Deviant's DEF CON Advice

(So many thanks and shouts out to Renderman, my most long-time friend and brother in the hacker community, who sent me the t-shirt you see here. It's from a brewery in the Bay Area and it's super comfortable!)

This video is inspired by a thread on Mastodon last week...

If anything in here helps you in your planning for DEF CON, Black Hat, BSides, and the rest of Hacker Summer Camp, wonderful! 👍😁👍

Example of a $100 YOLO phone...

Example of a $50 YOLO phone...

Eva Galperin's talk about Stalkerware...

Datagram's talk about Tamper Evident Technologies...

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[wonkafansonly]

i write my passwords on paper and keep them in a faraday bag just to be safe

[JessicaFEREM]

Protip: some phones let you plug your phone into your laptop for hotspotting. not only is it usually faster, it's usually much safer than opening a wifi network.

[_mattm_]

Apple Pay / Google pay is more resilient to sniffing attacks than a tap-to-pay card: The card and expiry are transmitted in the clear, so while there is dynamic authentication for tap cards, the card number can be used in other context (like online). Apple Pay numbers are unique to that method, so they can't be abused in that way. Plus if something does go wrong, you can usually dynamically provision it without waiting for your bank to mail you a card.

[JiSe]

If you are first timer in an alcohol heavy event. And especially if you are going in without trusted friends.

Know your baseline mental health situation. Multi day binges can make a "in control" issue into "out of control", Vegas is designed to help you to make bad decisions.

Stand up after every two drinks, go pee and get one non alcoholic drink.



Follow the One is none rule, have duplicates of your important stuff (Phone, payment methods, etc.)

Listen more than you speak. Be polite, ask for affirmative consent if you are doing anything that might break other persons boundaries.

[Ellington_Industrial_Arts]

Lol... Dude I love that you dropped "polycule" in your dinner advice. 😂

Definitely my people! ✌

[cogspace]

As a Vegas local, seriously. It's over 110+ °F this week. August isn't going to be any kinder. This heat is deadly dangerous, especially if you're not acclimatized to it. Heat stroke kills over 100 people here every year. Stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. Please. Take care of yourselves and each other. 💜

[WalnutBun]

I think the best way to respond to the people who say "oh I can go days without showering" is to say "the people forced to be around you know for a fact that you can't".

[SkylerLinux]

"Don't trust any ATM's in the City..." Man if that was really true DEFCON would have to be hosted in the middle of nowhere because no City would let them back.

[PregnantOrc]

As a non-con vet I know I'd have to mod that 3/2/1 rule to be per 12 hours rather than 24. I know my limits. I need the sleep, I'd need 4 meals even if two are glorified snack breaks to keep up energy for a con and Vegas is so far south from my nornal habitat that I'd need the cooling showers for sanity even if I disregarded hygien.

[a_c_v]

My most defcon laptop experience: At AP, around DC11, by pool 1. Put down thinkpad X20 onto a poolside table. Immediate shutdown. Wasn't hacked, the table was so hot thermal shutdown took over :D

[undefined]

That blender advice was new to me, thanks. I will leave my blender safely at home now and bring my analog pocket knife instead.

[acidhelm]

Another shower protip: Take that shower at night before you get into bed. That way, you'll wake up clean and your bed won't get all smelly and gross after days of sweat, smoke, and whatever else your clothes pick up.

[jabadoo]

Tip for using the hotel safe:
Put a small safe inside the safe, inside the hotel safe. That’s like 3 squared. Checkmate lockpickers.

[syntax-]

that Polyam i feel seen and a bit called out! lol keep up the good work and come see me DJ on thursday night ACK stage!

Thank you for all the good work you do and keep it up!

[carlsojos]

Have never tried DEFCON, but I've been to Las Vegas once. I bought a car sight-unseen (a 1986 Pontiac Fiero), took a one-way plane ticket to the city, picked up the car, and drove it home. Bringing a friend was probably the best decision I made on that trip.

[Lop]

I love how down to earth you are, without being condescending. Your videos are a breath of fresh air in this hell of hyperbolic panic inducing clickbait

[xrk]

I bring my personal phone and my yolo laptop.

I think most of us, our biggest "threat" is physical theft and leaving things behind

[RorrohSnowcat]

As far as food goes, I'm a veteran at much smaller conventions than Defcon but that vortex is such a ubiquitous phenomena. After having it happen a few times I learned to not deal with that nonsense. Be here in the lobby at this time, we ship out within 10 minutes of that. If you miss it then too bad, either find your own way there or catch us next time. Getting up and down elevators is always a pain but I'll usually give at least an hour's notice. It usually works out quite well for my friends and I even when not planning it far ahead.

[TesserId]

An attempt to generalize the topic: Mitigation and risk acceptance: limit what you do according to the environment and according to what you're willing to sacrifice in that environment. I'm surprised at how many there are in security roles that don't get this. Wish I could teach it to everybody I know. 'Cause, why get into the weeds if you don't understand the principal? Seriously, people who expect the technology to do everything will eventually find where the technology fails. Of course, this why I follow this channel.

[Heeby-Jeebies]

I love how direct, honest, and kind you are at the end.
"I'm not going to vortex with you. But i will walk and talk with you. I want to meet you, come say hey."
That's genuine, man.