For years, a simple and elegant inside joke has permeated Defcon, the influential hacking conference. You say it to your friends, you reference it during your talk, you design a fake website to try to trick unsuspecting rubes: Defcon is canceled. On Friday, though, the bit became reality. Organizers announced that the Las Vegas gathering, which would have taken place in August, actually is canceled this year due to uncertainty about the Covid-19 pandemic.
Defcon's more buttoned-up sister conference, Black Hat, which takes place in the days leading up to Defcon every year, has been called off as well. Both events will host online conferences instead that include research talks and social events. The founder of both conferences, Jeff Moss, who is also known by his hacker name the Dark Tangent, said in a forum post that the 28th Defcon will be known as "Safe Mode," referencing the name most operating systems use for their diagnostic and recovery mode.
"While cancellation negotiations are still ongoing I've been lucky that the DEF CON Goons and community writ large have been amazing, helping me to navigate in a safe direction," Moss wrote. "I am proud that over the years we have all gotten better at self care and supporting each other outside of Con and I can't wait to see everyone when it is less chaotic and uncertain. Hackers do like security."
The Defcon organizing team already has plans to coordinate talks, help facilitate subject-specific "villages" that are usually independent in-person events, and host events like remote capture-the-flag hacker challenges, remote Ham radio licensure exams, movie nights, and a Mystery Challenge. Moss says he made the initial decision to cancel ..
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