All articles tagged with #defcon
Virginia-based Mojave Research found extensive security gaps in Dominion-made voting machines seized in Puerto Rico, including weak passwords and unpatched flaws, but officials say there is no evidence those weaknesses changed election results; experts warn the findings could be weaponized by election-deniers to cast doubt on U.S. elections while efforts to patch vulnerabilities continue.
DEF CON attendees are suspected after Delta Flight 591 (Las Vegas–Atlanta) reportedly encountered a rogue onboard Wi‑Fi network, named “Delta WiFi Fast,” with a phishing landing page designed to harvest credentials. Delta said the unauthorized network was present briefly and that the official onboard Wi‑Fi was offline for about 30 minutes; flight safety was not compromised. The FBI’s Atlanta office is investigating, with no arrests announced at this time.
Defcon’s 2026 badges embed Baochip-1x, a removable, open-source hardware security token designed for verifiability and transparency; the module doubles as a FIDO-like key, supports QR-code registration, and runs a Rust-based OS with secure boot, TRNG, and resistive RAM; two variants exist (Huang’s open Baochip and a Crossbar/ARM counterpart), with infrared-inspection packaging to verify the silicon; attendees will test and potentially extend its features beyond the conference.
Experts warn that President Trump’s claim that voting machines are broadly insecure could do more harm to public trust in elections than any actual vulnerability. There is no evidence that hackers have changed votes, and states have moved toward paper records and verifiable trails. DEFCON demonstrations have revealed vulnerabilities, but experts note that such flaws don’t imply breaches have occurred. Ongoing upgrades rely on funding and leadership, with gaps in federal support and a federal leadership vacuum at the Election Assistance Commission, even as lawmakers push for stronger election security.
DOJ-released emails show Jeffrey Epstein courted cybersecurity researchers and sought to attend DEFCON and Black Hat in Las Vegas, discussing topics from removing his online traces to network security; connections cited include Vincenzo Iozzo and Joi Ito, though it remains unclear whether he actually attended either conference, and Iozzo denies working for Epstein; Epstein’s past conviction and subsequent death remain central to the reporting of these ties.
The White House organized a three-day competition at the DEF CON convention in Las Vegas, challenging hackers to outsmart top generative AI models from companies like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Nvidia. Participants attempted to trick the chatbots into generating fake news, defamatory statements, dangerous instructions, and more. The event attracted around 2,200 participants, including 220 students, who lined up for the challenge. The competition aimed to stress-test machine-learning systems and identify potential risks associated with AI. The results will be shared in a policy paper in October, with a larger transparency report expected in February.