ... - Local Copy
• Biz.Yahoo - Wireless LAN Attacks are Moving from Discovery Mode to Manipulation - Local Copy
• BusinessWire - LinuxWorld Conference & Expo Exhibitor Profiles - Local Copy
• MarketWire - Immunix Introduces YaST GUI to Help Users of Novell's SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server Simplify Application Security Management - Local Copy
• LockerGnome - No Starch Press Authors To Make Appearance At DEFCON 12 - Local Copy

Blogs/Small Articles

• FSecure - Mikko's blogging on DC12 - Local Copy
• Engadget - Live from DefCon: The Sniper Yagi - Engadget - www.engadget.com - Local Copy
• Engadget - Who you gonna call? The BlueSniper - Engadget - www.engadget.com - Local Copy
• Engadget - Live from DefCon: WiFi bouncing - Local Copy
• BoingBoing - Replace every image on a WiFi network with goatse.cx - Local Copy
• BoingBoing - Defcon Wi-Fi shootout results - Local Copy
• BoingBoing - Sniper rifle modded to be WiFi antenna - Local Copy
• BoingBoing - Defcon Wifi Shootout Contest - Local Copy
• BoingBoing - WiFi shootout in Vegas - Local Copy
• DC404 - Defcon Atlanta Group Write-up - Local Copy

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• The Trade Show Floor: Def Con 0xB - Darth Elmo, Linux Journal - Local Copy
• Security pros talk, but can they walk? - CNET news.com - Local Copy
• Waiting for the worm to turn up - CNET news.com - Local Copy
• Robot 'guard dog' protects Wi-Fi setups - CNET news.com - Local Copy
• Hacking contest promotes security - CNET news.com - Local Copy
• DEFCON '03: Myth, Reality and Pictures - the inquirer - Local Copy
• COMPUTER SECURITY: Searching for the full truth - Las Vegas Review Journal - Local Copy
• Vegas' Hackers' Meeting Stresses e-danger - Las Vegas Sun - Local Copy
• Wireless network worries? Get a dog! - geek.com - Local Copy
• Internet threat looms as thousands of hackers meet - Forbes.com - Local Copy
• Hand-Held Devices Easy to Hack, Security Experts Say - Washington Post - No Local Copy (please provide!)
• Hackers get lesson in the law - CNET news.com - Local Copy
• Has 'haven' for questionable sites sunk? - CNET news.com - Local Copy
• Mitnick unveiled in more crazy DEFCON 03 photos, Root-Fu ceremony captured - the inquirer - Local Copy
• Programmer shows why he's got game - In Business Las Vegas - No Local Copy (please provide!)
• HavenCo's Gilbert & Sullivan Journey - the inquirer - Local Copy

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• Vegas Braces for Hackers - Wired
• Defcon: Va-Va-Va Voom, Las Vegas - Wired
• Defcon: A Veritable Hack Fest - Wired
• Patrick's Def Con X Report: Day One
• How to Win Def Con's Capture the Flag Contest
• Putting fun back into hacking - ZDNet
• Shock! Maturity rules at hack fest - SMH 
• Hackers Called Truthseekers, Problem-Solvers
• Reality Douses DefCon Camaraderie - PCWorld

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• Patrick Brauch of C'T talks about Defcon (auf Deutsch) - Local Copy
• Planet eBook - Kurt Foss - Local Copy
• Defcon 9 Review - En Espanol! - Local Copy
• CNET - Defcon Grows Up - Robert Lemos - Local Copy
• CNET - Hacking for Human Rights - Robert Lemos - Local Copy
• IDG - CdC Redefines Hacktivism - Sam Costello
• The Guardian - Hats off to the Hackers - Simon Edwards - Local Copy
• DFWCUG - What I did on my summer vacation - Opcom - Local Copy
• BBC News - FBI Arrests alleged copyright hacker - Mark Ward - Local Copy
• ZDNet - Are 'White Hat' hackers unfairly under seige? - Robert Vamosi - Local Copy
• The Register - Hackers run amok during Defcon - John Leyden - Local Copy
• IDG - A Virus to fight viruses[sic] - Sam Costello - Local Copy
• Jon Sullivan's Blog on DC9, Part 1 - Local Copy
• Jon Sullivan's Blog on DC9, Part 2 - Local Copy

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• ABC News has an intersting but shallow slide show overview of DEF CON 8.
• TechTV.com's cybercrime had extensive coverage of the convention. This is the main page.
• Hackers aren't criminals - they're the best kind of security - Laird Brown
• Black Hat/Def Con: The Magic is in the Mix. - Richard Thieme
• VarBusiness messes up an article and mis quotes Russ. - Carol Ellison - Local Copy
• Specter Of Network Attacks Looms Anew, - Max Smetannikov, Inter@ctive Week - Local Copy
• Hackers won't give Pentagon a break - Jim Wolf, Reuters - Local Copy
• Specter Of Network Attacks Looms Anew: Computer Snatchers Invade - Local Copy
• Is DEF CON turning legit? - Robert Lemos, ZDNet - Local Copy
• Hackers: Uncle Sam wants you! - Robert Lemos, ZDNet - Local Copy
• Do security holes demand full disclosure? - Weld Pond, @Stake - Local Copy
• Why DEF CON beats H2K. - Drew Ulricksen, ZDNet News
• Why it's a 'Summer of Hacking'. - Joel Deane, ZDNet News - Local Copy
• Jason Scott has a DEF CON Diary located at cow.net - Local Copy

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• Boardwatch Magazine - Doug Mohney - THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS - DEF CON 7 - September Issue, 1999
• Wired News - Two pretty good articles from
  • Wired News - Polly Sprenger - Fear and Hacking in Las Vegas - July 10, 1999 - Local Copy
  • Wired News - Polly Sprenger - Def Con: Brin in Da Noise - July 8, 1999 - Local Copy
• The Arizona Republic - Bruce Meyerson - Tools of the trade - July 9, 1999
• CBS.com - Hacker Eline Meet In Vegas - July 10, 1999
• ABC NEWS.com - Michael J. Martines - Hackers Having a Blast - July 9, 1999
• ZD TV has a section in the CyberCrime area for DEF CON with these different articles
  • ZDTV - Alex Wellen - Def Con Writ Large - July 13, 1999
  • ZDTV - Alex Wellen - Closing in on Def Con - July, 1999
    Remembering the First Def Con. (Note: Contains some factual errors, but still good) - Local Copy
  • ZDNet - Inter@ctive Week Online - Doug Mohney - Hacker Fest: Serious Party - July 28, 1999
• Kevin Poulson had a few pieces about DEF CON
  • My First Def Con - On finding decadence and dialogue in the desert - July 14, 1999
  • He had this to say about InfoWar, in a question that was brought up to him at DEF CON 7.0.
• MSNBC had a couple of articles
  • XDNNs Robert Lemos had an article about the media causing hacking.
  • MSNBC - Should you care about DEF CON? - July 12, 1999
  • MSNBC - Bob Sullivan - Hackers descend on Las Vegas - July 9, 1999.
• CNET News.com - Tim Clark - Hackers attack their own kind - July 9, 1999 Local Copy
• CNN had several articles:
  • CNN - DefCon '99 draws security experts from both sides - July 12, 1999 - Local Copy
  • CNN - DefCon 99: Games hackers play - July 13, 1999 - Local Copy
  • CNN - Convicted hacker gives advice at DefCon - July 13, 1999 - Local Copy
  • CNN - DefCon demos the latest chaos - July 14, 1999 - Local Copy
  • CNN - Back Orifice 2000 under control - July 15, 1999 - Local Copy
  • CNN - Bad rap for Back Orifice 2000? - July 21, 1999 - Local Copy
• USA Today newspaper wrote Hacking into a new age.
• Infoworld had a couple pieces about Black Hat and DEF CON.
  • this nice piece about Black Hat and DEF CON. - Local Copy
  • Infoworld - Matthew Nelson - 2,500 hackers gather in Las Vegas for DefCon - July 11, 1999
• Computerworld had this short piece: Latest hacker tool will target NT desktops.
• PCWorld News - Andrew Brandt - Hacker Games: From Trivia to Wrestling July 10, 1999 - Local Copy
  PCWorld News - Hackers Gather in Vegas.
  PCWorld News - Andrew Brandt - Hack-a-thon Demos the Latest Chaos - July 12, 1999 - Local Copy
  Parse has several Real Media interviews of stuff around DEF CON.. check it out in thesection.
  Psuedo has some Video of DC7

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• NYTimes - Hacker Convention Takes On a Corporate Tone by By MATT RICHTEL - Local Copy
• NYTimes - The Hacker Myth Crumbles at Convention - Local Copy
• CNN - Hackers: the good, the bad, the ugly - Local Copy - Wav File from CNN Story
• CNN - Hackers claim to find security holes in Microsoft's Windows - Local Copy
• Infoworld - Attendees beware: A Black Hat in the sun can scorch your brain - Local Copy
• Infoworld - Black Hat: We have seen the enemy and they are ... being interviewed on CNN - Local Copy
• ZDNet - DEF CON: Fear and fascination in Las Vegas - Local Copy

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• ABC News with a picture of AJ and Deth Veggie. By Angie Bluethman.
• Hackers turn up heat at DEF CON V, from the Secure Computing Security Newsletter. By Holly Knox, Internet Security Editor 
• ZDNet's Hackers invade Vegas. By Robert Lemos.
• Netly News If you build it, they will Con. By Declan McCullagh - Local Copy
• The Site's Fear and Hacking in Las Vegas by Joel Deane.
• Crooks Hook Clueless Hackers by Joel Deane.
• Special to the Mercury News West magazine It takes a hacker to catch a hacker Four parts, by Jonathan Littman.
• Here are the pictures from the article thanks to Lockheed for scanning them.
• Computer World's Fear and Hacking in Las Vegas (Common article title, eh?) by Michael Schrenk. - Local Copy
• The Vominator's heart wrenching experiences at DEF CON V.
• Krusty's TDYC review of DEF CON V.
• Soul to Squeeze writes about the con.
• Lockheed's account of what the hell happened.
• Thanks to Ophie for sending this Comic from Computer World.
• TekLord and Plucky's review page for DEF CON 5. - Local Copy(scroll to near end of document)
• What Plucky, TekLord and Zytek did.
• DefCon V Adventure: System Failure Debut, by pinguino.
• This piece, called Hackers Do Vegas ran in The Australian on August 2.
• Hacker Lessons learned by Matt Willis and told at DEF CON 5, written by Sharon Machlis for Computerworld 07/21/97.
• Ira Winkler Spy Catcher talks about what he had to say at DEF CON 5, written by Steve Ulfelder for Computerworld, 08/11/97.
• Hackers swap secrets on cracking computers By Angie Bluethman of the Associated Press.
• Count the Cliches in a recent story published by the Associated Press.

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• DEF CON Hackers television transcript from The Discovery Channel "Cyber Life."
• FBI lectures hackers at convention By Adam Steinhauer, Sunday, July 28, 1996 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun
• The Orange County Register and this short piece about the FBI at DEF CON IV.

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• The review from SunWorld Online News.
• The archive of stories about the hack of MGM's Hackers movie home page (Which happened right before the con.

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• Business Week had a pretty cool write up on the whole matter.
• John Markhoff from the NY Times was there, this is what he had to say.
• Cyber Christ(Who was seen at several cons that year) showed up.
• Theora had a review
• The Financial Times write up was very poor attempt by the author to evaluate a convention he never attended, with an anti virus spin job.
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
• A super short blurb about the con in the Iron Feather Journal.
• John C. Dvorak wrote a bit about it in PC Magazine.
• Robert X. Cringley from Infoworld was there also.

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• What Robert X. Cringely had to say about DEF CON I in Info World.
• Robert X. Cringley previews the convention in Infoworld (Unformatted)

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