One of the biggest hacking conferences in the world is Def Con (defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces). Cybersecurity talks at Def Con included hacking cars, traffic lights and social engineering – where actors tried to get real companies to reveal compromising information.

Source: BBC News

Date: January 21, 2015

Link (to video to post into browser): http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28850305

Discussion

1) Def Con has a “Wall of Sheep” where are posted all the details (usernames, passwords, network addresses) of any mobile device (most often smartphones) left up and running (and therefore easily hackable) for all to see. Is this a violation of personal privacy, or a brilliant way to clue “sheep” into the dangers of smartphones?

2) How do you feel about Def Con conference goers learning, during a huge presentation, about how to hack into a car’s breaking system to make it completely ineffective, or the presenter who showed and made publicly available the tools, software and procedures to control traffic lights ? Why is this important for a company that you will work for to understand?