DEFCON 22 EXPERIENCE

Defcon 22 is definitely one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had. Everything, from the registration process to the keynote speakers to the convention activities, was so foreign to me. Being new to the tech industry and the hacking scene, I didn’t know what to expect- but this convention opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know much about.

I’m not going to lie, the idea of going to Defcon was pretty daunting. The only thing I’ve heard about the event were security warnings. Turn your cellphones off. Assume all communication within 1000 feet of the Rio will be intercepted. Do not use ATMs. Do not plug in USBs. Do not plug in anything on convention grounds. There were so many threats, and I couldn’t understand why anyone would take the risk to attend the convention in the first place.

But clearly, a lot of people were willing. I arrived at the Rio by 7:30AM on Thursday – with my cellphone off and a bundle of cash – and found a sea of people lined up, waiting for registration to open. The  staff (or goons as they call themselves) had to turn people away from lining up because it was getting ridiculously long, and it continued to grow throughout the entire day!

After three grueling hours, I finally received my pass, along with the schedule and some goodies. This was when I realized that Defcon was really something. Even the most minute item like an entry pass was different and very hardcore. It was a metal badge made with hardware pieces: microchips, USB ports, quantum..something – one of the goons actually explained all the parts to me but I can’t remember what they all were.

I did most of the exploring the next day. There were lots to see – vendors, contests, capture the flag, lock picking demos. The amount of people, walking around and just talking to one another about their latest project was overwhelming. I also attended two talks. The first talk,Saving the Internet, provided an interesting perspective to the issue on hand. Jay Healey, the speaker, wanted the audience to think about the bigger picture when it comes to saving the internet. Because it is such a transformative, innovative technology, the risks are potentially huge. Privacy is not the only issue, as security threats are extremely high as well. He urged that security researchers focus on preventing attacks to create a sustainable cyberspace, and that everyone in this space can contribute.

The second talk was on Phil Zimmerman’s phone security technology, which people can utilize to have private phone calls, without being wiretapped. The bigger picture that he wanted the listeners to realize was that crypto culture can be of the norm, if we fight to make it the norm. If we create the market demand and the conditions to enforce privacy, it can be done.

To be honest, I didn’t understand a lot of the information from these talks because of their political and technical nature. However, if I had something take away, it’s that the people involved in this scene are truly passionate about their work and the future of technology to better human society. I could see how hard the goons worked to put the convention together, as even the stage for a thirty minute talk was elaborate and impressive. The speakers tried to make their topics as applicable as possible, encouraging movement and dedication from the audience. The crowd was diverse. There were people of all different ethnicities, age groups, and backgrounds; first time attendees and twentieth time attendees. But they all came together by this unified interest of technical innovation.

Though at first, attending this convention seemed a little scary, I realized that it was simply a gathering of people with a common passion. Yes, everyone there was extremely smart and had the capability to hack each others’ devices, but at the end of the day, they were there to learn, share, and experience their knowledge together. And seeing so many people with that much dedication and zeal about their interest was inspiring. Not to mention, I walked away with a pretty cool badge too.