Calling All Speakers!

Written by  on February 21, 2024

Are you interested in speaking at DC612? If so, let us know!

We are always looking for speakers, from the seasoned vets to the newcomers. If you are passionate and knowledgeable about something, we want to hear from you. You don’t need to be an expert either, in fact we like hearing from people who are sharing what they are learning now (as long as the info is accurate, of course).

What do we look for? Honestly any hacker topic is fine. Defcon is a hacker conference, not a computer security conference strictly, so as long as your subject matter would be of interest to other hackers, we’d love to hear it!

If you are interested in speaking (or know someone who is), please fill out this Google Form and we will be in contact: https://forms.gle/yYji2bFoqQRdt3Xj6

Note that there is no need to have or use a Google account for this, but if you prefer to reach us by other means you can:

and include the following info:

  • Name / Handle
  • Talk Title
  • Talk Abstract
  • Speaker Bio
  • Availability
  • Are you okay with the talk being recorded?
  • How do you prefer questions to be handled?

We meet the second Thursday of each month, virtually on our Jitsi server.

Thursday, March 14th – 6:12pm @ Virtual

Written by  on March 13, 2024

Update: We are having some technical difficulties with the Jitsi server which just started a moment ago. As a backup, please join us in our Discord server until we can figure out what’s up: https://discord.gg/jKVBVtmk

Hello Hackers!

We are happy to be joined again by @lozaning! Did you make sure to floss and brush? Because if not, they’ll know:

The talk is on the process and tools used to create the first ESP32 self replicating worm in a commercial product, aka the toothbrush botnet. We’ll cover dumping the original firmware, some light RE, the way that ESP32 over the air firmware updates work, setting up a dedicated wifi network to perform MITM attacks, the challenges of creating self referencing firmware in a resource constrained platform, as well as some in process work to automate finding new devices that use the same chips by scraping the FCC’s website.

As usual these days of Covid, we will be meeting online at https://cafe.cyberia.club/dc612.

Talk starts at 6:12 PM U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.

— TactiFail

Thursday, February 8th – 6:12pm @ Virtual

Written by  on February 2, 2024

Hello Hackers!

This month, we will be joined by Mauddib28 who will be speaking about the exploration of Bluetooth and the pain points encountered along the way:

This talk will be about the pains and victories encountered while trying to get an understanding of the Bluetooth landscape. The exploration of Bluetooth begins with an assessment of the protocol’s basics, the topography of existing toolsets, and a determining of where/how to launch probes of the environment. During this process, the researcher has to discern limitations of the tools and establish initial instruments for explorations. We will review the pain-points perceived along with lessons learned in the development of these skills. The review of the Bluetooth research ranges from scanning/discovery of devices, their enumeration, and their interaction with potential objects. Devices investigated include the BLE CTF, custom made servers, and unknown devices found in the wild. The platform was constructed using Python with the BlueZ and dbus libraries.

Wortman is a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Connecticut with research that ranged from network analysis to cyber security risk evaluation. He now focuses on Bluetooth protocol and devices research.

As usual, we will be meeting online at https://cafe.cyberia.club/dc612.

Talk starts at 6:12 PM U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.

— TactiFail

Thursday, January 11th – 6:30pm @ Virtual

Written by  on January 5, 2024

Hello Hackers!

Note the time change! We start at 6:30PM instead of the traditional 6:12PM at the request of our speaker, because…

This month, we will be joined by @4lph4V all the way from India (11.5 hours ahead of Central time) who will be presenting his talk titled “Transitioning into Offensive Security”:

This session delves into the practical aspects and challenges faced when embracing an offensive security role. From acquiring essential skills to navigating the evolving landscape, gain valuable insights to empower your transition into the realm of offensive cybersecurity

Vaibhav is an Associate Security Consultant at Securityium, recognized as one of MLH’s Top 50 Most Inspirational Hackers of 2023. Passionate about community building, he spearheads Club TechBrewers, a platform to learn, connect and build with like minded folks. With extensive speaking experience of delivering 15+ talks, Vaibhav shares expertise in offensive security and penetration testing, making him a sought-after contributor to the cybersecurity community.

As usual, we will be meeting online at https://cafe.cyberia.club/dc612.

Talk starts at 6:30PM (time change!) U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.

— TactiFail

Thursday, December 14th – 6:12pm @ Virtual

Written by  on December 14, 2023

Hello Hackers!

This month, we will be joined by @MiloSilo_Hacks who will be presenting some prompt engineering attacks to bypass ChatGPT restrictions:

I have created TTPs and two tools to assist in manipulating generative AI which bypass all the ethical boundaries of ChatGPT. I have a heads-up display ratings system you can add into ChatGPT to understand how it thinks. This talk will include a live demo.

I’m peter Halber, aka Milosilo. I’m a senior red teamer at a big corporate bank, and also former counterintelligence agent. I combined my skill sets to redteam generative AI via prompt engineering. When I’m not hacking, I like to spend time with friends and family. I enjoy cooking, the outdoors, and playing flight simulator. I also have great jokes.

As usual, we will be meeting online at https://cafe.cyberia.club/dc612.

Talk starts at 6:12 PM U.S. Central, but feel free to hop in early and chat.

— TactiFail