One of the world’s largest hacker conventions, DEF CON, recently wrapped up its 26th year in Las Vegas. Wired was there with full coverage, including stories about drones taking over nearby smart TVs, how DARPA uses DEF CON’s hackers to test new voting machines, and many more, including the first story below about weaponizing a smart speaker.
- Hackers Can Turn Everyday Speakers Into Acoustic Cyberweapons [Wired] “Those aural barrages can potentially harm human hearing, cause tinnitus, or even possibly have psychological effects.”
- Despite embracing the government, DEF CON maintains its mischievous hacker roots [Mashable] “Casinos surrounding the convention were home to a surprising amount of malfunctioning digital slot machines.”
- These Legit-Looking iPhone Lightning Cables Will Hijack Your Computer [Motherboard] “It looks like a legitimate cable and works just like one. Not even your computer will notice a difference. Until I, as an attacker, wirelessly take control of the cable.”
- 2020 election security to face same vulnerabilities as in 2016 [TechTarget] “We’ve taken these systems that weren’t dependent on software before and made them dependent on software. And, as everybody here in Las Vegas can tell you, software is utterly terrible.”
From the Ohio Web Library:
- Ann Hermes Staff photographer, Sara Sorcher Staff writer. “Video: So You Want to Be a Hacker? Advice from the Kids of DEF CON.” Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2016, p. N.PAG.
- Fitch, Elizabeth S. “Def Con Hacker Conference: An Accidental Tourist’s Observations.” Defense Counsel Journal, vol. 84, no. 4, Oct. 2017, pp. 1–4.
- Taylor Telford. “At Def Con, Hackers and Lawmakers Examine Holes in U.S. Election Security.” Washington Post, The, 2019 Spring 8AD.