Security Geeks, Hackers Convene in Vegas
Date : 06 Aug 2008 Category : Technology
NewsFactor NetworkBlack Hat is targeted to more mainstream professionals; for example, security experts from the Department of Homeland Security are scheduled to speak. Meanwhile, DEFCON has a looser, more underground reputation: Its schedule is peppered with hacker challenges and hacking contests. Paid delegates to the Black Hat conference can attend DEFCON for free. Conference organizers expect between 5,000-7,000 attendees this year.
Black Hat EventsAt Black Hat, the keynote speaker this year is Ian Angell, a professor of information systems for the London School of Economics. His topic: the mix of computer and human activity on the network spawns not only computer security but also institutional security issues. Also slated to appear in a keynote event is Rod Beckstrom, director of the National Cyber Security Center for the Office of Homeland Security.
The most anticipated presentation at the show, however, will be IOActive's Dan Kaminsky when he unveils details of the flaw he discovered in Domain Name Service software. The flaw had been kept under wraps in an attempt to proactively convince major network suppliers and operators to patch the flaw before information about it was made public. Unfortunately, the flaw was leaked to the public on a blog site, and the race was on to patch servers before hackers could exploit the vulnerability.
Kaminsky is expected to detail the flaw, its discovery, and what measures have been taken to patch the vulnerability. Weeks after the public disclosure of...