DEFCON30: A Cyberpunk's Guide to Sin City

DEFCON30: A Cyberpunk's Guide to Sin City        

Toronto, Canada - The journey to DEFCON 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada began with a sense of intrigue and a touch of unease. Our pirate crew was on an expedition to the forefront of cyber security. We boarded our flight late at night, the hum of the engines a siren song as we soared towards the neon oasis of Sin City.

Liam Metke ?? Steven Ding

Declan Croteau ?? Michael Bakaic

The team was a mix of excitement and apprehension, we all knew that the knowledge we would gain at #DEFCON30 would be invaluable, but we also knew that the dangers of the cyber frontier were real and ever-present. Between #Log4j and #ColonialPipeline , we had a lot to catch up on at the first #DEFCON since COVID. As we descended into Las Vegas, the bright lights of the Strip were like a beacon in the dark, and we could feel the pulse of the cyber security community through the streets.

We checked into our hotel, and then headed out to explore the city. We walked down the Strip, the neon lights blinding us as we passed casinos, hotels, and souvenir shops. The team was wide-eyed with wonder, and we were all excited to see what DEFCON had to offer.

The next day, we arrived at the conference center. The energy in the air was electric, and the sense of community was palpable. From the workshops to the networking events, every moment was packed with learning and discovery.

We had the opportunity to attend workshops on a wide range of topics, including industrial control systems and open-source intelligence. We learned new techniques for defending industrial control systems from cyber attacks known as #Pipedream and how to harvest open source intelligence on small businesses using web tools, social media crawlers, and breached databases.

The draw to the desert is to meet with some of the brightest minds in the cyber security industry, experts in the field who shared their knowledge and experiences with us. We exchanged ideas, discussed new trends and techniques, and made valuable connections that will help us better serve our small business clients.

The highlight of the conference came when I walked up to the stage and met the Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency , Jen Easterly . She put out a call to action for public & private sector to collaborate to defend our society, small businesses, and critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.

As the conference came to a close, my team and I left Las Vegas with a renewed sense of purpose and a wealth of knowledge and skills that will help us better defend our small business clients against the ever-evolving cyber threats.

But our journey was not over yet, we still had one last night in Sin City. We walked down the Strip, the neon lights blinding us as we passed casinos, hotels, and souvenir shops. We stopped in at the official Iceberg Cyber desert oasis #icebar (not official ??) and rendezvoused with Eldon Sprickerhoff . Couple frozen drinks, lots of advice, and two 黑莓 #keytwo 's ??

As we boarded our flight back to Toronto, I couldn't help but reflect on the journey we had just taken. DEFCON is not just a conference, it's an expedition into the cyber frontier. It's an opportunity to learn from the pioneers of the field, to connect with like-minded individuals, and to immerse yourself in the culture of cyber security. And with the knowledge and skills we acquired, we're better equipped to defend our small business clients against the ever-evolving cyber threats.

Until next year, DEFCON.