DEF CON Checklist
DEF CON is one of those experiences that’s hard to explain until you’ve lived it. But if you’re going for the first time, a little prep goes a long way. Here’s everything I’d tell a friend heading out for the first time.
Hacker Tracker
Download the Hacker Tracker app before you go. It has the full schedule of talks, villages, and events and lets you map out exactly what you want to see ahead of time. DEF CON throws a lot at you simultaneously and having a plan prevents decision paralysis on the floor. Build your schedule in advance and adjust as you go. Also understand that there is no way you will do it all – it’s okay, enjoy the ephemeral madness anyway! Pick what you want to get out of it and set out to do it whether it’s workshops, CTFs, visiting specific villages and also make room for the things that may be spontaneous. Those moments could be the greatest ones.
Arrive Thursday
DEF CON officially starts Friday but arrive Thursday if you can. Registration and the merch line on day one can eat hours of your actual conference time. Getting both out of the way Thursday means you walk in Friday ready to go. The registration line alone has its own nickname, Linecon, because it becomes its own social event. Embrace it or skip it by arriving early. Your choice.
Before You Even Get to Vegas
Sign up for workshops the moment registration opens. They sell out extremely fast and the ones you actually want will be gone if you wait. Don’t learn this the hard way. Workshops are registered through Eventbrite so set up your account before registration even opens, you don’t want to be creating an account while seats are disappearing.
Workshops cost around $25 which sounds almost too good to be true when you realize some are taught by the same instructors who teach SANS courses that start at $5,000. Sidenote: even if a workshop is sold out, show up anyway. A friend of mine walked up to a sold out workshop and got in just by being there. Let others tell you no first.
Where to Stay
Resorts World is genuinely underrated for DEF CON. It’s walkable to the convention center which means no Uber surge pricing and no Loop. Speaking of the Loop, skip it.
If you want to stay somewhere on the Strip instead, the Las Vegas Monorail is your best friend. It runs along the east side of the Strip and stops directly at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Trains run every 4 to 8 minutes so you’re never waiting long.
Monorail stops worth knowing:
- Westgate Resort – one of the closest hotels to the convention center
- SAHARA Las Vegas – budget friendly option, right on the monorail
- Harrah’s/The LINQ – mid Strip, fun area with lots of food and entertainment nearby
- Flamingo/Caesars Palace – classic Vegas location, decent pricing
- Bally’s/Paris Las Vegas – great mid Strip location
Packing List That Actually Matters
Walkable shoes. Non negotiable. You will log more steps in a day than you can count.
Bring an umbrella, a hat, or both. Las Vegas heat in August is no joke. The sun will humble you.
Refillable water bottle. Drink water constantly. Liquid IV is a plus. The heat plus the excitement plus the air conditioning cycling will dehydrate you. Also the late night festivities followed by early morning liquid IV could be a life saver.
Travel light to the con floor. Leave the big bag at the hotel. Your shoulders will thank you by day two.
At the Con
Airless mode on. Bluetooth off. NFC contactless payments off. People are out here with Flippers and I’m not referring to the sandals. I’m referring to the Flipper Zeroes and they are looking for easy targets. You don’t have to be paranoid but you should be intentional.
No need for a burner phone or burner laptop as a general attendee. I did both. It was overkill. Save your energy for the actual con.
Privacy is part of the culture. Don’t photograph people without asking. It’s respected and expected.
WiFi and Connectivity
The DEF CON WiFi is actually reliable and surprisingly well managed given the crowd using it. I brought a hotspot expecting the worst and it was completely unnecessary. Save yourself the extra bill.
The Villages Are Where the Magic Is
Here’s the most important thing to understand about DEF CON scheduling: the main talks will be recorded and posted online later. The villages will not. Prioritize villages and meetups over tracks, you can catch the talks at home, you cannot recreate what happens in a village in real time.
The Social Engineering Village is a must. They run live social engineering competitions where contestants call real targets on the phone and attempt to extract information using only their voice and social skills. Watching it happen in real time is equal parts educational and wildly entertaining. They also run the Battle of the Bots which you have to see to believe.
The IoT Village is where you realize how vulnerable the devices around you actually are. We hacked a lightbulb. The village runs hands on labs and talks where researchers demonstrate real exploits on off the shelf IoT devices. It’s eye opening in the best way.
La Villita is a dedicated community space at DEF CON designed to unite and amplify Spanish and Portuguese-speaking cybersecurity enthusiasts.
The Noob Village is one of the most underrated stops especially if you’re new to the industry and job searching. They can review your resume and hiring managers tell the facilitators to look out for certain skillsets. Worth a visit to introduce yourself. You never know what could happen.
And those are just a few. Grab every freebie you can find from the villages, talk to strangers, and wander. Everyone is genuinely friendly and open in a way that doesn’t happen at most other places.
Stickers
Bring stickers to share. Take stickers. It’s culture. Some of my favorite stickers I’ve collected are from Def Con. Hackers are the most creative people.
Merch Hall
Get in the merch line early because things sell out. Bring cash. You are going to discover tools and books you didn’t know existed and you’re going to want them. Budget for it ahead of time so you’re not doing mental math in line.
Food
Near the con there is an amazing bagel place called Siegel’s Bagelmania for breakfast. If you are staying off the strip there is this great spot for breakfast called Polaris Cafe. I definitely recommend getting there early the line gets out the door and it will take an hour plus to get your meal. Inside the con you can grab sandwiches, chips, fruit cups, and drinks without leaving. Inside Resorts World there’s a food court for quick breakfast or dinner.
When you want something nicer: Nobu at Caesars, Hell’s Kitchen for steak, SushiSamba at the Venetian. Hell’s Kitchen was the best steak of my life. Thank you Gordon Ramsay 🙂
The One Thing I’d Tell You
DEF CON has a way of making you feel like you belong even if you feel like an outsider walking in. Lean into that. Talk to people. Ask questions. Everyone started somewhere and most people there love sharing what they know.
See you on the con floor.