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• DEF CON

  DEF CON (also written as DEFCON or Defcon) is the world's largest annual hacker convention, held every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first DEF CON took place in June 1993, and in 2008, over 8500 people attended DEF CON 16.

  Many of the attendees at DEF CON include computer security professionals, journalists, lawyers, federal government employees, crackers, and hackers with a general interest in computer code and computer architecture. The event consists of several tracks of speakers about computer- and hacking-related subjects, as well as social events and contests in everything from creating the longest Wi-Fi connection and cracking computer systems to who can most effectively cool a beer in the Nevada heat. Other contests include lockpicking, robotic-related contests, art, slogan, coffee wars, and Capture the Flag. Capture the Flag (CTF) is perhaps the best known of these contests. It is a hacking competition where teams of hackers attempt to attack and defend computers and networks. CTF has been emulated at other hacking conferences as well as in academic and military contexts.

• Fast Facts

  1. When: August 8-10, 2008Defcon16: Defcon 16
  2. Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
  3. Venue: Riviera Hotel and CasinoPC World: Security Vendors Slam Defcon Virus Contest (April 25, 2008)
  4. The first Defcon was in June 1993CNN: History of Hacking (November 19, 2001)
  5. Defcon 15 had more than 6,000 attendeesCNET : Hacking at Defcon(August 7, 2006)</ref>
  6. Price: $100 (Cash only at the door)

• Dmitry Sklyarov

  In 2001, Dmitry Sklyarov, a Russian programmer, was arrested at Defcon for giving away software that could decrypt Adobe's e-book format.Russian Crypto Expert Arrested at Defcon]]

• The Madigan Scandal

  In August 2007, Michelle Madigan, a reporter for Dateline NBC, was heckled and chased from the conference for recording the event but failing to identify she was with the press.Gizmodo: NBC's DefCon Mole (August 4, 2007)

• Defcon 16 Events

  • Warballooning Demo
  • Coffee Wars
  • Defcon Shoot
  • Buzzword Survivor
  • EEE PC Mod WorkshopDefcon16: Defcon 16

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Las Vegas | Dateline NBC | Michelle Madrigan | Black Hat Convention | Hackers

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