June 12th, 2025 – “Lava Cakes, Anyone?”
Hello Hackers!
This month we are joined by Drakespirit who will be presenting their talk “I had copilot offer up some titles because titles are something I suck at [sic]”:
Can you make lava cakes at home? Yes, but can you make lava cakes at home with only some brownie mix, ice cream and pudding mix? Possibly, but you need an advanced degree in hackery with a reckless disregard for your own safety if you’re going to engineer something of this magnitude. Join us as we take an in depth look at what makes a lava cake a lava cake, and what kinds of gastronomic alchemy we will need to barter with to create a lava cake that’s as much party trick to make as it is to eat.
Bio: Short for biology, of which DrakeSpirit is purported to have. So much biology, more -ology than bio at this point really. They are known for use of -ology where ever possible, and especially when the use of hats is involved. All stalling for time and attempt to pad out the bio not withstanding, there is not much to say. DrakeSpirit is a (mostly) carbon based life whose knowledge base is obscure at best and eclectic at worst. Sneakiest “ah~ha” moment I’m willing to cop to: Figuring out that an oven that can hold a constant 250 temp is perfect for making caramel, and terrible for the diet.
Meeting will be on Discord. If you need an invite, look no further.
Talk starts at 6:12 PM U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.
— TactiFail
May 8th, 2025 – “Root Cause Analysis (and Getting it Right)”
Hello Hackers!
This month we are joined by Floofinfried who will be presenting their talk “Root Cause Analysis (and Getting it Right)”:
People talk at length about RCA reports, and the cybersecurity industry seems to be slowly settling on a standardized method for going about RCAs. However, there are several other industries that have had this nailed down for decades (for example, aviation and occupational safety) that we can learn from to improve our methodology. In this talk, we’ll go through the basics of the RCA process from multiple perspectives in order to deepen our understanding of the process and do better in the future.
Bio: Aspiring NPC with experience in several aspects of Blue Team work and a bit of experience in the physical & social engineering side of Red Team. Not much to write home about, but I’m here to help where I can.
Meeting will be on Discord. If you need an invite, look no further.
Talk starts at 6:12 PM U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.
— TactiFail
April 10th, 2025 – “Tools of the Trade”
Hello Hackers!
This month we are joined again by @brianhalbach who will be presenting his talk “Tools of the Trade: How basic items can get you access almost anywhere.”:
You do not have to be James Bond to break into most buildings; in fact, a handful of simple items are often all you need. Success isn’t just about having the latest gadgets—it’s about knowing how to use simple, everyday items in creative ways. This talk explores the tools of physical penetration testing, from advanced lock picks and RFID cloners to common objects like clipboards, duct tape, and hotel key cards, demonstrating how these can be effective in bypassing physical security controls. Attendees will gain an understanding of the commonly used tools, including both specialized gear and unconventional items that can provide surprising advantages. We’ll discuss the importance of hands-on familiarity with your tools, selecting the right approach for a given scenario, and how to use these tools to expose real-world vulnerabilities.
Bio: Brian Halbach has eight years of cybersecurity experience, six of which have been penetration testing. He has been featured on Nightline ABC where a camera crew followed him and his coworker around while they broke into multiple companies in the Twin Cities Metro area. Brian was also featured on Darknet Diaries where he has regaled audiences with stories of physical penetration testing gone wrong. Brian has spoken about cybersecurity at conferences such as Defcon’s Physical Security Village, Wild West Hackin’ Fest, and GrrCon, Secure360. While he is passionate about hacking into things, he is equally as passionate about helping organizations learn how to secure themselves.
Meeting will be on Discord. If you need an invite, look no further.
Talk starts at 6:12 PM U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.
— TactiFail
March 13th, 2025 – “A Day in the Life: Blue Team Edition”
Hello Hackers!
This month we are joined again by @Bajiri who will be presenting their talk “A Day in the Life: Blue Team Edition”:
Directly inspired by both the phishing analysis talk and the pentest panel (I have 0 creativity and originality), I thought it would be interesting to dive in a little deeper into the daily workflow of a SOC analyst (me). Focused mainly on what I do day-to-day, processes/procedures, tools we use in the SOC, and incident walkthroughs for some of the bigger incidents I’ve worked.
Bio: I am a SOC analyst and otherwise boring person
Meeting will be on Discord. If you need an invite, look no further.
Talk starts at 6:12 PM U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.
— TactiFail
February 13th, 2025 – Pentester Panel
Hello Hackers!
This month we are joined by… well, a few people?
It sounds like there is interest in having a panel-style discussion led by pentesters, so that’s what we are gonna do! Each member of the panel will give a quick intro, some of their history, how they got into pentesting, etc. Then when that is done we will open it up for a general Q&A format. Wanna know what the day-to-day is like? Need advice for what to study? Opinions on the future? Ask away!
Meeting will be on Discord. If you need an invite, look no further.
Talk starts at 6:12 PM U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.
— TactiFail