Because one thing is sure – I certainly will try to be there again. I hope you'll enjoy the article, and that some of you will join me in Las Vegas next summer. Forgive me for providing some basic details, but they might come in handy for the next novice. This being my first summer camp, I wanted to share my experience and the things I learned along the way with you. This year, more than 30,000 hackers and researchers gathered at this tremendous cyber festival, and luckily, I was one of them. Both conferences are the centerpieces of what is known as the 'Hacker Summer Camp' - a week full of hacking activities and events: breakthrough talks, workshops, CTFs, and of course - parties.

CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.Two weeks ago I attended the world-class cybersecurity conferences Black Hat (7-) and DEF CON (8-) in Las Vegas. Market holidays and trading hours provided by Copp Clark Limited. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices Copyright S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates. Standard & Poor’s and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Chicago Mercantile: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. US market indices are shown in real time, except for the S&P 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. Your CNN account Log in to your CNN account It will likely be the largest presence the government has had since before 2013, when, in the wake of NSA analyst Edward Snowden’s leaks, Def Con founder Jeff Moss formally requested “the feds call a ‘time-out’ and not attend Def Con this year.” Hutchins, a cybersecurity researcher who gained notoriety for stopping the destructive worldwide virus WannaCry before being arrested after Def Con in Vegas in 2017, won’t face additional prison time, a judge ruled last month.ĭespite the natural tension, Def Con organizers want to bridge the void and they say there will be more members of Congress as well as federal and state officials attending this year than ever before. It’s not entirely a joke the FBI has made arrests around Def Con, including British national Marcus Hutchins. And while the conference has been welcoming to visitors from Washington, many Def Con attendees are at least a little skeptical of government.Ī longstanding joke at the conference is a game of “spot the Fed,” where attendees see someone who moves a little too stiffly, or stares a little too intently, and might be either a government recruiter - or law enforcement. Historically, Def Con has been a place where hackers poke and prod at flaws in systems - a practice that could cross the line into technically breaking the law. Paper ballots have become a new area of interest for many election experts in light of concerns over the security of elections following Russia’s interference effort in the 2016 presidential election. “This is basically like putting American ballot boxes on the streets of Moscow,” Wyden said.Ĭhris Krebs, the top cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security said Friday that backup paper ballots would be a necessary part of 2020 election security. Ron Wyden of Oregon said no voting equipment should be connected to the internet. Speaking to CNN Business after visiting the village on Friday, Sen. The convention’s election village includes a room full of voting equipment where hackers can let loose. Hackers here are also demonstrating potential vulnerabilities in voting machines used by Americans. Dem Party deepfaked own chairman to highlight concerns

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