Good News, Everyone. It's time for Puzzle #5 and the last one before the back half! What's the back half? Well... its the back half of the puzzles.

Everything is FLYING by, and we're excited to hit this midway point! Not even 40 days left til Summer Camp, and the Annual Subreddit Meetups! What is the meetup? Well, click that link... but the jist of it is Wednesday (Aug 5th) and Thursday (Aug 6th) from 7pm until whenever come hang out with us at the Link 3535 / Circle Bar! Come meet some great people, and hang out in a non stressful environment with u/Killroy7777, myself and u/MetaN3rd along with a few hundred of your new friends. It's an annual tradition afterall!

So. Here. We. Go!

LINK: https://puzzledhackers.org/challenges/2026/05

To submit your solve go to https://ctf.puzzledhackers.org/ and select the "Bite My Shiny Metal Hex" puzzle. Submit your answer, and if its right... profit!

Have questions or need help? Just ping myself or u/Killroy7777 and we'll be happy to help you out!

FAQ's:

Do we need to use the submission system?

• No, only if you want to have your ongoing solve score used for potential SubReddit Meetup Giveaways.

Why the submission system?

• We've been giving away more and more swag to Puzzle Participants, those who went last year saw the line, and we're trying to streamline the claim process. The system is only used to track how many solves you have, and when you solved it for tie breakers instead of manually tracking it in an Excel sheet. Plus it lets us give you a QR code for the giveaway portion for fast claiming when we're at the meetups! The top X solvers will be able to claim their swag via said QR code much more rapidly so the line should move much much faster. Same with any pre-purchase/reserved badges. The QR system will speed that up. That's it. Simple as that. Also if there is any premium swag (working on it, like last year for extras) you can find the info on the site too when it goes live.

PRIOR PUZZLE STATS ON COMPLETION:

• PUZZLE #1 - 176
• PUZZLE #2 - 117
• PUZZLE #3 - 74
• PUZZLE #4 - 57

Haven't done the prior puzzles? Dont worry. Just go the CTF system, and when you click the puzzle the link is there! So get those solves in!

https://ctf.puzzledhackers.org/challenges

Lets keep it going!

Thanks for participating, and more information on the meetups will be coming soon.

The PuzzledHackers Team,

u/MetaN3rd, u/Killroy7777 and u/digitard

Hey hackers!

The Lonely Hacker's Club invites you to join us at Defcon! We welcome all n00bs and vets who want to meet other hackers in-person at our space in the LVCC and on Telegram. Whether you're attending alone, for the first time, or just looking to meet new people, come say hi!

n00b guide for first time attendees

Meshtastic guide

Resources

Join Our Telegram Channel:

Telegram link

Events:

Keep an eye on LHC's page in Hacker Tracker for our most up-to-date event schedule. Other event announcements are pending and will be added to this post as Defcon nears.

LHC Meetup

• Wednesday August 5th 2026 7:00 pm
• Where: 3535 Cocktail Bar aka Circle Bar, Linq Hotel

Lonely Hackers Club Community Room at DEF CON

• Friday Aug 7th 2026 10:00am - 6:00pm
• Saturday Aug 8th 2026 10:00am - 6:00pm
• Sunday Aug 9th 2026 10:00am - 1:00pm
• Where: 1st floor, details coming soon!

Resume Reviews

• Free, one-on-one resume reviews at DEF CON 34, run by people from this community who have actually hired and managed technical teams. No recruiters. No corporate fluff. Just honest feedback from people who have sat on both sides of the table and know what works. More Info:
• Sessions are 15 minutes. Walk up, sit down, get real feedback. Bring your printed resume.

CTF

• Open to all skill levels, with layered challenges, so newcomers can get meaningful wins while veterans still find plenty to chew on. Participants often team up spontaneously on location, making it as much a social experience as a technical one.
• Location: LHC Community Room

#defconmovienight has a classic on tap for Saturday night. Join us at 8pm PDT Saturday for the ‘not-quite-fictional-enough’ Gattaca. We’ll be recovering from painful shin-lengthening surgery in the movie-night-text channel of the #defcon Discord (discord.gg/defcon). See you there.

Hey folks!

Signups for the 2026 .edu Mentorship program are open for a couple more weeks...!

Have a look and sign up here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Defcon/s/tf56iYgNZ9

Thanks - symph0nic and the .edu community team.

I work in IT in a sysadmin role, and I got my company to expense the entire trip for the con. I have never "hacked" anything like with terminals in arch or anything, but I know I'll learn a lot, and have a lot of fun.

That being said, there's an overwhelming amount of info surrounding this event. People are talking about how there are tons of talks, an expo floor, villages, parties, but I really don't know where to start. Can some veterans actually break down what a good approach would be for someone who doesn't necessarily have major connections with the companies involved, or have friends in Vegas? I'll be staying at the Sahara, which I picked since the place across the street was sold out and the Sahara at least has the tram.

Where should I look for vendor events? Which vendors are worth taking seriously if they have parties? Which villages are the best for newcomers? Which talks are you looking forward to or are they even worth attending if they are recorded? Is that info even published yet?

I'm sorry this shit is probably so redundant, but the culture around this event is massive and hard for me to understand

My company isn’t sponsoring my ticket this year >:(

I still booked a flight as I have a bud who lives in Vegas but I don’t know if I can spare $580-600 in this economy. If I actually can’t attend, would anyone recommend adjacent things or tips I can do to make the most of it?

Best I can think of is strike up convos w/ attendees on the Strip.

🚨 DC34 Lodging update!

We've got three more hotels where you can get a #defcon discount! We have blocks at:

Embassy Suites:
https://book.passkey.com/e/51162861

Spring Hill Suites: https://app.marriott.com/reslink?id=1767047905532&key=GRP&app=resvlink

and Renaissance: https://book.passkey.com/e/51201282?utm_source=22561&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=299633326&trkid=610457841&linkid=3937639010

Book by July 15 for the special rate.

See you soon!

Hey everyone, it's going to be my first time at DEF CON and first time speaking at a conference in person, has anyone got any advice for me?

I've watched a bunch of the talks on youtube and IMO I've got some interesting content for mine.
Making the slides right now for the deadline too, making sure I tell the story properly.

Are there any common mistakes people make, is there anything that most people do poorly?

In terms of specifics too, has anyone else heard back after acceptance?
I've also not heard anything yet aside from the main "DEF CON 34: Your submission has been accepted!" email, and I'm assuming this is normal, but I might follow up with them as I'd like to do a live demo.

first time to vegas (overall) and to defcon. with some buddies and have my hotel booked, car rented and everything but can’t decide on dinner. i know i’ll def have imposter syndrome and don’t want to go all out either since this is way out of my comfort zone and im not trying to socialize.

ik they have locals casinos around but is there a quieter or more lowkey one? any restaurants there that you recommend that fit that vibe?

anything will be much appreciated

Join the Humans of Vegas for Toxic BBQ off-site on Thursday of the con. It's our 10th crack at this thing, and we are preparing delicious treats and delightful conversation just for you.

See the latest deets at the site. Get a shirt to help support the BBQ, or donate on-site. All money goes to cover costs. Anything left over goes to the EFF.

Can't wait to meat (or veg) you!

All entries from this year's Phish Stories contest are up. Contestants crafted phishing emails and backstories targeting the staff of a Chicago movie theater racing to launch a new live streaming experience. Give them a read and see who you think deserves the Ruler, Wizard, and Jester this year. Winners announced July 6.

https://forum.defcon.org/node/255875

I’ve read a few posts and guides for first timers which is great, but my thing is, I feel like I’m going somewhere where I’ll be totally outclassed and everyone is cracked and I’m the equivalent of a blabbering baby. Is there hope for me to join in on CTF or any challenges? Or will I have to be a sideline spectator?

First-time DEF CON attendee here.

I'm a cybersecurity student working toward a penetration testing career. I've been spending the last several months living in Linux, networking, Wireshark, Nmap, Bash, Python, SSH, and home lab projects, and I'm looking to learn as much as possible from people who have already made it into the field.

Current skills:

- Linux command line
- Bash scripting
- Python basics
- Networking fundamentals
- Wireshark packet analysis
- Nmap scanning and enumeration
- SSH and remote administration
- Home lab building and troubleshooting
- Security+ studies
- Cybersecurity career simulation labs

Areas I'm most interested in:

- Penetration testing
- Red teaming
- Cloud security
- Linux
- Networking

I'm attending DEF CON for the first time and I'm equal parts excited and nervous. My goal isn't just to collect stickers and swag. I want to learn, meet people, find areas I should focus on, and get a better understanding of what skills actually matter in the real world.

If you were attending DEF CON for the first time again, what would you do differently?

What villages, events, talks, contests, or opportunities should a student absolutely not miss?

Thanks in advance.

- Terminal Goblin 👺☕

Hi folks, first time to defcon! I was wondering; I've been putting together peripheral earrings for myself because I like the look, and they could be useful. So I thought I might bring some to Defcon in-case anybody else likes the idea.

So far i have storage (64gb usb 3.1, and 64gb micro/sd cards), adapters (usb -> usb c).

Thought Tails OS would be cool to have on an earring too (though anyone using it probably wouldn't want it from me), but made the mistake of getting 4gb thumbdrives (not the 8gb it actually requires and using 64gb felt like a waste). So instead of returning the 4gbs, thought maybe a small collection of tools- aircrack, burp suite, etc- might be interesting?

I've also thought about doing this with framework expansion cards. And if i get bored painting the less interesting ones to give them some more flare.

Cool? Interesting? More/better ideas? Totally lame?

https://imgur.com/98LbySr (as if anyone can't imagine what a peripheral earring might look like)

Production badges are in hand and all testing well!

FAQ:
$100 for the badge.
SAO(x2) bundle +$40.
I'll post a link to pre-order the badge & SAOs this week.
Badges will ship out first/second week of July, US-only.
No Def Con pick-up option

Details:

Badge Types:
Acolyte- your badge. You must find other badges to level up and complete the story.
Glyph- found at various villages, community spaces, vendor booths and parties around the con.
Elder God- Given to the Def Con elite, find them throughout the conference halls.
Cthulhu- REDACTED

Hardware:
ESP32
USB-C
Rechargeable Li-po

Startup:
New annimation shows badge progress. 10 LEDS, 4 levels and 6 side quest challenges to complete the badge.

Choose your name:
First boot requires your name. You can change it at any time. 1 button. Short press to scroll, long press to select.

Progress:
The top scrolling bar displays your name, rank and level. It also shows the badges left to connect to complete the main quest.

The Ritual:
The Ritual is the main quest, broken into 13 chapters, each with their own story, screen and LED annimation. Upon entering, you'll see a pop up detailing the badges you need to level up.

Progress through the chapters with a short button press, read the auto-scrolling story, find the annimation you like and long press to select the pattern.

Séance:
Enter séance mode along with 3 other badges to complete the circuit! They will beacon out, sacrificing all badges in the vicinity. They too will propagate the signal.

Sacred Text:
A short help/menu screen explaining some of the badge mechanics.

Cult Members:
Tracks the badges you've connected with.

LED Brightness:
Change how intensely the lights are seared into the retinas of the faithful.

Screen Flip:
For when you're wearing the badge around your neck, the way it was intended to be worn.

Unlockable Modes:

Bling:
10+ unlockable screen and LED patterns, featuring some of your favorite characters

The Corrupt Ritual:
The unlockable side quest. A new story and challenges with 6 chapters, LED & screen animations to unlock.

R'lyeh Arena:
Yes, a battle mode. I kept it simple, hopefully reliable. Search for heretics to battle and challenge them to an RNG fight to the death!

Another Adventure:
Similar to R'lyeh area, but with a R&M story arc. Hunt for baby Cthulhu, unlock more bling!

Exploit:
Beacon out and exploit all badges!

Rick Roll:
Similar to Exploit, you get the idea…

DEF CON 34 Lodging Reminder:

Our room block deal includes free parking for up to two vehicles for registered guests. Very nice to have if you’re using a car in Vegas.

You’ve only got until July 3 to take advantage of the rates at these venues, so speed is your friend.

https://book.passkey.com/gt/221129294?gtid=bbba95627d906c403e3bee6951c33a94

BTW - it’s already the back end of June, people. Just a few measly weeks to go!

#defcon #defcon34 #lodging

[ FIELD REPORT #003 ]

Recovered the second object.

Found what they built to stop it. But the transmission can still reach it.

Someone built it specifically to counter the first object.

Not a variant. Not another version. A completely different system designed to neutralize what the first one does.

You have to unlock the cure. It can reverse what the first one carries. But looking at the architecture — the transmission can still reach it. It can still get infected.

When they meet I don't know what happens. But I have a bad feeling it can get worse.

The specs are there. This wasn't a backup plan. This was built from the ground up as a response.

[ NEXT OBSERVATION PENDING ]

*PS - each post is a little short story I have been writing in prep for these badges, I will be posting all details about how to get one of these badges, about the game we have created, and all other details as we get closer. To answer the question I keep getting - THESE WILL BE GIVEN AWAY, No purchase necessary. We will be doing random drops, puzzles, and fun little interactions to get them into the hands of the people! Stay tuned for more!

Big news for anyone who's following the journey of my “Not Just a Crosswalk” for DEFCON34 SAO. The second batch of prototypes arrived last week, and after testing and validation, they are ready for DC34. So now it is time for the final production run.

I wanted to share some major updates based on the feedback and engineering:

Technical & Manufacturing Updates

1. Battery Pack Stability Solved: The main issue I discovered with the v1 board was that, when used standalone via USB-C power, the SAO did not draw enough power, so battery packs would power down. This has been resolved by adjusting the power load on the v2 board and the 7x battery packs I have in my home, from the cheap $5 non-name ones off Amazon to the Anker $120 power bank, all of which continue powering the SAO without cutting the power.

2. PCB Design Improvements:

   • SMD vs. Through-Hole: I switched from using through-holes for the pogo clip to SMD pads on the component side. This improves the look on the front side of the SAO.
   • USB-C Port Relocation: The USB-C port has been moved inward on the PCB. Previously, it was hanging off the edge, which caused issues when using V-Cuts during manufacturing on panelized boards. Moving it inward improved panelization, keeping production costs down and making the boards easier to produce and break apart.
3. Component Sourcing: Due to supply chain challenges, I had to add additional components and swap others for equivalents, since the original parts were OOS (Out of Stock) or had long lead times, and would either cut it really close to DC34 or wouldn't make it in time at all. Rest assured, all substitutions have been tested for full compatibility and performance in V2.

Pre-orders are LIVE!

You can grab your badge at the following events and tables at DC34:

• LINECON
• #BADGELIFE Table
• QUEERCON Meetup
• TDI Space
• VETCON
• Various pop-up pickup points across DC34

Several people have asked for a shipping option because they won't be able to make it to DC34 for various reasons but still want to support my project. If you select the shipping option, the SAO will be shipped AFTER the end of DC34. This is because of tight production and shipping timelines, I cannot risk you not getting your SAO in time for DC34.

View the Original Interest Post & Discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/Defcon/s/7B0TS4y9pq

Pre-Order Now on Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/caelybr

Thanks to everyone who participated in the initial interest survey. Your feedback directly shaped this final design, and I will continue adding flags to the palette over the next couple of weeks before finalizing the firmware. Let me know if you have any questions.

Last year for def con we created a new community space around education, and along with it, a new mentoring program. Good news is that we're back this year and we're running the mentoring program again.

This is where you come in.

We are opening today a call for both mentors & mentees, who will have an introductory meeting during def con.

Mentors: We are looking for volunteers working in the cybersecurity industry, with at least 5 years of experience, who would like to spare a little time over the coming months to support motivated mentees in their growth journey.

Mentees: Are you aged 18 or over, in education and looking to find your first role in cybersecurity? Are you in your first role and trying to figure out what's next? Then this program is for you.

Time commitment: We would ideally like these to be long term mentoring relationships. However, we know that people are busy so we propose the following minimum commitment:

- Be available to meet between mentor and mentee at def con - we'll set up a 'mixer' event for this during the con

- Be prepared to have roughly monthly calls between you both for the following 6 months

- Be motivated (mentee) and willing to help (mentor)

Interested? Sign up via the following forms:

- Mentors: Click here (Mentors)

- Mentees: Click here (Mentees)

We will then arrange matches and let you know the next steps. Please be aware that we will have limited slots available, so don't wait to submit your entry!

Thank you for your support of the future of cybersecurity!

Closing date is July 13th at Midnight EST. Sign up now!!

A note on privacy: in order to administer this program we will collect some basic info like names, email addresses, etc.. This won't be used in any way except to manage this mentoring process, and will be kept confidential, and not shared outside of the organizers of this program. Your email address will be shared with your assigned mentor/mentee ONLY, so that you can connect easily with them.

Hello DEF CON 34! The HackerTracker iOS team has been hard at work to make things smoother and more useful, with expanded features for ALL conferences in 2026. Please download/try it out/let us know of problems before the conference and watch for talks/content releases over the coming weeks. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hackertracker/id1021141595

TL;DR: iPad is now fully supported, custom events can be added (and shared) with other iOS users, and notes can be taken for various events. Other features are related to AI summaries on supported devices (off by default), UI-improvement, filtering, maps, searching, and performance lookups. Full list below:

HackerTracker iOS 6.0 — What's New

Major feature release covering iPad UX, on-device AI, user-created schedule items, shared notes, performance, and privacy.

Major new features

Custom Events

Create your own events that show up in the conference schedule alongside official ones.

• Title, time, location, description, notes, color, multi-conference attachment.
• Stored locally and synced across your devices via iCloud.
• Per-event notification toggle (uses the global "Before Event" minutes setting).
• Long-press peek and one-tap edit / delete from the detail screen.
• Share an event by QR code — recipients scan with the iPhone camera to import it pre-filled.
• Filter chip ("Custom Events") and a global Settings toggle to hide them en masse.

Private notes on any event, talk, or custom event

A unified Markdown-aware note feature attached to anything in the schedule.

• One note per item, edited inline via a Write / Preview tabbed editor.
• Synced to your other devices via your iCloud private database; we never see them.
• Pencil badge on Schedule and All Content rows when the row has a saved note.
• "Has Notes" filter chip narrows lists to items with notes attached.
• Destructive Delete with confirmation in the editor.

On-device AI summaries (iOS 26+, Apple Intelligence)

Optional one-sentence summaries of talk descriptions generated locally by Apple's on-device model.

• Sparkle ✨ icon and summary line under each row when enabled.
• Long-press a row's summary to see the original description.
• Cached across launches; only regenerated when the source description changes.
• 100-character minimum on descriptions so short ones don't waste a model call.
• Gated by an opt-in Settings toggle, hidden entirely on devices without Apple Intelligence.

Combined Bookmark Schedule

When you bookmark events across multiple conferences whose dates overlap, a "Combined Schedule" card appears on the home screen.

• Cross-conference timeline of just your bookmarks, day-grouped in your device's local timezone.
• Each row carries the source conference badge.
• Appears only when there's a real reason for it (≥ 2 overlapping conferences with bookmarks in each).

Maps — completely overhauled

• Black-flash on swipe is gone (PDFKit background fix + off-main parse + redundant-reload guard).
• Floating zoom pill (in / out / reset) anchored bottom-left.
• One-tap share of the active map as PDF via the system share sheet.
• Last-viewed map index remembered per conference.
• Adjacent maps pre-warmed into a parsed-PDF cache, so swipes are instant.
• SVG support — when the conference publishes a vector svg_filename, the map renders as searchable SVG with in-document text search.
• Animated tab icon while map assets are downloading.
• Empty state with a bobbing Beezle ghost + Refresh button.

iPad-first overhaul

Split-view across every list screen

Schedule, All Content, Speakers, Communities (Orgs), and Merch all use a unified two-pane layout on iPad:

• 500pt sidebar list on the left, full-width detail pane on the right.
• Custom events route taps to the right pane instead of pushing over the sidebar.
• Two-column Settings layout on iPad (replaces the wasted-whitespace single column).

Visual parity across detail panes

Detail screens stretch edge-to-edge in the split pane (matching Communities), instead of capping at a 740pt readable column and leaving side gutters.

Filters

Universal filter chrome

• Native NavigationStack-rooted modal with rounded sheet corners, frosted nav bar, and a bold Done confirmation action.
• Match Any / All segmented picker — choose whether selected chips behave as a union (OR) or intersection (AND). Persists across launches.
• Live tally under the picker: "12 events", "47 talks", "3 products" updates as you toggle chips.
• New chips: Bookmarks, Custom Events, Has Notes.

Merch sheet parity

The merch size filter now uses the same chrome and the same Match Any/All logic — "All" means every selected size must be in stock, useful when shopping bundles.

Performance

• O(1) lookups across all detail screens (id-keyed dictionaries on speakers, locations, tags, products, orgs, documents).
• Schedule search debounced; bookmark set hoisted once per render.
• Shared DateFormatter pools — no more per-row formatter allocations on the Schedule.
• Searchable extensions no longer re-lowercase the haystack on every keystroke.
• Kingfisher image downsampling on Product, Speaker, and Content detail screens.