Who is coming to Defcon this year?

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Oleg Volk

I am considering going, what do I need to know about the event to get the most out of it?

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17 Responses to Who is coming to Defcon this year?

  1. Ryan Lackey says:
    July 10, 2011 at 11:25 pm

    Bring guns. Bring cameras. There are several shooting events in the desert where you would be welcome.

    Don’t connect to the wifi networks; ideally, don’t use anything but a throwaway cellphone or laptop the whole time. If you absolutely must use the Internet, use 3G and some kind of VPN on a dedicated freshly installed and patched laptop with nothing sensitive on it (e.g. a google chromebook).

  2. Keith Bachman says:
    July 11, 2011 at 12:52 am

    I agree with Ryan. Don’t trust the networks, or any tech using anything connected at the event. It IS the world’s most hostile network. Go with an open mind, take a look at the itinerary and mark what sounds interesting to you. I caught what I could the year I went, and ended up buying the CD audio of ALL the events (came with slides, etc as well) – since I couldn’t make them all.

    Pack camera, pen & paper, water, and CASH. Be ready for LOTS of walking – its Vegas, and its hot. Guns themselves aren’t a discussion topic (MOST of the time) – except at the shoot out in the desert. (There was one, I think, about traveling with expensive gear, and adding a firearm, or enough parts to qualify, insured safe travel)

    Enjoy the event, you never know who you’ll end up having lunch with. (I had lunch with Paul Vixie, merely listening as folks more knowledgeable than I discussed tech)
    https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Paul_Vixie

    DO make sure you’re WELL aware of the photog rules, they are VERY strict about them there. (You won’t be able to just snap photos anywhere; due to the nature of the talks and many folks there don’t want to be “seen” (documented) there.)

  3. Vlad says:
    July 11, 2011 at 1:00 am

    I’ll try to fill in Oleg a bit more. We will have a secure network up in the room. We have 2 MiFi devices on unlimited data plans, and can tether laptops directly to them with a cable. Not 100% secure but close enough if Chris Paget isn’t nearby. We will also have secure VPN. I know several folks are fan of Olegs(including many of the goons) work and will help him gets some emails out securely and upload some pictures without getting 0wned.

    There’s several firearms related presentations this year including mine, and 2 by a friend Deviant Olam.

    I think Oleg will have a lot of fun watching competitions/contests, especially gringo warrior, and people learning in lock pick village.

    • Oleg Volk says:
      July 11, 2011 at 1:01 am

      Where should I look for the “media” rules to avoid imposing on the attendees?

      • Vlad says:
        July 11, 2011 at 1:08 am

        I dont see a link handy, I’ll try to hunt it down.
        The biggies are no sweeping crowd shots. You must have peoples explicit permission to take a photo of them in many (if not all) areas of the conference.

  4. Vlad says:
    July 11, 2011 at 1:12 am

    I take it back, looks like all the rules may be repealed and its wild wild west. https://forum.defcon.org/archive/index.php/t-11813.html . I will email Nikita in the morning and ask her.

  5. Dan says:
    July 11, 2011 at 1:28 am

    I went to Defcon in 2008, I will echo what other have said…DO NOT connect to any wifi networks…there are a bunch of events I went to there, though I wish i would have gone to a few of the shoots, the events I went to were a lot of the lockpicking events…all in all I had an awesome time.

  6. Jeff says:
    July 11, 2011 at 2:32 am

    Thanks for the reminder. I’m going to try and make it this year. I wasn’t aware of a shoot though where do they do it?

  7. Ryan Lackey says:
    July 11, 2011 at 3:15 am

    Also, I advise not staying at the Rio — the pricing has become extortionate as of 1 July, and it’s a pretty mediocre hotel anyway. ($499/night when it’s normally more like $69-100/night).

    Wynn is obviously nice, especially Encore, but so are Caesar’s, Bellagio, Four Seasons, Venetian, etc.

    Also, NV has had some recent stupidity w.r.t. CCW and reciprocity. While I’ve got UT and FL, only my NV counts as a valid CCW in NV right now. I’m glad I got that one too.

  8. perlhaqr says:
    July 11, 2011 at 7:38 am

    Never, ever use any ATM in the ‘con hotel.

  10. Vlad says:
    July 11, 2011 at 8:52 am

    Here are the photography rules from the organizers for this year

    Public photography is now *allowed.
    RULES:

    1. Groups, “crowd shots”, and individuals participating in public
    events, contests, or activities are *allowed to be photographed.
    (excluding CTF)
    2.Respect the rights of the individual not to be photographed. Do not
    harass, stalk, or annoy others, deletion of photos can be requested by
    staff.
    3.Photograph private parties & areas outside of the badged conference
    area AT YOUR OWN RISK.

    You consent to these rules with admission to the conference, failure
    to comply can result in revocation of admissions without refund. *We
    reserve the right to revoke this policy, at any time, on a case by
    case basis.

  11. Erik Berls says:
    July 11, 2011 at 11:07 pm

    What Ryan/Vlad/etc said above.

    Additionally, notebook, business cards, and extra pens.

    Also, buy Security Goons (red shirts) a beer, and they’d be happy to talk your ear off.

  12. Rob says:
    July 13, 2011 at 9:20 am

    It was my understanding that you needed a special permit or endorsement to carry in Las Vegas (or Clark County). But I can’t actually find anything on the internet about that, so that might be old news, or I might just have it wrong.

  13. Jeff says:
    July 14, 2011 at 1:34 am

    @Rob
    You need to have registered your gun in clark county to get a CCW from Clark county, they give you a blue card for it though now you don’t have to have the blue card anymore. They also just changed things as of July 1 so that you just have to qualify with a revolver and/or semiauto among other things. Before we had to qualify with each gun and have it listed on the CCW.
    If you get a NV CCW from another county with a lower population you don’t have to deal with the registration BS.

  14. Vlad says:
    July 14, 2011 at 8:48 am

    So carrying in vegas with a florida or pennsylvania permit is a nogo? Damn it…

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