Just one week late posting this after being snowed into the hotel for two days longer than planned. How lucky was I to help get something new(ish) off the ground in its second year amidst its second calamity and to help speakers showcase their work in the CFP and on the mainstage!

DISTRICTCON IS STILL A GO! We are excited to see you all on Saturday, January 24 as we are still going through our normal programming! While we are unable to process refunds, we are adding virtual components to Saturday AND Sunday including a livestream for public sessions for ticket holders.

Vibes are high for DistrictCon! We’ll see you tomorrow 😎

The @districtcon.bsky.social gods ask for their due. The conference may proceed but one natural crisis will occur

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Our Agenda is now live! Check it out! Check it out: www.districtcon.org/speakers

One fun thing the @dreadnode.bsky.social CTI agent is unearthing from the Great Firewall leaks is how many of the employees of this Chinese deep-packet inspection/malware intro/censorship company are also part-time (PhD) students If it can work for them, it can work for me! .

Interested in Jump The Wall? Applications close Nov 7 🔥 www.districtcon.org/jtw

Interesting paper out of Dartmouth about private sector's role in U.S. offensive cyber landscape. Recommends a national offensive cyber strategy and a pilot program for private sector access to "low-risk" targets like crypto scammers and ransomware operators: sergeybratus.gitlab.io/papers/Dartm...

This is going to be SO good!

We're officially announcing our speakers DistrictCon Year 1! Check out our incredible lineup: www.districtcon.org/speakers This also includes our Day 1 & Day 2 Keynotes from Ian Levy and Dan Ridge. And don't forget, GA tickets go on sale November 16! See you in January! 🪩

Come see ya boy

In early 2019 while at the German Parliament‘s Foreign Affairs Committee, I imagined this exact scenario: China using the rare earth supply chain to get fully visibility and self-reinforcing leverage. When urged to develop other sources, such as Malaysia (where I even went), Merkel gov did nothing.

So my other big piece of the day is an inside look at the struggle for the future of the CVE programthat just went live at CyberScoop. 1/2 cyberscoop.com/cve-program-...

Washington is rethinking the relationship between government agencies and the private sector in offensive cyber, considering giving the private sector a more active role. Perfect timing for @winnona.bsky.social & Sergey Bratus to put out this well-reasoned and legally grounded perspective:

If the CISA 2015 info-sharing law expires tomorrow, CISA the agency may eliminate its real-time threat indicator sharing database, according to a new DHS OIG report. www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/defaul... Participation in sharing program has been declining since 2020. Post-expiration plans unclear.

Mark your calendars!! 💕

Speaking as a Chinese person, in the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of bribery.

I stopped by DistrictCon earlier this year, (no ticket) but was able to borrow a badge and such. The vibes were awesome, the people were great, and even with a multi-block power outage at the venue, they were still able to keep it going. I recommend this one in DC

Our Call for Papers is officially OPEN! We are looking for - Hacking Magic 👾🪄 (cool research, novel TTPs, tool releases, etc.) - Policy Roundtable Topics ⚖️ (specific cyber topics focused on geopolitics, ethics, legal frameworks, governance, etc.) www.districtcon.org/cfp

How did China's top APT hackers come to be? Many were early "Honkers" - patriotic hackers who in late 90s launched low-skill cyberattacks against nations deemed disrespectful to China. But once Honkers developed their skills, PLA/MSS came calling. Based on great research by bsky.app/profile/eube...

Was a ton of fun to talk about the 0day market and Pall Mall at Summercon! Thanks for having me 💕

“alignment with CCP priorities offers privileged access to state resources, regulatory favor, and expanded commercial opportunities [to hackers]." NEW Phenomenal report on Chinese civil military fusion and cyber militias by Kieran Green: margin.re/mobilizing-c...

submit to districtcon.org/junkyard 🐞

We’re proud to announce the Review Board for DistrictCon’s call for papers! Our CFP will open next month, and we're excited to receive all your submissions! www.districtcon.org/cfp

It's almost like surveillance capitalism is a problem for *everyone*

Extremely interesting comparisons in cybersecurity... The 1️⃣ thing to focus on? Talent. Talented people have outsize impacts in software and cybersecurity. And expertise drives better policy (eventually)! Pipelines to build more experts pay compounding returns.

Winnona out here doing amazing work, as always! Definitely recommend reading!

I wonder how many students coming out of NSA CAE-CO programs are able to "do" this kind of work? Less than 100? "Peripheral" state schools, even R1s with CAE designations are probably producing zero. Our emphasis is completely on defense.

🚨 NEW PAPER on the 0day Supply Chain 🚨: I gathered open source data & interviewed Gov employees, VR and china researchers to figure out what the zero day marketplace looks like in the U.S. and how it compares to China. key findings below ⬇️- 0/🧵 
www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...

New from 404 Media: a cop in Texas performed a nationwide search of license plate reading cameras for a woman who got an abortion, according to multiple sets of data we've reviewed. Included cameras where abortion is legal, like Washington and Illinois www.404media.co/a-texas-cop-...

Submit via our Bugcrowd program to demonstrate real technical skill, support responsible disclosure, and bring joy (and chaos) to the hacker community. Thanks to @bugcrowd.com for their partnership and sponsorship of the contest! www.districtcon.org/junkyard

🚨 CALLING ALL VULNERABILITY RESEARCHERS 🚨 The Junkyard is officially open! This is our live, on-stage pwnathon dedicated to end-of-life systems. Submit your bugs! Prizes range from $100 to $5,000 for categories like: ☄️ Most Impactful System 👾 Best Meme Target 👏 Most Engaging Presentation

IT’S HAPPENING!! So stoked to announce DisCo Year 1 - mark your calendars ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

We are also aware that some of the video quality looks like it was filmed on a potato... we plan to fix that for next year. And have power! :)

🎥 DistrictCon Year 0 recordings are now live on YouTube! Check out the AMAZING content from our Track 1 Speakers, Junkyard competitors, and keynotes! www.youtube.com/@DistrictCon

Bunch shows how it is done. The way he points out what the EO *legally* does (directs the VP, acting as just one of many regents) vs what it claims to do (“change the Smithsonian!”—something POTUS can’t do) is fantastic. We need more of this, less ppl taking EOs as law.

This is a big deal. I suspect we'll be hearing more and more about China surpassing the US in terms of its cyber capabilities, both in quantity and quality, over the next few months and years. Great ✍️ from @timstarks.bsky.social

Look man, I'm not saying anything but I'm also not NOT saying anything

New from 404 Media: all 50 states have introduced right to repair legislation. Not all have passed, but it's just a massive milestone for the right to repair movement that just a few years ago was demonized by big tech www.404media.co/all-50-state...

Last week/end is still a blur, but I’m so grateful for the team and community that banded together to do this. #DistrictCon Year 0, you’re one for the books. @districtcon.bsky.social @winnona.bsky.social

Welcome to DistrictCon! We are operating with a one-hour delay due to the neighborhood-wide power outage (did someone say manhole fire 👀 www.fox5dc.com/news/smoke-p...) but otherwise ready to roll! We never panic at the DisCo. 😏

We've got a jam-packed room for Gen Nakasone (Ret.)

We love our deeply serious talks with unserious memes! - Low-Effort Denial of Service with Recursion with Alexis Challande and Brad Swain

Incredible footwork happening in our Junkyard courtesy of yltsi and @cje.io

That’s a wrap on DistrictCon Year 0! Thank you to all of our attendees, sponsors, speakers, and villages! We are so proud of to be part of the hacker community in DC! Peace & love, DisCo Team 🪩💕💙

After 72 hours without power for @districtcon.bsky.social, the lights came back on at the end of our closing ceremony. I'll never forget it. @powa-sec.bsky.social