DefCon CTF 2008 Qualifier


Kenshoto is back again to run the Capture the Flag competition at DefCon. CTF is a multiteam competition featuring creative attack and defense of servers and lasts the entirety of DefCon. Unreleased exploits are often seen during the competition. As in previous years, Kenshoto will be narrowing the field with a qualification round. Quals will start the evening of May 30th and run for 48 hours. NOPS-R-US has a solution guide for the previous two years so you can get some idea of what you’re getting yourself into. They’ve even got a couple write ups for last year’s final. The competition should prove entertaining even if you don’t make the final cut.

[via Midnight Research Lab]

Bruce Schneier’s Opinion On Everything


Honestly, we were originally sent this Q&A with famed cryptographer [Bruce Schneier] as a restaurant recommendation (112 Eatery, Minneapolis). Posted last fall on NYTimes’ Freakonomics blog it covers [Bruce]’s opinion on nearly everything. Here are a few items in particular that really stuck out to us:

The most immediate threat to the average person is crime – in particular, fraud. And as I said before, even if you don’t store that data on your computer, someone else has it on theirs. But the long-term threat of loss of privacy is much greater, because it has the potential to change society for the worse.

What you’re really asking me is about the security. No one steals credit card numbers one-by-one, by eavesdropping on the Internet connection. They’re all stolen in blocks of a million by hacking the back-end database. It doesn’t matter if you bought something over the Internet, by phone, by mail, or in person – you’re equally vulnerable.

We already knew he doesn’t secure his WiFi (neither do we) and you’ll find many other interesting discussions in the article. If you want Bruce Schneier facts though, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

Interfacing Your Laptops Onboard I2c


[ladyada] ran across this excellent hack by [phillip]. Apparently there’s a clock, data, 5v and ground connection available in most modern video connections. (He even notes HDMI cable pins) He wrote some drivers and can now control i2c hardware directly from the PC Mac. [Ladyada] notes that most laptops use an i2c bus for extra sensors as well. For now, the code only works on Mac OS X.