ALL,
After inception of PLUG Hackfests 3 years ago, in various network facilities, around Phoenix, many people have wanted us, to take on the very unrealistic goal of attending DefCon as a CaptureTheFlag competitor/team.
I participated in DefCon 6 with Michael Schrimshaw (who was with me at teleport.com, transport.com, and various other ISP's); believe me, PLUG Teamsters are not going to develop skills to successfully compete in today's security environment, simply from interacting via the PLUG Hackfest (or any other PLUG event for that matter). I also knew Crispen Cowan, Immunix, who developed a wide community of professional security networkers simply with a primary focus on play! On any given Oregon night, one could find deep code monkey interaction with Darrell Fuhriman Randal Schwartz, John Heasley (and others too deep to describe) who happily collaborated. Randal worked contract with Michael and I as paid tag team encroachment AFTER the Presentations, Pizza and Beer for an International Telecommunications Corporation.
Sadly, the fun "youth" days are long gone; now the focus is where it needs to be: "professionalism".
While I have not hung up my keyboards, I have, for various reasons, removed the "stated goal" (requested by Steven Kaplan, CISSP, CISA, NSA Alumni) from the http://plug.phoenix.az.us/hackfest/ verbiage "attend DefCon as Capture the Flag team" from all announcements. If you would like a Defcon19 CTF team please check this resource:
http://defcon.org/19
I have also removed any and all the other security threats and warnings, requested by some of the scholastic professionals within the PLUG since the PLUG Hackfest forensics reports clearly indicate that there are no aggressive attack attempts.
Announcements to any of our users that there might security risks for those attending any of the PLUG events, demanded via political agendas in 2009, have also been dropped.
Added security requirements with respect to running any Linux distro are not required, now that we have standard network security equipment and space to store it at Gangplankhq.com.
After all, if Dennis Kibbee, who appeared as a FLAG wasn't immediately pwned, everyone else is safe, wouldn't you say?
But if you have any questions, or would like to debunk the gossip from those selling competing classes, or one of the 7 deadly sins of competition
feel free to ask me to display the network configuration before you join us (or your coffee shop for that matter) with MISPLACED TRUST.
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Again, if anyone has a large lockable plastic rubber storage bin, network ethernet cabling (20 ft) or hubs to donate, please contact me.
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(503) 754-4452
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Presentations @ ABLEConf.com in April!