It’s been a while since I pulled one of these “Kid Hacking” posts. I previously discussed ways to introduce your kids to the wonderful world of (programming) and (computers). With DefCon just a few short weeks away, I wanted to touch on an effort started last year called Defcon Kids. As noted on their homepage “DEFCON Kids is a not-for-profit dedicated to teaching kids around the world how to love being a white-hat hacker. A white-hat hacker is someone who enjoys thinking of innovative new ways to make, break and use anything to create a better world.”
Last year’s event was a huge success with over 200 parents and kids attending and two full days of classes (e.g., puzzlesolving, Google hacking, and meet the feds), workstations (e.g., eggbots and codebreaking), and contests (e.g., CTF and lockpicking). You can read about some of the activities from last year as the event received a fare about of press coverage. The following are just a few of the many articles noted on their site.
- DefCon Kids Guides Young Hackers to do Good – USAToday.com
- Children Learn to Be Hackers at DefCon Kids Event – RollingStone.com
- Tween Hacker’s Time-Travel Trick – DarkReading.com
- 10-Year-Old Hacker Finds Zero-Day Flaw in Game – CNet.com
Plans for this year’s event seems even bigger and better with a keynote by Cory Doctorow, sci-fi author and co-editor of BoingBoing, as well as other established speakers including a “General,” Chris Anderson (Wired Magazine), Joe Grand (the “hardware hacker” guy), and Marcia Hoffman (EFF lawyer). To participate you don’t need any special registration. Like the rest of Defcon you pick the sessions you want to go to and (maybe) wait in line. All that is needed is a Defcon badge for both yourself and your kid(s). Please note that Defcon Kids is not a babysitting service … come prepared to learn WITH your kid. To learn more and see about participating, check out their website at DefconKids.com.
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Are you taking part in Defcon Kids? Let us know in the comments below. Today’s post pic is from ThisIsMobile.com. See ya!
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Kid Hacking – Defcon Kids http://t.co/EdoAzIGI //Little reminder..
Kid Hacking – Defcon Kids http://t.co/Hmwb8w3g //So who’s bringing their kiddos?
Kid Hacking – Defcon Kids http://t.co/EdoAzIGI //So who’s bringing their kiddos?
BLOGGED Kid Hacking – Defcon Kids http://t.co/Hmwb8w3g //So who’s bringing their kiddos?
BLOGGED Kid Hacking – Defcon Kids http://t.co/EdoAzIGI //So who’s bringing their kiddos?