The Mob at Defcon

Published 10.27.2005 by jm | E-mail this post

"DEF CON is made up of many people, all who know kung-fu and networking. Once per year, much like the quickening, they gather in Las Vegas to practice the arcane arts of drinking, socializing, debugging and crowd control. Without these core Goons, DEF CON would not happen. It is due to their hard work and innate ability to survive on caffeine that allows the attendees to enjoy the con in a state of bliss."

Alright, long and short, everyone who's anyone in the hacker sub culture is there. But I shouldn't have to describe Defcon, as anybody reading this weblog who does not know what defcon is, probably won't understand anything else on this blog. In any event, everybody was there this year, including the Mob.

Preportedly, flyers were put up in Defcon areas, inviting people to a strip party at the Bellagio. People who attended this party were approached with the question, "Who is willing to try illegal things?" of course asked in a more subtle way. People who accepted were given free lance work.

I found this very interesting, because it truely shows the power a "hacker" has in today's society. If this really was the mob (which is debateable), then they are choosing hacking over violence. This may not be a good thing, as there is a possibility that hacking can cause equal-to-more damage than a bullet can.

Then again, you can't really tell if any of these people were actually feds or not. My argument is, after working for the government for a few years, I find it hard to believe that someone could have gotten the funding to have a strip-party on the federal dime, even if it was to catch malicious hackers. When it comes down to it, it's probably not the "mob" or "mafia" or anything like that, but most likely some private firms or individuals hungry for revenge or advantage.

If the human body was never exposed to ailments, it would be impressivly vulnerable to the slightest cold. If our country was never exposed to hacking, it would be oppressivly vulnerable to cyber terrorism. With out the creation of a malicious hacking, Afganistan could have destroyed America's economy with a ping flood. This is why I encourange maclicious hacking, as an ethical practice. Without strengthening our defenses, we are weak. This site is focused on security through knowledge. I detest the fact that so many companies are being exploited because malicious hackers know their security holes before they do. For that reason, I hope to educate where the exploits lay. This isn't a 100% information base, as I only publish things I have been able to implement on myself. No credit is needed anywhere . However if you are a publisher, I would appriciate credit. I am an advocate of open source, so copy and paste and call it your own if you like. If my work is good enough for you to plagerize then that is my biggest compliment . If my work is good enough, I will be approached and asked to write more ... this is natural selection of the digital age .

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