DEF CON

DEF CON (also written as DEFCON, Defcon or DC) is a hacker convention held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first DEF CON took place in June 1993 and today many attendees at DEF CON include computer security professionals, journalists, lawyers, federal government employees, security researchers, students, and hackers with a general interest in software, computer architecture, hardware modification, conference badges, and anything else that can be "hacked". The event consists of several tracks of speakers about computer- and hacking-related subjects, as well as cyber-security challenges and competitions (known as hacking wargames). Contests held during the event are extremely varied and can range from creating the longest Wi-Fi connection to finding the most effective way to cool a beer in the Nevada heat.

DEF CON
StatusActive
GenreSecurity Conference, Hacker Conference
FrequencyAnnual
VenueVaries
Location(s)Las Vegas, Nevada
Years active30
InauguratedJune 9, 1993 (1993-06-09)
FounderJeff Moss
Previous eventAugust 10–13, 2023
Next eventAugust 8–11, 2024
AttendanceOver 30,000
Websitedefcon.org

Other contests, past and present, include lockpicking, robotics-related contests, art, slogan, coffee wars, scavenger hunt, and Capture the Flag. Capture the Flag (CTF) is perhaps the best known of these contests and is a hacking competition where teams of hackers attempt to attack and defend computers and networks using software and network structures. CTF has been emulated at other hacking conferences as well as in academic and military contexts (as red team exercises).

Federal law enforcement agents from the FBI, DoD, United States Postal Inspection Service, DHS (via CISA) and other agencies regularly attend DEF CON. Some have considered DEF CON to be the "world's largest" hacker con given its attendee size and the number of other conferences modeling themselves after it.

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