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CNET Warns 'Everything Looks Like A Hack' At DEFCON (cnet.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the hackers-in-town dept.

From a CNET report:The hacker convention, which is in its 25th year in Las Vegas, typically has hotels on alert for its three days of Sin City talk, demos and mischief. Guests are encouraged not to pick up any flash drives lying around, and employees are trained to be wary of social engineering -- that is, bad guys pretending to be someone innocent and in need of just a little help. Small acts of vandalism pop up around town. At Caesars Palace, where Defcon is happening, the casino's UPS store told guests it was not accepting any print requests from USB drives or links, and only printing from email attachments. Hackers who saw this laughed, considering that emails are hardly immune from malware. But the message is clear: During these next few days, hackers are going to have their fun, whether it's through a compromised Wi-Fi network or an open-to-tinkering website.
NOTE: CNET also originally reported that the Wet Republic web site "had two images vandalized" with digital graffiti. But their reporter now writes that "my paranoia finally got the best of me, and it turned out to be an ad campaign."

6 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. all out war against what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    knowing most security experts, probably all out war against basic hygiene and quality interpersonal communication skills

  2. Oh, Great. Burning Man for Quote Hackers Unquote by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Figures it'd be CNET (or Wired) or some other 90s giggly "tech media" remnant trumpeting this stunt. These counter-cultural events ceased being relevant about two years after these news outlets began covering them as part of the tech culture. The wannabes diluted the pool, and the legit players all vacated for greener pastures about which they now widely keep mum.

  3. Anybody actually read this? by FilmedInNoir · · Score: 4, Informative

    Because it was clear about the fact it wasn't a hack but part of a planned advertising campaign.

    --
    Sig. Sig. Sputnik
  4. CNET update: Turns out it wasn't a hack by Nicopa · · Score: 4, Informative

    It was a a unrelated ad campaing...

    Quote:

    Hakkasan, which hosts the event at MGM Grand, said the "vandalism" was part of the cheeky advertisements for a seasonal bikini contest it's been running since 2015. The "all-out war" is between the models in the competition, not between hackers and clubs. Hakkasan's spokeswoman said nothing on its network has been compromised. So maybe not everything online in Las Vegas is getting hacked this week, and this n00b learned to calm down the hard way.

  5. What the hell did I just read? by campuscodi · · Score: 3

    What the hell did I just read? Is this one of those marketing pieces disguised as news articles. I knew Black Hat and DEF CON are in a competition to get the coolest talks, but didn't know it was this bad that they need to hype hacking conferences now. OMG the DEF CON hackers are here. Hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife!

  6. Read the original article... by XSportSeeker · · Score: 2

    ...because the poster apparently didn't.
    It wasn't a hack at all.
    https://www.cnet.com/news/ever...