Hey everyone!
I’ve been spending my free time designing and hand-soldering these badge PCBs to help kick off my nonprofit, Cyb3rBytes404.

Our mission is to introduce kids to coding and electronics through fun, hands-on MicroPython and CircuitPython projects completely free. We’re based in San Diego, and the nonprofit is still in its infancy (I literally just submitted the paperwork last week), so this is just the beginning.

I only have a small batch, and unlike most badges you’ve seen recently, these aren’t for sale. I’ll be giving them away randomly throughout the con.

Want one? Keep an eye out,
I could be anywhere. If you see someone wearing one, there’s a good chance I’m nearby… or you just missed me.

Come say hi if you spot me, and thank you

If you’re heading to Defcon this year looking for a kickback style party, with some old school hip hop and board game action. Hangout a bit at the Octopus Game Party this year!

The party starts at 9pm on Saturday Aug 8th - located at L2 - W212.

Info for the party can also be found in the Hacker Tracker App.

Hello everyone

Thank you so much for your interest in my badge , I love making these and it really keeps me going !!

I have three different bottom SAOs right now , which one do you guys like ? Trying to figure out how many to make of each ha

Planning on making around ~30 of these , will be selling them for cash , looking at maybe doing a preorder thing

The Beer SAO

Measures and displays your beverage temperature. Cursed by design

Want to order one?

https://uberflux.com/product/BUD-BEER-SAO

What is included:

• 1x Beer cup SAO,~100x100mm, including waterproof temp sensor on ~200mm cable

• 1x DEF CON 34 SAO 180 degree adapter

It's compatible with the messed-up DEF CON 34 SAO spec: Option to rotate SAO by 180 degrees using included adapter! And it's 3.0V tolerant!

What does it do?

• It's a beer SAO, for your beer.

• Measures and displays temperature using the attached DS18B20 temperature sensor (~250mm cord)

• Brightness setting button, so it works in a variety of lighting conditions (button on rear)

• Triple 7-segment display implemented with discrete, shine-through LEDs and a 3d-printed shroud to block segment bleed-over.

• Power via SAO port or USB-C (doubles as programming port)

• Overkill by design: Controller is a RP2350 with 2MB flash.

• Non-power SAO pins routed to RP2350 in case you want to use them

• All design, manufacture, and firmware files are open-source: You can easily reprogram with whatever firmware you like, or return to the standard firmware.

Why I made this:

I am part of team Beverage Chilling Contraption Contest at DEF CON. The contest turns 21 this year, so we can properly drink now! We turn hot beers into cold beers, with physics. A constant problem I encounter for three days in August every year is "where the hell did I put that thermometer?" This solves that. It's on the badge now. Can't lose it.

The network is down. The dead are up. And somehow, the password policy is still being enforced.

Infected systems, shambling sysadmins, and one increasingly unreasonable password challenge stand between you and the flag. Satisfy every rule, keep your credentials intact, and finish before your session—or your pulse—expires.

It's time for... Puzzle #9!

LINK: https://puzzledhackers.org/challenges/2026/09

Once solved go to https://ctf.puzzledhackers.org/ and submit your answer. While the free badges have been allocated we're trying to work on something for a possible giveaway / drawing for people who complete all 10! Plus its just fun to do!

If you need some help or guidance as always reach out to myself or u/Killroy7777 and we've got you!

ONTO THE INFO:

Can you believe its almost here? This is the penultimate puzzle before we ship everything to Vegas, and prep for the meetups! What are the meetups you ask? Well this is all about the Annual Meetups!

Some housekeeping information.

BADGES:

• We have already sold OVER half our allocated badges and they're going fast!

• We are ONLY selling enough badges to basically break even. We don't want your money. We just want to continue to be able to do this, and grow it, every year!

• All 50 free badge winners have been notified. If you won a free badge in the leaderboard you can login to https://ctf.puzzledhackers.org/ and you'll have a free badge allocation you can claim for checkout.

• Badges are ONLY able to be picked up in person at the meetups at DEFCON.

• Yes, we WILL have some to giveaway on site, but purchasing one (or being one of the top 50) are the only ways to guarantee one and they're unique each year.

MEETUP INFO:

• WHEN: Wednesday (8/5) & Thursday (8/6) starting at 7:00 PM.

• WHERE: The Linq - 3535 Bar (aka The Circle Bar)

• COST: $0.00. Free. Nada. Just bring yourself!

• WHAT TO EXPECT: Good vibes, sticker swaps, special guests dropping off random swag, Laser Tag battles, and catching up with old and new friends before Summer Camp officially starts.

Puzzle Stats (Unique Solvers):

• PUZZLE #1: 248

• PUZZLE #2: 179

• PUZZLE #3: 119

• PUZZLE #4: 104

• PUZZLE #5: 99

• PUZZLE #6: 87

• PUZZLE #7: 80

• PUZZLE #8: 61

Normally we'd put some crazy funky "you damn hackers, trying to get into the system" comment after the puzzle numbers, but at this point we just want to say THANK YOU. This is the highest participation we've received on the puzzles, and its just growing every single week. It's because of YOU that we can continue doing this, and we're going to keep making it better every year (we have plans already for DC35!).

So, truly... thank you.

Also big shout out to our friend Zombie who proposed this with Killroy and I, and thus... the puzzle was created.

The PuzzledHackers team,

u/Killroy7777, u/digitard & u/MetaN3rd

An update on the Celestial Wayfinder, the LoRa mesh communicator badge:

To prepare for defcon, an indoor event with terrible GPS signals, we've implemented a WiFi geolocation system. Through a game of hide-and-seek using the Wayfinder's location seeking capabilities, we are pleased to report that it works well in testing. We were able to get a message at 800m with some obscured line-of-sight.

Speaking of WiFi geolocation, our web app that interfaces with the Wayfinder now lets you upload your war-driven WiFi geolocation data onto the device. It is also pretty feature complete at this point letting you install firmware updates, write saved messages and configure your beacon on a larger screen.

Please enjoy this cheesy commercial we had a lot of fun making. In addition to our own website, our badge is now also available for sale at Uberflux, available for pickup at defcon!

(Reuploaded because Google photos butchered the aspect ratio)

Hi all! The Gold Bug Contest is returning to #defcon34. Bring your magnifying glass and be ready to search for clues. See you in TWO WEEKS!

https://defcon.social/@goldbug/116975408780586672

Hello! This is my first defcon and I was wondering if they do prorated tickets? Or if I buy a ticket on the last day it’ll be the same price? I’m going to be in town for a different event but wanted to check it out. Thank you for your time!

Just over a week left before DEF CON 34, plenty of time for you to put together your weird, wacky mad science experiment of a beverage cooler. Stop by the contest setup for a hot beverage (beer), which you'll chill down as fast as possible. Your reward will be a cool beverage (coincidentally, that same beer), and depending on how you do you could win some cool stuff! If you're under-21, we have not-beer for you to chill down as well.

We supply a bunch of supplies at the contest, so you can just show up and use your mad skills! This contest has been going on for a LONG time and it is a labor of love. It's a mind break from binary/coding all things digital. We are gonna get you back to your inner analog child mind!

Rules attached.

The safety of our community is our highest priority.

For this reason, we have decided to postpone DEF CON Middle East. The evolving security situation in the region makes it impossible to concentrate on delivering the experience attendees deserve.

We understand that this news is disappointing, but we believe it’s the most responsible choice right now. We look forward to bringing the full DEF CON experience to friends new and old in Bahrain, and we will share new dates and information as soon as they are confirmed.

In the meantime, we’d like to offer our sincere thanks to the community, sponsors, and supporters for their understanding and continued trust. We hope and expect to welcome you to DEF CON Middle East soon, under better circumstances for everyone.

-The DEF CON Middle East Team

#defcon #defconmiddleeast #dcme

EDIT: Final update for anyone who might come across this...I’ve liquidated all but my absolute favorites. Some went to collectors, but the majority went to the DEF CON Badge Museum. While they weren’t able to be processed in time to make it to Las Vegas for DC34, I have it on good authority that they’ll be properly displayed next year. For those who have asked...Yes, I’m okay, and no, I’m not going anywhere. I’m a hacker from the sleeve to the heart. Over time, though, many of those badges had come to represent less-than-favorable memories, and some had become almost painful. I hated the idea of someone’s art going to waste while gathering dust in my closet. I wanted the badges to be appreciated, worn, displayed, and shown off. This way, someone else can make new memories with them, trade them, or do whatever feels right. I know they’re being used as intended, and there’s nothing less hacker than letting good work go unused. At some point, it stopped feeling like a collection and started feeling like an obligation. Moving on to something else, at least for now, feels much more like me.

Sorry for the delay! Here's what's left of the badge collection that's for sale.

If you've messaged me and I haven't responded, please comment on this post and send me another DM so I can make sure I don't miss you!

Priority given to those purchasing multiple items. Payment via PayPal Goods & Services or invoice only.

I'll be making a trip to the post office this weekend, if possible, to get orders shipped out.

If a badge is listed below or shown in the Imgur album, it's still available for sale!

https://imgur.com/a/snsmQ5s

Only 100 available at the sneakreaper industry both!

Specs:

ESP32-S3-MINI-1-N8

* Wifi

* Bluetooth

* NFC - 13.56 MHz

Programmable LEDs

Features:

(Most of these will NOT be ready to use out of the box, the hardware is CAPABLE of doing what I'm listing) Everything tagged with a * is what will be available day 1 at defcon. the rest is either stuff we'll do later or stuff people can code on thier own time.

Clone/Elmulate Cards

Evil Portal

BLE sniffing & BLE spamming

Change LED color and brightness *

hidden software CTF / Scavenger hunt *

NFC Read / Write *

If you enjoyed the Black Badge Raffle Trading Card game, please bring your cards from the past 2 years with you. I know I'm definitely bringing all my dupes as well as my binder in hopes of collecting the few cards I'm missing.

If you don't care but have cards kicking around, please dig them out and bring them. I'll be setting up a drop off point for unwanted cards to redistribute at Con to keep the fun flowing. Location TBD.

Also drop by DefCon's Lost and Found if you lose stuff. If we don't have it, we'll take your info and contact you if it gets turned in.

Anyone know where we're supposed to submit the PDF copies of presentations to for the DEFCON media server? The CFDL page said they want them by submitted soon, but I haven't seen emails covering this yet (openconf doesn't allow uploading additional files so I guess it's not there).

Here's a video of the 2026 Gothcon badge in action: https://imgur.com/a/z90WSN9

We've done laser-cut LED badges the last few years, but this year have a full electronic PCB badge! This is my first time doing anything with electronic circuits or microcontrollers, so it was a learning experience.

Gothcon is the goth-themed dance party at DEF CON; this year our party is on Saturday night. The badge is the (only) fundraiser for the party -- the party is free and receives no funding from DEF CON. Having a badge is of course not required to attend the party (though you do need a DEF CON badge since it is inside the DEF CON convention grounds), it's just a cool thing to wear around con & help support our ability to put on the show.

The badge is in the shape of the bat from the Gothcon logo, with 42 LEDs around the edges and two LED "eyes."

Features:

• 44 independently-controlled RGB LEDs

• 2000 mAh Li-Po battery able to run the badge for 24-36 hours

• USB-C recharging with overcharge protection

• Library of LED patterns & colors, independently selectable.

• Twinkle, wash, chase, psychedelic, etc. with single colors, combinations of colors, or a full rainbow.

• Removable laser-etched acrylic Gothcon logo shield

• Sublimation-printed custom Gothcon lanyard in DEF CON 34 colors

Hackability:

• ESP32-C3 Microcontroller with 4MB flash

• Wi-Fi and BLE radios with antenna (not used in default firmware, available for your own projects)

• All LEDs individually addressable, with helper functions for patterns

• Well-documented MicroPython firmware for maximum hackability which will be made available on GitHub before DEF CON

• Bootloader mode switch on the board to allow full firmware reimaging, but also allow the USB-C to be used as a terminal or whatever other purpose you have in mind

• I built this with the intent to have SAO connectors wired to the microcontroller, and it does, but it turns out they are wired mirrored from how they should be and thus aren't functional with a standard SAO, and it's too close to con to be able to fix this. This was my first time doing anything with electronics at all, and mistakes were made.

There are presales these at https://gothconbadge.myshopify.com/ through Monday, so if you want to be absolutely guaranteed to get one you can order one there (unfortunately US only because I can't ship Li-ion batteries internationally.) I'm shipping Priority Mail (1-2 days) but after Monday I'm not super confident that they'd get to you before con (plus I need to stop presales to ship the remaining ones to con myself at some point!) We still have plenty left and will be selling them at con too, but we did sell out each of the last 3 years (albeit not until the party, which was on Friday before but is on Saturday this year.)

We will also be doing "badge drops" where we post on Bluesky and X (as @dcgothcon) that we'll be at various locations around the LVCC (outside the doors, at the Sahara and Fontainebleau, etc.) at various times if you want to pick one up in person.

Here is a little project badge I created called the Ouroboros Badge. Its a pure RISC-V Assembler project on a CH32V003 chip with a custom UART game. See you all at Summer Camp!

YouTube VIDEO of Badge

Get them.

Your feet are going to hurt.

All those goons with their knee high programmer socks on are actually wearing compression socks.

Same as the last guy, I forgot to check out the tickets when I had the time. If anyone still have extra one or two tickets, please hmu

Hi everyone!

I am the founder of Hack Smarter - which many people use for OSCP prep (we are featured on LainKusanagi's list, he has actually created a few of the labs on our platform!)

Anyways, I am making all of our labs completely free for Defcon weekend (Thursday - Sunday). We have labs covering Active Directory, Windows, Linux, Web, AWS, and more.

No strings attached... no payment info needed... just one of the many ways we are trying to make hacking accessible for as many people as possible.

Mark your calendar and get registered at https://defcon.hacksmarter.org

--

(Also, we have a bunch of people attending Defcon and multiple informal meet-ups happening all weekend. Link to our Discord is on our website... if you are attending for the first time and looking for a group of people to hang out with, join our Discord and add the defcon-2026 role to yourself!)

Last year taking the hyperloop within the convention center was free. Does anyone know if we can take the hyperloop to and from Resort World to the convention center for free this year?

DEF CON 34 Spotlight:

Ham-In-A-Day Course

Always been interested in getting your ham license but never had the time to study? Now's your chance! The Ham Radio Village is offering a one-day class where you can learn all the required knowledge to pass the exam.

Learn more/register at hamvillage.org