Secure Computing Internet Security Newsletter
                         vol. 1, no. 7, August 1997

   Hackers turn up heat at DEF CON V
   ---------------------------------
   by Holly Knox, Internet Security Editor

   DEF CON V, the annual hacker convention, was held for the fifth
   consecutive year in Las Vegas on July 11-13. Antics such as breaking
   into a hotel's phone system by previous year's convention attendees
   have prevented organizers from holding this event in the same hotel
   twice. A DEFCON V Participant This year an estimated 1,000 people
   gathered at the Aladdin Hotel and paid $40 each to be part of the
   largest of all hacker conventions.

   To the casual observer it might be difficult to pinpoint what type of
   convention it is that attracts such a diverse group of people. Since
   hackers tend to be an unusual breed, it should come as no surprise
   that this convention thrives on the unconventional. Most attendees are
   young males in their teens and twenties, many of whom dress in all
   black. Only a handful use their real names and most prefer to use
   monikers or code names like White Knight, Se7en, Cyber, and Deth
   Veggie.

   Unlike  most of the other hacker conventions the organizers of DEF CON
   openly   invite   information  security  professionals  including  law
   enforcement  officials  to  participate  in the conference. One of the
   more  popular games played at the conference is called "Spot the Fed."
   Contestants  in  this game are awarded a T-shirt for spotting a member
   of  a law enforcement agency or "Fed" and pointing this out to others.
   While  there  were  probably  some  Feds  who easily blended in to the
   crowd,  the  ones  who  were  spotted  tended  to  be  clean cut which
   contrasted  sharply  to  the  those  who  dressed in all black and had
   various parts of their body pierced and tattooed.

   DEF  CON  attendees  were also given the opportunity to participate in
   their  own  rendition of "Capture the Flag." The game is structured to
   award  a  cash prize to the first team of individuals who successfully
   broke  into  all  four  different  network operating systems set up by
   conference  organizers.  As it turned out, not one individual team was
   successful in breaking into all of the systems, so the prize was split
   among individuals from several teams.

   Some  hackers  even went on a field trip to "Area 51," the place where
   its  rumored  that  the government conducts research on crashed UFO's.
   The  hackers  launched  foil  attached  to  helium  balloons  over the
   perimeter security fence hoping the objects would float into Area 51's
   radar. A short time later the hackers were asked to leave the area.

   The  formal agenda for the convention was composed primarily of hourly
   discussions   on  topics  ranging  from  "Hacking  Vegas"  to  "Global
   Domination,"  and  discussions  about  what the Feds think of hackers.
   There  were  also  break  out  sessions  and panel discussions on such
   subjects  as how to read email headers, and how to create and decipher
   forged email messages.

   The clueless ones

   One  particularly interesting presentation was given by Ira Winkler, a
   noted security consultant and author of Corporate Espionage. His topic
   included  a discussion on how the Internet has made it easy for almost
   anyone  to call themselves a hacker. In fact, he believes most hackers
   today  are of a variety he labels as the "clueless ones." Winkler even
   devised  a  quiz to help ferret out a clueless hacker from a real one.
   He  challenged the audience to take the quiz and answer it truthfully.
   For example, if you have never installed a network operating system or
   written  a  program  in  "C"  or  another  similar language you hardly
   qualify as having the skills of a real hacker. These clueless hackers,
   who  he  asserts  are  primarily  teenagers,  pose  one of the biggest
   threats to corporate security administrators because they are more apt
   to  use  the Internet hacking tools indiscriminately. Winkler contends
   that many of the attacks done today are executed by those he considers
   clueless and judging from the audience's reactions to his remarks many
   appeared to agree with him.

   With each passing year the popularity of DEF CON continues to grow, as
   evidenced  by  this  year's  large  turn  out. No doubt many attend to
   satisfy  their  curiosity.  Others  are simply trying to stay informed
   about  the  latest hacking trends. For many others, the big attraction
   may  be  the  opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the "legendary
   heroes" of hackerdom.

   For more information on DEF CON go to: http://www.defcon.org