Hackers descend on Las Vegas
[Humphrey]
July 27, 2004 - 06:17 EST
Las Vegas - Thousands of hackers converge in Las
Vegas for the annual Blackhat and Defcon conventions. THG will provide
daily coverage starting this Thursday.
The Democrats in Boston aren't the only
ones having a convention this week, as 5000+ computer hackers meet up
in Las Vegas for two separate conventions.
The 8th annual Black Hat convention is on
Wednesday and Thursday at the Ceasar's Palace. With registration fees
of $1495 and up, Black Hat caters to the serious computer security
professional. Past talks have delved into topics such as Modern Netware
Hacking and Defeating Intrusion Detection Systems.
More information about Black Hat can be obtained on their Website.
The 12th annual Defcon convention runs Friday through Sunday at the
Alexis Park Hotel. A low registration fee of $80 (cash only), permits
all types of people to attend, learn and party. Dozens of informative
talks are given and several interesting contests are held.
Capture the Flag pits several teams of hackers against each other,
all trying to break into the other teams' box. The second annual
Lockpick Contest will prove who can pick a lock the fastest. At last
year's event, amazing skill was shown when attendees were able to pick
and open locks in under ten seconds.
Several wireless contests will be held which include three
different wardriving contests and a Wi-Fi shootout, where attendees try
to shoot a wifi signal using homemade antennas.
Defcon's Website
THG will be providing onsite daily coverage, starting Wednesday, of
the Black Hat Briefings and Defcon. The newest computer vulnerabilities
will be investigated. Expect to see in-depth analysis, great pictures
and interesting videos.
