About DEF CON 26
Notes from an 'off year' at DEF CON — badge hacking, RFID implants, and why showing up still matters.
I’ll admit my experience with DEF CON 26 was less than stellar. The tracks didn’t resonate with my interests this year. Still, even during what I consider an “off year,” keeping your finger on the pulse of the hacking community has value. I’m glad I went.
The Badge
Fresh off the Linecon queue, I dove into the badge challenge for a while before planning my schedule. It was fun collaborating with strangers — dumping findings to /r/defcon and watching people build on each other’s work in near real time. That collaborative energy is one of the things DEF CON does better than anywhere else.
The Implant
I got another implant — RFID this time — thanks to the Bio Hacking Village and c00p3r (check out his podcast: Dangerous Minds). Hanging around the implant party area and chatting with people about the why behind body modification was genuinely interesting. The range of motivations people bring to that table is wider than you’d expect.
The Rest
Most of what I took from this year’s con was philosophical rather than technical. My notes skew toward policy and ethics discussions rather than exploit demos. Honestly, that happens sometimes — and the hallway conversations alone are worth the trip.
Looking ahead: the Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Open Security (BCOS) Village was new this year. As more systems adopt decentralized trust models, I expect that space to grow. And on the bio hacking side, I’m curious where consumer-level implants and nootropics discussions go next.