Hackers In Utah? You Better Believe It!
A couple of weeks ago I attended my first Silicon Slopes event and was able to meet some new folks in the tech community. I had a great time chatting with them about what they did and their technology interests. They of course asked me what I did and perked up when I said that I hacked web apps and networks. The conversation moved to security, hacking, and conferences like DEF CON. They were definitely interested when I brought up some of the security conferences and activity we have in here in Utah. We have a great tech community here in the state, but sometimes it’s difficult to keep up with what we have going on. Are you interested in computer security? Then let’s take a look at some of what Utah has to offer!
Conferences
Let’s start off with the conferences that we have here every year. There are three major security conferences that occur annually in Utah. In order of their schedule this year, we have BSides Salt Lake City, HackWest, and SAINTCON. All three have talks, training, and workshops run by some very talented security professionals. Have you ever wanted to learn to pick a lock? Then there is a Lockpicking Village waiting for you at each event. Or you can pick up tips on how attackers break into networks and web apps from the many talks being presented.
All three conferences are well run, are great places to meet new people, and to learn some new skills. If you like doing presentations on technology, then watch out for the calls for presentations. You don’t have to picture yourself as an elite hacker to present. We all have different skills and it’s great to learn from each other. So, go ahead and make a presentation on how you write your code to ward of attackers. B-Sides Salt Lake City and HackWest don’t occur until February or March next year, but you can attend SAINTCON next month on September 25–28 in Provo! Check it out if you’d like to come.
Community and Professional Groups
Utah has a number of groups that meet to discuss security news, technologies, and strategies. First, there are the formal groups like the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). These groups meet throughout the year at seminars and training opportunities. There is a fee to become a member, but their events are usually opened to non-members too.
Next, we have the more community driven groups that are informal and meet more frequently. UtahSec is an umbrella group which includes the OWASP Salt Lake Chapter, the Utah Snort Users Group, DC801, and Utah SAINT. UtahSec meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month and usually has a couple of presentations by members of the different groups. It is free to attend, and you can sign up for the mailing list to get announcements of activities. It is a very low volume list, so you will not receive a barrage of emails.
If you want to get involved with a group that feels more like DEF CON, then I’d recommend checking out DC801’s events. They have a hacker space named 801 Labs in downtown Salt Lake City and something is happening there every week. Their events are listed here.
Yup, We Hack Here
So, there you have a brief introduction to the security groups here in the state. The great thing is that they all located between Salt Lake City and Provo, so you don’t have to drive terribly far to get to some good times. I’ve been to events for all of the groups listed here and I can attest to how friendly and welcoming people are. I’ve made a number of friends and had some great opportunities because of these groups. Come out to a meet up and be ready to talk some tech. Everyone would love to see you!
