Hanging with hackers can make you paranoid (news.cnet.com)

I don't know, but this sounds like a hell of a lot of fun. Perhaps it's just the reporter pumping up the story, dunno, but it really conveyed the image of a meeting of passionate people that enjoy what they do.

Interesting that the fake ATMs might have been placed independent of the conference... That means that everyone else at the casino was not sufficiently paranoid, and it took a hacker conference to reveal the deception.

It's not paranoia if they really are out to get me.

Having been at Defcon 17 this year, I can say that this was not the highlight of the weekend. Speakers were arrested on CCW charges, ATMs compromised, potential Korean spies playing press, arcade games erroring out, etc. None of that was the big show. What they aren't talking about is the SSL Strip null byte attack, or the mobile phone fuzzer app that was released.

If you ever get the chance to go, take it. Defcon is an experience you will remember, and it is extremely valuable for us hackers to attend, if for nothing else, for the contacts and friends you'll meet.

I'm sad to say that some european hackers are reluctant to go to defcon because of the risk of being "registered" or even arrested.