DEF CON Hacking Conference

Posted 12.29.17

I am proud to announce the v3 .onion address for DEF CON:

defcon.org main web site

media.defcon.org

defcongroups.org

Tor announced a major update to their .onion services at DEF CON 26, version 3 that greatly improves the stability and resistance of .onion sites. In order to visit a v3 .onion site you must use a newer version of Tor, or the "experimental" branch of the Tor Browser Bundle (TBB) available here [https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en#downloads-alpha].

Read more about this next generation of onion services here [https://blog.torproject.org/tors-fall-harvest-next-generation-onion-services]

- The Dark Tangent

Posted 12.28.17

The mighty @Vito_lbs from Legitimate Business Syndicate just published the fourth and final post of the "Building DEF CON CTF" series on the LBS blog. You should read it if you have any interest in Capture the Flag, but it's especially illuminating if you have any interest in what it takes to run the whole show.

If you think you've got a great idea for the next DEF CON CTF, you still have until the end of the year to get a proposal in to us - the info you need is at https://www.defcon.org/html/links/dc-ctf-cfo.html

2018 is right around the corner, people. Preparations are underway.

Posted 12.22.17

The bipartisan Election Security bill introduced in the US Senate yesterday introduces new guidelines for information sharing, cyber security guidelines and even includes a bug bounty program.

Read the full text of the proposed legislation dubbed the “Secure Elections Act”.

Posted 12.20.17

Get excited, hacker family! In honor of its tenth anniversary as a DEF CON attraction, Hardware Hacking Village is retooling for DEF CON 26 with all kinds of new energy! There's a new Soldering Skills Village, a new focus for HHV Classic and tons of new resources.

We couldn't be more excited to see all the upgrades in person! Follow @DC_HHV on Twitter and check out their website for more details on all the changes coming for next year!

Posted 12.15.17

We've given you a lot of reading so far, so here's an assignment that can be completed in under two hours - The 2006 Alfonso Cuarón film 'Children of Men'.

The movie fits the theme of 1983 by being a thoughtful and moving study of hope and resistance in the face of calamity and misrule. It also features a bunch of stellar performances and some crazy precision camera work (keep your eyes peeled for the long, unbroken takes).

'Children of Men' fits our theme in other ways, too - the set design could hardly be more in line with our DC26 style guide. Concrete skies, graffiti, neglected brutalist edifices everywhere - it's probably as close to a match as you're going to find so feel free to take inspiration from it.

Watch this space for more assignments!

Posted 12.7.17

The DEF CON Voting Village co-hosted an event with the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy to highlight cyber vulnerabilities in our elections infrastructure. At the event, Noah Praetz, Director of Elections with the Cook County, IL Clerk's office issued "2020 Vision" a plan that details ways federal, state, and local government can work together to improve the security posture of U.S. voting infrastructure. You can read the plan here: https://www.defcon.org/images/defcon-25/Election Security White Paper_Praetz_12062017.pdf

Posted 12.5.17

Here's the full video of a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Information Technology regarding the Cybersecurity of Voting Machines. One of the testifiers was Matt Blaze, security superhero and DEF CON Voting Village organizer. It's a good read for anyone who wants to be thoroughly grounded on the state of election security and the plan for moving forward.

"The results of the Voting Village were summarized in detail in a report. It is notable that participants, who did not have any previous special expertise in voting machines or access to any proprietary information or source code, were very quickly able to find ways to compromise every piece of equipment in the Village by the end of the weekend. Depending on the individual model of machine, participants found ways to load malicious software, gain access to administrator passwords, compromise recorded votes and audit logs, or cause equipment to fail. In most cases, these attacks could be carried out from the ordinary interfaces that are exposed to voters and precinct poll workers. The first machine was compromised by a participant within 90 minutes of the doors opening."

You can read the full report from the Voting Village.

And a transcript of Matt's remarks

Posted 12.1.17

The heart of the DEF CON 26 theme is the concept of the counterfuture. The counterfuture is the open-source alternative to totalitarian dystopia; a world where we use tech and ingenuity for empowerment and connection rather than isolation and control.

In the spirit of the counterfuture, we offer book two in our pre-con homework series: ‘Cryptonomicon’ by Neal Stephenson. It’s a bit of an epic, so you’ll want to pencil in some real reading time. The story concerns two historical inflection points, WWlI and the eve of the 21st century. In both eras, Crypto and savvy are all that protect us from a spreading and despotic darkness. In both, hackers (of various kinds)are the carriers of the counterfuture.

Enjoy, and stay tuned for more assignments.

Posted 11.29.17

Friendly reminder to all of you Capture the Flag rock stars - there’s still time to put your stamp on the Super Bowl of CTFs at DEF CON 26!

We’re looking for a team with big ideas and the skills to execute under pressure. A team that wants to push the limits and create challenges that people talk about for years.

If that’s you, read the requirements at https://www.defcon.org/html/links/dc-ctf-cfo.html and get in touch. We look forward to seeing what you’ve got.

Posted 11.28.17

In keeping with the DC tradition of releasing a list of books, movies and other cultural products to help you get into the headspace of our theme, we offer the first suggested reading assignment: 'Little Brother' by digital-age soothsayer and frequent DEF CON speaker Cory Doctorow.

Don't let the YA trappings trip you up - the book contains a toothsome examination and critique of the dangers of the police state and the role that hackers, makers and like-minded troublemakers can play in turning the tide.

It's also fun. Share your thoughts with us in the comments and stay tuned to this space for your next assignment.

Posted 11.23.17

Posted 11.22.17

The time has come to announce the theme for DEF CON 26 - It's '1983'. Think of it as T Minus One in the countdown to 1984. We can't wait to see how you use it.

More details here.