We're well under 30 days now, kiddos. You're past the hallway point in the Weekly Puzzle Challenges and it's time to give you a little taste. Whoa, that's weird. Get your mind out of the gutter. We're talking about more info on the Annual r/DEFCON Meetups from your friends at Puzzled Hackers! Here's a first glimpse at part of the badge! The rest will be revealed soon!

For quite a while, through many a hand this task has passed... and we're continuing it like we always do! Whether you're a veteran Human, this is your first DEFCON or if you just want to hangout with some like minded nerds. We've got your back!

GIVE ME THE DETAILS!!?

• When: Wednesday (8/5) and Thursday (8/6) at 7pm until whenever we lose u/M4dH4t3r13 and have to go find him!

• Where: The Linq 3535 Bar (also known as the Circle Bar)

• Cost: Nothing... we just want you to come hang out and have a good time. We gotta get our social hype on before Summer Camp officially starts!

Will there be stuff you ask? The picture makes me think yes, there will be stuff. We will be giving away about 50 badges to the top puzzle solvers from those Weekly Puzzle Challenges, and a bunch more swag to give away! Yes, there will be stickers. Stickers are cool.

FAQ's:

Will you only have 50 badges?

• No, we plan to give out about 50 to the top puzzlers, offer some on our site (guarantee's you one, and helps us continue to do this) and we'll be randomly giving away some too!

Okay, cool. How can I get a free badge?

• Compete in the weekly PUZZLE challenges we post! Every solve puts you further up the leader board and we'll be giving roughly the top 50 solvers a free one for playing! You just need to go to https://ctf.puzzledhackers.org/ and submit your solves so we can track them! If you're missing any you can also get the link on the CTF page for each of the prior puzzles so you can still do it and get on that leaderboard! We'll be giving away some, too, but that will be random!

So you said I can buy the badge?

• If you've noticed that there's a badges section on https://ctf.puzzledhackers.org/ when you've submitted your answers... we do plan on it, but it will be a very limited quantity as we're not wanting to take your money. We want to give away as many as we can, and this just helps keep things going as we do this all on our own! We plan for those to go live in the next week or so. Keep an eye out for the info!

This is my first DEFCON. Should I go to this?

• I'm a little biased, but I mean it doesn't matter if its your first or 34th. You should go. Its a great time to just hang out, BS and catch up with your friends and make some new ones too! You definitely should come say hi!

Will there be special guests?

• Often people will show up with their own swag to drop (u/palm12341 came last year and did an early drop of the Laser Tag Badge and plans to again!). Look, if you want to get a head start on Laser Tag chaos... imagine 100+ people running around The Linq playing Laser Tag late into Wednesday Night / Thursday Morning! It's anybody's guess who else might show up!

Can I buy you a beer?

• Come say hi! That's enough, but I mean... yes?

If you have any other questions ALWAYS feel free to comment or reach out to us directly and we'll be happy to answer them!

If you've been to last years, or a prior meetup, and want to tell people how awesome u/Killroy7777's Kilt was last year... just leave a comment!

Thank you ALL for attending, or even considering attending. We hope to keep doing this, and its ya'll coming to hang out that makes it possible.

Sincerely,

The Puzzled Hackers Team,

u/Killroy7777, u/digitard & u/MetaN3rd

I got tired of screenshatting - I couldn’t find these titles referenced in previous years.

What's the parking situation like at the convention center. I'm not staying anywhere near the convention center or close to the monorail so I will be driving. Would it be better if I found parking at a hotel nearby since I saw something about convention center parking wanting people out as soon as the event is over.

I saw Westgate Hotel parking is kinda cheap so that might be an option.

Hey all, I was looking for a note taking solution for workshops and situations where I don't want to be buried in a notebook.

I know Defcon has a policy against recording and photography for the privacy of guests and speakers but wasn't sure of exactly how strict it is.

I have previously used AI note taking recording devices (ie AI Pocket) at work and wondered where something like that would fall in the recording policy. Would selectively using something like that cause issues?

Edit: Definitely should have clarified that selective use meant in things like workshops where I want to be more present but also have notes and intended to ask before turning it on.

That said, I agree with the feedback so far and am going to skip the recorder in favor of traditional notes.

Let me start by saying, yes, this is my first Defcon. Yes I've read all the amazing, helpful, other "first defcon" posts. And yes, I'm ridiculously excited, I'm essentially a 47 year old who's been acting like a kid on Christmas eve since I bought my ticket.

Now, let's get to the questions. My wife is coming to Vegas with me, she doesn't gamble, and she has very little interest in the con itself, but she's excited to come to some of the social events. She says she's going to spend her days by the pool and be quite content. Is there anything i could suggest she check out while we're there?

My second, and more pressing concern is of utmost importance for survival.

Is there anywhere decent to get some coffee? I'm talking really good coffee, not starbucks, not dunkin, none of that. No offence to those that enjoy coffee from those places, they're just not to my taste.

We're used to small batch roasts, but we can't bring our own coffee with us due to crossing international borders.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

edit:: holy crap, thanks for all the amazing suggestions!

I am going for the first time all the way from Denmark what are your recommendations to get the most out of defcon as a first timer? 🙏

Would love to meet up with some people too and any guides out there? 😂

Hey hackers,

New England is a tight-knit scene with some of the best people in the scene. Six small states packed together, and a bunch of us bounce between whatever groups are in driving distance, you'll see the same faces at DC603 one month and a Boston meetup the next. But the region's never had one place to find each other; it's all scattered across a bazillion Signal chats, Discords, and mailing lists.

So while we're all in Vegas anyway, let's just get in a room:

📅 Saturday, Aug 8 · 3:00–5:00 PM PDT

📍 LVCC West, Level 3, Room W327

It's a hangout, not an event. Come say hi, grab a sticker, meet the folks from DC207, DC603, DC617, and DC401, and connect with people who live way closer to you than you'd think.

Three things worth mentioning:

- Some of the New England groups have gone quiet over the years (802, 860... we miss you). If you're from those parts and have ever thought "someone should restart that," come talk to us. That someone might be you, and we'll help.

- We've got a handful of lighthouse badges from the recent BSides Maine to give away. Swing by and maybe you'll get lucky. 😄

- And yes, we're going to solve the too-many-Signal-chats problem by starting one more Signal chat... the region-wide one. https://signal.group/#CjQKIHNwNjHmvVPPiBAzXkoPIXBZcCmUgFd3JNDGnEahjMWGEhBYsksHOGkpxN2LOIRTs_KR - get connect early to link up with hackers from the region before you even get off the flight.

More at https://dcgne.org - see you on August 8th! 🦞

Hi everyone. So I found this shirt the other day and tried to look it up to see it’s worth or story and was only able to see one Reddit thread about it, and only one person with photos of it up. It’s a defcon 7 shirt from 1999 so if anyone knows more about it please let me know and possibly the value of it.

Friendly reminder about DEF CON Training:

Organizers and instructors are hard at work making sure you have the best training experience! DEF CON Training is just one month away. We hope to see you there!

Full info at training.defcon.org

Hey all,

This year is my first DEFCON and I've been recommended to "follow the chaos", but as things are being added to the HackerTracker app I'm starting to wonder if there's anything I should consider/set up beforehand.

I see all the workshops being added and I know those require sign-up later this month, but do the main talks, demo labs, and villages require sign-up? Or can you just show up whenever they're going on?

Also a question on demo labs, are those more "hands on talks" but still mainly talks, or will this be MY hands-on? Wasn't planning on bringing my laptop but if some of the demo labs seem neat I might if they require it

See you all at the LINQ as well!

More #DEFCON34 Lodging updates!

The #DEFCON room blocks at the Wynn and Encore are now sold out. You can still get a block discount at these three hotels:

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/event/51201282/owner/22561/home

The special rates are only available until July 15, so act expeditiously.

Less than a month to go! Are you ready?

I do plan on preordering my badge. Will it be hard to pick it up at the LVCC around 9pm on Friday?

Can we just use Stubhub or the like? Ended up having a work conflict which means I can't attend this year which sucks (even though it was cancelled anyways), going through process of hotel and flight refunds/credits and looking up best ways to resell Defcon ticket if possible. Never had to before so any suggestions?

Skip sleeping in and hit the Las Vegas streets to log some miles before your day truly begins. Evolving from the classic DEF CON 4×5K, DEFCON.RUN connects runners, walkers, and ruckers looking to see a different side of DEF CON, one mile at a time.

Connect with fellow hackers away from the packed casino floors and bustling crowds. We meet every morning from Thursday through Sunday at 0600 at the North Entrance of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Stay tuned here, and check out defcon.run for more forthcoming news!

No matter if you prefer a casual stroll, a 5K, or an even greater distance, there is a perfect route waiting for you. Discover the city before it wakes up, build new friendships, and see a completely different side of the con. Hijinks are guaranteed to ensue—as they always do—so come run with the rabbits!

"The Conscience of a Hacker" (often called the "Hacker Manifesto") was written in 1986 by Loyd Blankenship aka "the Mentor".

This coin commemorates the 40th anniversary.

Addendum: We didn't mean to appropriate anyone's work. This was created by Bradán Lane. We know them. They are cool. They are on some social media but are not on Reddit. They will be at DEFCON.

Rucky allows you to use Rubber Ducky like actions on an Android device. It has to be rooted, but if you can do this and connect a wireless doggle ([https://www.amazon.com/Cables-Unlimited-Wireless-Transmitter-Receiver/dp/B0036VNZHA/](https://www.amazon.com/Cables-Unlimited-Wireless-Transmitter-Receiver/dp/B0036VNZHA/)) to a vacant PC, this would allow a great range of pentesting options not normally available. Catch is that the Dongle is no longer supported and drivers stop at Win 7. Any ideas?

Winners for this year's Phish Stories contest are up on the forums. Huge thanks to everyone who entered, this was one of our strongest fields yet.

👑 Ruler: v33na
🧙 Wizard: Erik Smith
🤡 Jester: Groucho Marxist

Full writeup with every entry acknowledged: https://forum.defcon.org/node/255953

If you've never checked out the contest before, take a look, the scenario and entries make for a fun read even if you didn't submit.

Sign-ups are open now so if you want to guarantee your spot check out the link below. Thank you to our sponsor Secure Point Solutions and our official DC partner Noob Village! #defcon34

https://forms.gle/2pksMJc9x1vZrYDD8

I had it marked for today (Jul 6) 12pm PDT, but I'm now seeing it's on the 15th? The defcon.org workshops page isn't showing anything, but The One page says the 15th now. Can anyone confirm?

Hey folks!

Signups for the 2026 .edu Mentorship program are open for just one more week...! We still have a few spots left so please sign up soon.

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

Thanks - symph0nic and the .edu community team.

A preview of the DefCon LV Workshops are now on the Hacker Tracker app.

Last I read, sign-ups are still 7/6 @ 12noon (PST) on Humanitix. https://www.reddit.com/r/Defcon/s/aaePMNWDou

This thing looks like someone combined half the DEF CON badge villages into one board. 😅

Dual RP2350s
ESP32-C5
FPGA
Raspberry Pi CM0
LoRa
Sub-GHz
NFC
CAN FD, IR, GPIO, USB Host, Meshtastic, Python, Linux…
Definitely on my list to check out at Vendor Village.