My Adventures @ DEFCON 25

A Quarter Century of Hacking, Security, and Shenanigans.

thesheriff
Aug 28, 2017 · 12 min read
DEFCON 25 HUMAN Badge (real)

After my overwhelmingly enjoyable experiences last year at DEFCON 24 I did all I could to get back again this year. I repeated my successful itinerary from last year arriving late Thursday night, this year only after an enduring evening of flight delays and connecting flights. Defcon had closed for the night and my gracious coworker who grabbed me a badge in line earlier that day was understandably not available. Being in Vegas I took to the tables at The Linq where I was staying the weekend. Not much of a high roller but a social gambler, I found some DEFCON humans like myself at a blackjack table and posted up. It wasn’t long before we were being nagged by the dealer as we held up play swapping stories and anecdotes. Before long it was early the next morning and I got the recommended minimum 3 hours sleep before venturing to Caesars Palace for the start of my 2nd DEFCON.

A short walk across the busy strip and then a longer walk around the massive Ceasers casino/hotel/convention center and I had picked up my badge, was in line on my way up the escalators, and excited to dive into the festivities. The venue was massive and had a maze of escalators, with oddly placed half stair sets that helped get even the best of us at least a little lost at times. The decorations were on par with the year prior and the “sticker posters” on the walls of the escalators made for good fun trying to remove them as we went up and down the last few times on Sunday. After nearly half the day of wandering and exploring any villages I could find, both chill out spots, and the vendor area i started looking for a project or something to focus on at the con (a common thing many individuals or groups do). I met a few guys analyzing the RF around the con, a safe cracking robot, and even worked on a crypto village puzzle with some others (we failed after 1 of our needed team of 5 bailed).

Safe Cracking Robot from DEFCON 25

It was on my way out of the chill out area after missing the proverbial “ding” of the safe cracking robot break into the safe (multiple times) that I saw one of my fellow “humans” confusing an elderly employee of the hotel looking for directions somewhere…I did my best to intervene, he was looking for a place to smoke, as was I, and that’s how I met Haxsys. Not just another DEFCON human, we hit it off well and soon he had me examine what I came to learn was a counterfeit badge.


Physical Security, Dick Cheese, and How To Get Into DEFCON for $15

Haxsys introduced me to the master counterfeiter, se7en and their other friend, Demonshaft69 (who didn’t have a fake badge, for the record). To say the least, the badges were indistinguishable. There were obvious flaws at close scrutiny (inverted colors, misalignment, lack of official lanyard, etc) but the work overall was the result of $15 and maybe 2 hours of labor. The badges worked the whole con, earned them the respect of anyone who saw their efforts, and saved them over $450 on entrance to the con (and had they been caught, I still contest that making a few more and swapping clothes would have gotten them at least another day). I spent the rest of the con hanging with Haxsys, se7en, and Demonshaft69 and can only hope to see them at future cons (where I’ve informed them I would enjoy contributing to their badge hacking efforts).

While I’m sure the addition of just me to their already “3 live crew” may not have been the highlight of their con, having come to Vegas alone this year I was excited to have found some “roaming around” friends that would eventually become “keep in touch after the con” friends. While I am sure they will tell you of my complaints of excessive wandering and inefficient travel, it was worth every step. I learned more than most humans need to know about elevators, a great deal about the underground infrastructure that make up most of our countries’ cities, and got to experience the con with some all around cool people.

One of the events I missed last year (by an embarrassingly small margin) was the Richard Cheese and Lounge Against The Machine concert. This year, the same would not be the result. Haxsys and I were determined to relive our childhood years of laughing hysterically to popular songs performed in a Lounge Music style, and to say the least, the Cheese did not disappoint. We tried our best to get a picture with the Richard pre-show but he was surprisingly focused on his setup and understandably we were shooed away. After which we met up with DemonShaft69 and se7en and then braved the heat and stank of 100s of hackers to hear such amazing covers as “Gin and Juice” (originally by Snoop Dogg), “Lucky” (Originally by Daft Punk / Pharrell), and “Rape Me” (Originally by Nirvana). After which my new friends and I parted ways with plans to continue our shenanigans the following day.


Reel Big Fish @ DEFCON 25

Hackers Are Rude Boys (and Girls) Too

Sometime Friday evening after checking the DEFCON booklet for the Nth time to be sure I wasn’t tardy to the Richard Cheese performance, I noticed a familiar logo in the “Concert” section along side the Cheese. Reel Big Fish, easily in my top 5 favorite bands, was set to perform around Midnight Friday evening and you can bet your ass I was there skanking the night away.

The thoughts I had similar to “I did not know the DEFCON crowd was into Ska music” were echoed by anyone I spoke to about the upcoming show but none-the-less I was excited. I was more thrilled when during the lull in between the band prior to RBF I heard the proverbial “Reel Big Fish” chant as what was now a large amassed crowd had gathered waiting for the kings of Ska to take to the stage and entertain. When they finally came out they were in full force, starting the concert off with a hearty Ska rendition of the “Ole” chant/cheer made popular at Soccer events. From there they went straight into a non stop set of jokes, antics, and high fueled ska awesomeness.

There was a mild sense that some of the crowd still remaining from the Dualcore and YTCracker concerts just prior were not yet sold on the unique Ska stylings of the Reel Big Fish. A self proclaimed Ska music missionary I develop an ulcer of unease inside whenever I feel someone isn’t truly feeling the joy and unity that I get when I dance like a fool to my favorite upbeat driven punk-reggae song. I did my best to get things going by successfully starting a circle pit of skanking rude kids and did my part to keep the beach ball going (even going so far as to accidentally hit Aaron in the face between songs…sorry Bro). The real turning point I saw in the concert, the moment when the audience participation went from that proverbial 99.9999% enjoyment to the never reached, often sought, 100% full fun engagement, was when Reel Big Fish started singing about the one thing they love more than music. Beer. From tunes like “Drinkin’” or “Everybody’s Drunk”, to their most beloved hit, “Beer” (which they were easily coerced into playing twice in a row) were huge fan favorites and I could see the love brewing between us mere HUMANs and the sweet sweet aura of peace, love, and unity (and beer) that is Ska music.

The theme of “friendship” I had been experiencing at this years con did not fall short at the RBF concert either. After some skanking that should’ve defeated a man of my health I found a spot next to the speakers with another HUMAN whose name I never got. Throughout the constant blaring of music we barely spoke but instead shared moments of jubilee as we re-experienced our high school years and despite the disheveled look I am sure we both possessed, there likely weren’t 2 guys in all of Vegas having as much fun as we were. From the multiple covers of hit 90s songs that Aaron (RBF lead Singer/Guitarist) tried to pass off as RBF originals, to the unfinished reggae/punk cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”, the concert was a huge hit (at least in my opinion) and I can only dream that the rumors I heard of an RBF encore at DEFCON 26 are true.


DEFCON is Cancelled

DEFCON 25 Soundtrack

There was a lot of talk I heard this year from friends, acquaintances, and peers alike, regarding the quality and value of a convention like DEFCON, specifically as it has become to be over the past few years. For any long time veterans of DEFCON, my opinion will understandably be warped and narrow compared to your own, but with the experience of consecutive conferences under my belt I want to share my sentiments.

Against popular opinion I believe that DEFCON has NOT gotten worse. I also believe that while it may not have had the leaps and improvements some had envisioned, the conference as a whole has gotten better. That being said, I believe more so that regardless of the current state of the official DEFCON conference (I heard it has been cancelled), the idea of like minded individuals getting together on their own terms in the only place on earth that would have us, is something that cannot and will not dissipate. Jeff Moss, aka The Dark Tangent, started this thing 25 years ago as a party, and if after 25 years all it has become is a bigger party, then I call eventhat a win. The important thing here is that it is far more than a party. It is educational, entertaining, exciting, refreshing, and all around a good time for anyone willing to dig around and get what you came for out of it.

It isn’t all perfect at the con and I am not trying to stray away from that. SkyTalks are all but impossible to see more than 2 or 3 of (and doing so would cost you most of your con experience), Ceasers was bigger and better than Ballys/Paris but also gave us some first timer woes, #BadgeLife was a hard one to live, official swag was so swapped all 3 days I never got past a peek in the door, and the list of small / medium annoyances this year go on. All in all though while there is always room for improvement, there was also great successes had. This year was the first year for many individuals, small groups, or even vendors that created custom hackable badges to be sold or given out as prizes / swag. Even before reading some of the excellent write ups on some of the experiences these groups faced, my friends and I were already hell bent on building our own custom badge for next years convention.

I think the for me, the one word to describe what makes DEFCON so great, is “camaraderie”.As a small child I was often picked on in school and had few friends. But to be fair, small child me was a brat. In high school I found friends in places like Marching Band, Computer Club, and other school based programs where I had the opportunity to meet people, work on relationships, make friends. I also had the knowledge that bratty small child me gathered earlier in life and this time I was picked on less and had a less than horrible teen years because of it. By the time I hit college, I was far more mature…err well at least more experienced than previous in life. Again with the help of the school provided functions I made friends in places like Marching Band, Hackerspaces, and the Dormitories (also the parties helped). This time around without any getting picked on (although with a few more grown up problems like the fucking rent being due).

Following college, (and then the extra years spent living with my friends who were still in college) for me it was off to work. For me, work was found over 1000 miles away from any of my friends, meaning a new chapter in my life and new friends to make. Working in a small 5–10 employee computer shop, as you can imagine, doesn’t lend itself well to providing a wide-spread social network of people to meet and hang out with (even when you count friends of friends of friends). Now this isn’t a pity party for me, I would be remorse if I didn’t mention that, through work and other small community activities, I have met several good friends and even the love of my life. It may be over simplistic, but as you get older, as you gain more responsibility, the opportunity and ability to make close lasting relationships seems to lessen.

For those of you that made it through my long winded auto-biography, I bring you back now to reality. The hacker / security community is the next level. To me, DEFCON is the company retreat, the end of the year party, the last day of school for the hacker community. It is one of the only places I have ever been where humans seem to truly value other humans based on what they have to offer and not what they appear to be. It is one of the few communities I have encountered that has that level of implied friendship and trust that makes you feel almost too welcomed. It seems funny to say that there is trust among hackers, and while inherently there is not, I think the outside the box thinking that is what makes us all hackers helps to accelerate and fuel the building of friendships.

Other Thoughts, Stories, and Unorganized Thoughts

DEFCON 25 Room Key (The Linq)

One of the more intriguing moments I experienced thanks to my new friends was early Sunday morning in the food court where Haxsys (seemingly unknowingly) started chatting with what turned out to be an off-duty goon. We realized this after he had started showing off the counterfeit badge that got him in the con without paying. As it turns out, the long time DEFCON attendee (I was far too sleep deprived and intoxicated to remember his name….my apologies) was impressed by the badges and like the rest of the curious hackers, asked questions and wanted to know more. He had an awesome collection of DEFCON badges going back to (I believe) DC9 that he showed us and was overall accepting of the hacker mentality that got my friends into the convention he volunteered to “protect”/administrate. Just another example of the true DEFCON spirit.


Peppercon 2

Sunday afternoon as we wandered the emptying halls we met a trio of folks in matching shirts advertising “Peppercon 2”. Curious as always we inquired and learned that they were Pepper / Spice enthusiasts that, to my understanding, were wandering the con attempting to peer pressure helpless HUMANs like myself into consuming things far spicier than should be legal. They had Reaper Pepper infusion Fireball Whiskey, Ghost Pepper infused Vodka, and small vials of ground up Reaper and Ghost pepper powder (respectively). I was successfully coerced into taking a shot of the Reaper infused Fireball whiskey and while my mouth may have regretted it in the moment, as someone not too fond of spicy things, I felt mildly proud I had faced my fears. That was until Haxsys proceeded to down a pinch of ground Reaper Pepper that made even the Peppercon folks look a little worried. Twas impressive to say the least.


Praise, Thanks, and Final Thoughts

As with most things, my raving success of a trip to DEFCON 25 was not done alone and without the endearing support of those who assisted I would not have had the experiences that I did or met the people that I had. Thanks to my Mom, Dad, Aunt Helen, and Mom-Mom for contributing to the cost of my flight, hotel, food, and entertainment. Without them I would have been cold, tired, hungry and sober. Thanks to Cyber Tech Cafe, my employer, and my coworkers, of whom waited in line early Thursday morning and secured me my entry into the convention. Thanks to my girlfriend, for the early morning rides to/from the airport and for all her support (I ❤ you). And finally thanks to Jeff and all the goons, volunteers, speakers, and everyone from the DEFCON family for making this year another awesome adventure.

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