On Attending DefCon

Quick and digestible tips for first-timers and veterans heading to DEF CON.

I’m on my third time attending DEF CON, and I felt it best to boil down my experiences into some quickly digestible bullets.

I’m certain there’s already a million posts about attending DEF CON and how daunting it may appear to first-timers. Most people at the Con are friendly, but there are a few folks that like to push the boundaries and attempt to mess with your devices.

  • First and foremost: Maintain your personal hygiene. Shower, and for everyone’s sake, wear deodorant.

  • Don’t forget to eat. There’s tons of stuff to do at DEF CON/in Vegas. It’s easy to forget we humans need food to keep going.

  • Have patience. You’re gonna be stuck in lines (a lot) to get into talks/villages/events. Talk to people or check Twitter for parties.

  • Understand you’re not going to be able to see everything. They record the talks at DEF CON and post them online, so check out the ones you really want to see later.

  • Don’t get belligerent with a Goon (DEF CON support personnel).

If You’re Bringing a Laptop

  • Secure it with a VPN if you’re connecting to Wi-Fi.
  • Ensure your OS is up to date.
  • NEVER INSERT A USB/CD/DVD YOU FOUND AT THE CON INTO YOUR PERSONAL DEVICES.
  • Paranoid Mode: Wipe your laptop of any personal data before attending.
  • Hyper Paranoid Mode: Disregard your laptop. Bring a pen and paper.
  • Personal Suggestion: Get a cheap Chromebook (with a throwaway Gmail account) or a laptop with a fresh Linux distro. It lets you take notes and browse without risking much.

If You’re Bringing Your Phone

  • Secure it with a VPN. Use it whenever you’re near the DEF CON area.
  • Uninstall unnecessary apps — reduce your attack surface.
  • Do not perform any app or system upgrades while near the DEF CON area.
  • Paranoid Mode: Buy a cheap burner phone with a pay-as-you-go plan.
  • Hyper Paranoid Mode: Carrier pigeons.
  • Personal Suggestion: Consider installing Hacker Tracker — a really useful way to identify and schedule talks you want to attend.

If You’re Bringing Wearables

  • Disable any unnecessary wireless access (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc).
  • People are likely going to try to mess with them, so be prepared.

General

  • Have a look at the villages. They’re often where the most interesting hands-on stuff happens and where the real conversations occur.
← Back to Guides