DEF CON 34 — NOC Security
Ran Security in the NOC protecting conference attendees from frequent hack attempts.
## Working Nights at DEF CON 34
My lead at work tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wanted to work a conference. The conference turned out to be DEF CON 34.
We were venue side, running security for the Las Vegas Convention Center while DEF CON happened inside it. I wasn't a goon. The goons run their own thing and they run it well. My job was helping protect the building and the people in it, which at DEF CON means being one of the few networks in the world where you should assume everyone within a hundred feet knows more ways to break your stuff than you do.
I mostly worked nights. Shifts ran six hours, mine was 8 PM to 2 AM. Where the real magic happens.
I'm not going to talk about what we saw. That's the deal, and honestly it's part of why the community works. What I can say is that the operation was more professional than I expected. Everyone knew their role, handoffs were clean, and nothing about it felt unprepared.
The thing that stuck with me wasn't the work. It was the people. Every conversation in that room was worth having, including the ones at 1 AM when nothing was happening. I came in as a first timer at DEF CON not knowing what to expect and left looking forward to the next one.
If you're anywhere near or interested in this world, find a way in. Volunteer, work a shift, help a village, show up. There's more room in this community than people think.