DEF CON 27 came to an end on August 11th. As expected, bugs were the center of attention. Not the kind of bugs that creep, crawl, and cause nightmares. We’re talking about programming and software bugs. They are scarier.
DEF CON takes its name from U.S. military shorthand for “defense condition readiness.” It is considered the crème de la crème of hacker conventions. The annual event highlights new computer software, hardware, and other devices hitting the market.
Security professionals and government agencies like the NSA have provided keynote speeches over the years. It’s become a hub for those seeking to enter the field or expand their expertise. Hackers are rewarded for breaking, hacking, or finding major flaws in the software and hardware. Here are some of the highlights from this year.
A Warning To Apple And Windows Users
Security firm Check Point has found a gateway to iOS 8 through iOS 13 beta operating systems that gives the hacker access to the phone, data, and passwords. Check Point says Apple has known about the bug for over four years, but hasn’t addressed it. Nearly 1 ½ billion people around the world use an iOS device.
Eclypsium, a cyber security company, found a common flaw in multiple Huawei, Intel, NVIDIA, Realtek Semiconductor, SuperMicro, and Toshiba hardware products. Forbes reports that this design flaw allows a person to take complete control of a system remotely, but have complete access as if they were at the computer. Windows has already released a patch.
2016 U.S. Elections Could Look Like Child Play
U.S. lawmakers and others from Capitol Hill paid extra attention to DEF CON this year, and probably noticed the election equipment being worked on. Hackers were demonstrating the vulnerabilities of different voting machines. CNN reports the machines were purchased on Ebay and there are more for sale. One machine is a $10 million model from the Defense Agency Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The good news is that no one hacked it. The bad news is no one hacked it because as soon as it was turned on it had a critical failure.
The Democratic National Committee and lawmakers have publicly embraced hacker culture since the 2016 election cycle. They even played their own game for the audience. The DNC demonstrated the effectiveness of deepfake videos and how they are a threat to the 2020 election. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a deepfake video is basically a video that has been altered using artificial intelligence software. Essentially, you can put words into anyone’s mouth. DNC Chair Tom Perez connected via Skype and addressed the audience with an apology for not being there in person. In reality, he wasn’t there on screen either. The DNC created their own deepfake video, and the audience bought it.