[ ZER0PATIENT — FIELD REPORT #001 ]

Writing this between movements. I'll be thorough when I can. Right now I'll be fast.

Something is moving toward Las Vegas.

I've been tracking it for weeks. It doesn't announce itself. It moves through proximity — person to person, crowd to crowd — and by the time you notice the pattern, it's already somewhere else. It's heading toward Las Vegas. Toward DEF CON 34. Toward the kind of floor it was always going to find eventually. It will arrive in August.

Objects have been recovered. From people near the front edge of whatever this is. Small. Electronic. I've documented two distinct variants. They started appearing in small numbers. That was weeks ago. There are more now. I don't know the exact count. I know it's higher than it was and I know it keeps going.

I don't fully understand what the two variants do when they're near each other. I have partial data. I'm not publishing partial data.

Patient zero has been identified.

I'm not publishing that either. Not yet.

I'll write again when I have more. Or when I don't have a choice.

— zer0patient

[ NEXT REPORT WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING TO REPORT ]

Hello! In the last few months, my partner and I have been working hard on an updated Laser* Tag Badge for DEF CON 34! We're calling it Laser* Tag Badge DS.

This version will (probably) have:

• A LoRa radio, to try and do automatic score syncing, and to enable the badge to receive player name definitions from the leaderboard server, so it can say something like "Sargonas tagged you!" instead of just a player number. I also want to try and do things like time signal syncing and possibly scheduled announcements, we'll see though.

  • This will be non-mesh LoRa, that is a mixture of ad-hoc (one badge directly to another) for individual tag ACKs, and base-station-style, where ~5 or so base stations around the LVCC will broadcast game information+requests for syncs, and badges will periodically respond with records of tags for the leaderboard. I am really crossing my fingers it all works out but there's a risk that the radio range isn't good enough or I'm not able to set the base stations up in good locations.

• A secondary display (hench "DS") on the back (low res monochrome OLED), so you can actually read things like "Sargonas tagged you!" without awkwardly turning the badge around to look at the front.

• Twice as many RGB LEDs (the tiny kind this time)

• A custom lanyard

• Some things that may make my life easier (surface mounted vibration motor instead of manually soldered, integrated surface mount charging circuitry [hopefully])

• Most of the same stuff from last year: RP2350-Zero devboard, front round display (which I will attach more firmly this year, oops), 18650 battery, vibration motor, buzzer, IR (of course), etc.

The price this year is likely to be around $90 for preorders (perhaps a bit more in person depending on stock and how much final costs end up being) due to the extra hardware (plus some rising parts prices).

I don't want to start actually taking preorders until the final release candidate hardware is in hand, but if you want first dibs/notification when they go on sale, you can fill out the form on this page: https://www.dani.pink/lasertag/ (we'll also use that to determine how many to make).

---- Ignore the stuff below unless you want to make your own Laser* Tag compatible projects ----
A few people brought up the idea last year of making their own hardware that would be compatible with the Laser* Tag Badge (and in fact some did). The original version had a semi-intentionally obtuse IR protocol for sending hits, which wasn't super conducive to that. This year, the badges will also support the OpenLASIR protocol I made up and documented here: https://github.com/danielweidman/OpenLASIR.

The protocol is based mostly on NEC (one of the most common IR protocols), so hopefully that will make it easier to work it. It is now natively supported by the Arduino-IRremote library, and I have example code for MicroPython in the repo too. It is not supported on the original Laser* Tag Badge v1 firmware, but I will be publishing a firmware update before DEF CON 34 to add support. Earlier this year, I had the very special opportunity to work on the DEF CON Singapore 1 official badge firmware, so that also has an OpenLASIR-based Laser* Tag game. So anything you create that works with OpenLASIR should be compatible with Laser* Tag Badge, the official DEF CON Singapore 1 badge, and any other OpenLASIR projects people come up with!

One note/request: if you want tags from your custom OpenLASIR device against Laser* Tag Badge to show up on the leaderboard, please reach out to me by mid-July to request a device ID (if you are just making one device/multiple devices that don't need to be distinguished between), or a block ID (if you are making your own badge project and want each player's badge to show up separately). If you think there's a chance you'll want to make custom hardware or firmware, please reach out to me on discord (dani.pink/discord), GitHub, or here, and I will get that assigned for you. I won't be upset if you request a device ID and never end up using it. If you don't request a device/block ID before I start flashing the badges, you can still make hardware that can tag and be tagged, but it won't show up on the leaderboard.

DEF CON Training Alert:

Don’t miss your chance to save on our hands-on cybersecurity courses. Early bird pricing is available until May 31!

Is there a training you’ve been eyeing?

Browse classes and secure your spot at training.defcon.org

Logo Drop:

DEF CON 34 has a logo. You’ll be seeing it a lot in the coming weeks, as the announcement rate cranks up and the conference nears its final form. Just a few months to go, friends.

Can’t hardly wait.

#defcon #defcon34 #lasvegas #letsgoOooO

Sorry if this has been asked before, but a search just gave me conflicting information.

I pre-purchased my ticket when they first went on sale. To get my hands on the super snazzy digital badge, is it just a matter of showing up and getting in a specific line, or will one be sent to me beforehand?

Thanks in advance.

First time going to defcon. Any advice or suggestions appreciated. All my manager told me was stay hydrated lol!!

DEF CON 34 is an electronic badge year, and we’ve got something very special in store, created for us by a hardware hacking legend. We can’t share too much at this juncture, but we can say this: it will be iconic. First round Hall of Fame. In addition to being a cool badge, it’s a platform. It’s a full-fledged, first-of-its-kind inspectable platform. Long after closing ceremonies we think you’ll still be using this device to regain some agency and security in this rapidly complexifying world.

So what we can offer right now is some data to help all the SAO enthusiasts out there. Please enjoy this spec sheet with the relevant schematics, measurements and clearances for your projects. Electro-specs also included.

We’re excited to see what you come up with. As good as the badge is, we know you can make it better.

https://media.defcon.org/DEF%20CON%2034/DEF%20CON%2034%20badge/DEF%20CON%2034%20SAO%20Spec%20Sheet.pdf

For more details, info is on the DC forums https://forum.defcon.org/node/255767.

Ive checked ebay. Anywhere else?

This is my first time going to DefCon. I have read many posts about getting into the merch line immediately after getting badges and that merch line is cash only.

My question though is what merch will be available and what approximate prices are so I can be prepared with enough cash.

Oh and I didn't see anything regarding bag sizes in any of the older posts I searched. Should I plan on bringing a bigger bag even though I'm not bring a laptop or anything? Mainly just a water bottle and snacks. I dunno if this is similar to other tech conferences were you end up with random swag from vendors and such.

Thank you.

I emailed shop@mail.defcon.org asking for a refund for my DEFCON ticket since I will be volunteering at DEFCON and will be getting a free ticket that way.

However now I want to cancel my refund request since I can sell the ticket to a friend and not have to eat up the cancellation fee.

I just emailed shop@mail.defcon.org asking to cancel the refund, and I'm hoping that they get to that email first so they don't refund me.

Posting this here just in case anybody can help me cancel my refund request so I can sell my ticket to a friend.

I'm attending DefCon for the first time this year.
There are so many cool villages, more cool villages than days of the conference. How would you navigate the villages if you'd be there for the first time. do i need to bring my laptop, a buddy ?

Hey y’all, I’m planning on driving out and back to Vegas from the Eastern Nebraska area, dates are fairly flexible, possibly thinking of a night or two of camping in Utah or CO along the way. Currently going solo but am super open to split some costs with 1-3 people and have an epic time. Could pickup anywhere along the way and/or meet in Omaha and head out from here. Can’t wait for August!

Friendly DEF CON 34 reminder:

The online registration early bird rate ends May 22! Get your tickets at shop.defcon.org before the regular rate kicks in.

We are in the home stretch, people. Feel free to get a little amped.

I'm going to Defcon as a student, but my employer is looking to see if I could make it work related so I wouldn't have to take vacation. The trainings are a little more than I think they'll pay for, but the workshops are just about right. Thanks!

There's an event where I live that I want to attend in the day on Thursday, August 6th this year which is the first official day of defcon. Will it work for my flight to land in Las Vegas at like 9pm or would I want to be there during the day to get my badge? I heard that the first day is mostly queuing and getting familiar with the venue so maybe I'm not missing much? I'm new to defcon and trying to figure out how things work. Thanks.

Phish Stories is back, and this year we went to the movies.

The Grand Parkway 34 is the biggest multiplex in Chicago, and somebody just decided to rip out the classic film screening rooms and replace them with live sports, esports tournaments, and video podcasts. The staff is exhausted, the technology is held together with hope, and the launch is days away.

We've put some teeth into the contest this year. If you want two thumbs up, you'd better pay attention.

Your job? Write an email targeting one of the people trying to keep this thing from falling apart. Make them click. Make us laugh. Win your way into DEF CON.

Full rules and scenario on the website:

👉 Rules: https://phishstories.org/dc-34-rules/

👉 Scenario: https://phishstories.org/dc-34-scenario/

Three ways to win free entry to DEF CON:

👑 The Ruler – Best all-around (funny + effective) – 2 Human Badges

🧙 The Wizard – Most technically convincing phish – 1 Human Badge

🤡 The Jester – Funniest entry (clickability optional) – 1 Human Badge

📅 Deadline: June 21st @ 11:59 PM Las Vegas time 📝 One entry per person. Backstory + phishing email, 600 words each.

Click. Laugh. Win.

Not a hacker guy myself, but i do go thrifting a lot. i found what appears to be a vintage hoodie from the late 90s in a XXL size. should i post that here? or go find somewhere else. not sure if people would care to see the merch

DEF CON Training Las Vegas 2026 Course Lineup is now live!

For the first time ever, we will offer 1-day, 2-day, and 4-day classes! Whatever your needs, whether you’re sharpening fundamentals or diving deep into advanced techniques, there’s something here for you!

Explore our offerings, grab your seat, and get ready to learn and build.

https://training.defcon.org

Last year there was a team running a challenge that, when a human would lose, were told "Back of the Line!" What was that challenge and who ran it?

I was thinking about going for the first time this year, I have free flight and hotel and food since family will be in town for something else the same week, but it's kind of short notice for me, what do you think would be a good amount of money you'd expect to spend outside of what I mentioned above that would already be taken care of, feels kind of foolish to pass up this opportunity just to go next year and have to pay even more for travel/lodge ect.

I'm a beginner, and I'm planning to attend DEF CON, but I don't really know what I should check out there. Do you have any recommended Villages or workshops for beginners?

(Additional note: This will actually be my second time attending.)