defcon antics

[hudsonbentley]

i have heard a bunch of stories about antics at defcon. most of those stories are from many years ago. do crazy things still happen? with so many people and such a big hotel to people immediately get in trouble for every little thing?

looking forward to defcon!

hb

[P33V3]

Re: defcon antics

Welcome to the forums. And you'll enjoy your first con if you follow some suggestions I'll put below.

First we have to define some things. And I will keep them simple.

- Antics - Fun things that don't hurt anyone but maybe doesn't have an identifiable person who did it. i.e., the Wall of Sheep. Making a cutout of a famous con speaker and passing it around so everyone can have their way with it.
- Shenanigans - Fun things that everyone can observe. i.e., Hacking the guy sitting in the corner and replacing his background picture with a goatse picture. The Security Goons rushing the stage and attacking a speaker with Nerf Swords.
-Stupid Shit - Ass clowns hacking a critical hotel system or something else that could potentially screw up the con for everyone.

The first two things are totally cool.

The last one would show you to be a complete tool and would likely cause 10000 + people to be pissed off at you, get you tossed out of the conference, get you tossed out of the hotel, and likely banned from any hotel in Vegas.

Do all three happen?

The first two, yes, CONSTANTLY.

The third one every once in a while and by that point it is out of the conference management hands and falls into the hands of law enforcement.

My suggestion is to just come and have fun, listen to the Security Goons, Hydrate, Don't drink too much, ask if you are going to take pictures of people, and just be cool to everyone.

[Queeg]

Re: defcon antics

Welcome to the forums. And you'll enjoy your first con if you follow some suggestions I'll put below.

First we have to define some things. And I will keep them simple.

- Antics - Fun things that don't hurt anyone but maybe doesn't have an identifiable person who did it. i.e., the Wall of Sheep. Making a cutout of a famous con speaker and passing it around so everyone can have their way with it.
- Shenanigans - Fun things that everyone can observe. i.e., Hacking the guy sitting in the corner and replacing his background picture with a goatse picture. The Security Goons rushing the stage and attacking a speaker with Nerf Swords.
-Stupid Shit - Ass clowns hacking a critical hotel system or something else that could potentially screw up the con for everyone.

The first two things are totally cool.

The last one would show you to be a complete tool and would likely cause 10000 + people to be pissed off at you, get you tossed out of the conference, get you tossed out of the hotel, and likely banned from any hotel in Vegas.

Do all three happen?

The first two, yes, CONSTANTLY.

The third one every once in a while and by that point it is out of the conference management hands and falls into the hands of law enforcement.

My suggestion is to just come and have fun, listen to the Security Goons, Hydrate, Don't drink too much, ask if you are going to take pictures of people, and just be cool to everyone.

so is shouting fire in the hallways a bootable offense. what about stinkbombs and chihuahuas?

[Bbox]

Re: defcon antics

P33V3 said it very well.

The only thing I would add since this will be your first Defcon is go to Defcon 101 on Thursday and listen and learn and get a great understanding of Defcon, and also Make yourself a forum Avatar badge (see link below) and go to the Forum Meet Friday night so you can meet people from the forum face to face and make new friends!

http://defcon.stotan.org/faq/avatar.htm

[Supralingua]

Re: defcon antics

If you decide to bring a computer/laptop, image it first and leave your personal data off it. You'll want to play on the wifi networks but you don't want to loose personal data, and bring a bootable OS just in case.

I wouldn't use the ATM's at the hotels either.

It's not that Defcon is full of hackers, it's that there can be DB's who have no boundaries.

[hudsonbentley]

Re: defcon antics

ha ha, I just watched the video from Jeff Moss telling funny stories like rewiring elevator buttons and finding a satellite dish in the elevator car. that's hilarious, and if the conference organizer thinks it's funny then that's great! I think the video was from 6 years ago though... anyone have any more recent stories like that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg6bQMTjHCE

and I totally get that we don't want to do stuff that gets the cops involved, I have zero desire to spend my vacation in a holding cell.

hb

[dc0de]

Re: defcon antics

ha ha, I just watched the video from Jeff Moss telling funny stories like rewiring elevator buttons and finding a satellite dish in the elevator car. that's hilarious, and if the conference organizer thinks it's funny then that's great! I think the video was from 6 years ago though... anyone have any more recent stories like that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg6bQMTjHCE

and I totally get that we don't want to do stuff that gets the cops involved, I have zero desire to spend my vacation in a holding cell.

hb

You don't have to worry about it. DT just announced that Defcon 20 is cancelled. Sad Day.

[sintax_error]

Re: defcon antics

so is shouting fire in the hallways a bootable offense. what about stinkbombs and chihuahuas?

Chihuahuas are always a bootable offense.

You don't have to worry about it. DT just announced that Defcon 20 is cancelled. Sad Day.

One day we'll actually have this DEFCON thing. One day.

[nitchimon]

Re: defcon antics

P33V3 said it very well.

The only thing I would add since this will be your first Defcon is go to Defcon 101 on Thursday and listen and learn and get a great understanding of Defcon, and also Make yourself a forum Avatar badge (see link below) and go to the Forum Meet Friday night so you can meet people from the forum face to face and make new friends!

http://defcon.stotan.org/faq/avatar.htm

really ?
I don't remember seeing Avatar Badges last year. Just a bunch of metal puzzle badges as well as additional winning contestant badges.
Do people still make up these avatar badges ?
Were they clipped with the DC badge or hung off to the side?
Any photos to show (no faces, etc) of the types of ABs?

thanks

[astcell]

Re: defcon antics

really ?
I don't remember seeing Avatar Badges last year. Just a bunch of metal puzzle badges as well as additional winning contestant badges.
Do people still make up these avatar badges ?
Were they clipped with the DC badge or hung off to the side?
Any photos to show (no faces, etc) of the types of ABs?

thanks

Blackwave and I worked on the first threads of an avatar badge. Here is mine from DC11. After this one some folks had the more professionally done.

[Bbox]

Re: defcon antics

I don't remember seeing Avatar Badges last year. Do people still make up these avatar badges ?
thanks

Yes! Many people wore their Forum Avatar Badge the entire time they were at Defcon. I made an effort to say Hi to all the people I saw wearing them and I had numerous people say Hi to me because I was wearing mine.

Were they clipped with the DC badge or hung off to the side?
thanks

All different ways, I wore mine on the same lanyard as the Defcon admission badge.

It was really nice putting the faces to the names of the people I know from this forum. Wearing the Avatar Badges to the Forum Meet is a big plus.

Definitely make one and come by and say Hi at the forum Meet on Friday night.

[nitchimon]

Re: defcon antics

Excellent!

Then I will have to design one up!
I have a high-def photo ready printer and lamenation device <grins>

Do they "have" to be 3x5 (index card size) ?

I've done ;
2-1/2 x 4-1/4 luggage tags
4-1/4 x 6-5/16 photo tags
2-3/16 x 3-11/16 business cards

and other sizes and I don't think I have stock for the 3x5 cards on hand.
Prob would have to order some pouches through e-bay.
Would anyone complain if it was larger ?

anyone know more than I do about RFID chips ?
What if I wanted to embed a preprogramed (message?) RFID into the ID tag ?
Possible ?
Just want to mess with the RF skimmers if there are any around, hehheh

Used to do that with bar code way back when, q-codes could be fun, but you'd have to be out of your mind to scan a q-code at DEFCON.

thoughts ? throw an at yahoo to priv email me about this.

If we can do something like this, I'll make up your Forum badge for ya.

Just don't kill me with a million requests....

tanx

Nitch

[kallahar]

Re: defcon antics

Mine is like 2.5x4 or something odd like that, I still have the original one twinvega printed up many years ago and I love it.

Make sure to leave a spot in the design for the hole punch, and remember that even if it's laminated water can get inside through that hole you just punched.

Also when I make my replacement I'll make it reversible so that it has my name on both sides.

Kallahar

[wrøng!]

Re: defcon antics

, but you'd have to be out of your mind to scan a q-code at DEFCON.

Why? It would depend on a vulnerability in the scanning app to do any harm. QR cannot execute code...

[nitchimon]

Re: defcon antics

Why? It would depend on a vulnerability in the scanning app to do any harm. QR cannot execute code...

correct, but what if the code was a url that contained nasties? Infect the phone or device you are using to scan ? or as you pointed out, if the scanner software had a vuln ?


Saw one guy scan something last year and after scanning it, his phone shut off.
Turned it back on and it didn't run right. Saw him later in the day and said he had to reset his phone. they were pissed. Coincidence ? <shrugs>