The second half of the class was even more interesting and relevant to me. Plus finally having a Raspberry Pi and Ardunio means I can finally start trying some of the IoT/small hacking projects that I’ve seen and thought about doing. In the kit were resistors, LEDs, sensors, a breadboard, and more, which should be more than enough for now. I got to refresh myself on circuits (which I haven’t done in a while) and get some ideas for some projects. That said, while it took a while to set up, and while there were some hiccups, I had a good bit to take away from the course. I signed up for the Raspberry Pi and Kali workshop ($290 for all the toys), which was pretty enjoyable.Īs Dallas mentioned at the beginning, Thursdays at DefCon do not go anywhere near to plan. Raspberry Pi and Kali Deluxe Spy workshop Additionally, we grabbed a few drinks and sushi with MalwareTech, which was pretty awesome (super friendly guy).Įven if you don’t go to any talks (to quote Grifter, “No talks, not even one!”), the people and the environment alone are reason enough to head to DEF CON at least once. I also met some awesome people (including a 17-year-old reverse engineering wizard) through CTFs or just general conversations. The sheer number of interesting conversations and talks alone was enough for me to think of hundreds of new side projects/ideas, which is awesome. Seeing (and meeting) the people and places that I’ve only read about was pretty awesome, albeit overwhelming at times. Going to the DEFCON convention (and BSides) for the first time was an amazing experience. These winnings were from craps alone, and mostly thanks to secure_sean. I was finally able to gamble in a casino as well and ended up $315 or so on the week. Vegas was a bit too hot for my liking, and being “just a dry heat” didn’t make it better. I have never been to anywhere in the world quite like it.īetween the people, the buildings, and all there is to do, it is a unique place. This was my first trip to Vegas ever, and it was an eye-opener. While I could easily fill post upon post about various talks, topics, contests, and people, I will try to keep it down to one (reasonably sized) post. Get Your NordVPN Offer Now! DEFCON Convention – DefCon 24 and BSidesLV 2016 It’s also SUPER awesome to see people in person that you only get to talk to online. While Vegas isn’t for everyone, if you have the opportunity, I highly recommend giving DEF CON, Black Hat, and BSidesLV a chance. Plus, I’m a NordVPN affiliate, so if you register using the button below, then it helps me out a bunch! Get Your NordVPN Offer Now! DEFCON Convention – Introduction

Personally, I use NordVPN, and even have a NordVPN and OpenPYN setup for always-on Linux VPN. While the DEFCON convention network has been secured over the years, it never hurts to have a VPN.ĭon’t forget, there are hackers also on the Starbucks/hotel/etc. If you are bringing your personal device(s) to DEF CON, then I HIGHLY recommend you protect yourself as best as possible. DEFCON Convention – Black Hat 2018 and DEFCON 26 (Talks > CTFS?).DEFCON Convention – DEF CON 25 and BSidesLV 2017 (Hacker Summer Camp).DEFCON Convention – DEF CON Black Badge (2016).DEFCON Convention – DefCon 24 and BSidesLV 2016.During those years, I’ve managed to win a DEFCON black badge TWICE and ended up +$645 in the casinos. I’ve been to the DEFCON Las Vegas hacking convention for three years now, and I wanted to share my experiences. While I know this may not be the preferred spelling, I want to repurpose ALL of my old DEFCON convention posts, so here we go!

Defcon convention las vegas