* subscribe at http://techPolice.com Hackers and their opponents party in Las Vegas Copyright 2001 Agence France Presse Those who break into computer networks, and the people that stop them, are relaxing together in Las Vegas this weekend, brought together by two diametrically opposed events. The Black Hat Briefings, a two-day conference for security professionals, opened here Wednesday. Defcon, an annual convention for computer hackers, kicked off on Thursday evening and runs through Sunday. Black Hat, which charges 1,000 dollars per head entrance, is referred to by many as the university, and Defcon is compared to a fraternity party following final exams. But Defcon 9 is getting off to a slow start this year. In past years Defcon has always been a raucous four-day booze-soaked blowout for the world's best hackers. This year the crowds are relatively calm. For the most part the hardcore hackers are staying behind closed doors upstairs in their rooms. Without an invitation, you do not get into the rooms. The rest of the crowd of more than 7,000 that is milling around on the main floor is comprised mostly of -- according to the press pack given to media attendees -- an "obscene amount" of reporters, a large group of federal agents and the event's dozen or so organizers. The big topic of discussion this year is a new way to attack wireless networks. Exploiting a weakness in the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol that supposedly secures wireless networks, hackers here brag they can break into a system within five to 30 seconds. Viruses are also a hot issue. The hackers and security experts agree that the next generation of computer viruses will be more sophisticated, and harder to defend against. "Computer viruses are evolving and finding new ways to evolve and survive, just as if they were a living system," said Jose Nazario, a researcher for computer-security group Crimelabs. Arguments have broken out in some of the rooms, where a few hackers are heatedly debating whether or not to continue to divulge their "trade secrets" to the security people. "Tell me again, why exactly are we helping them to keep us out of their networks?" fumed one 32-year-old hacker from Oregon, who did not want to be identified. While the battle brews upstairs, downstairs attendees are happily playing a traditional and beloved Defcon game: "Spot The Fed". Undercover federal agents make up a significant percentage of the convention crowd, and anyone who can correctly identify an agent is awarded with an "I Spotted the Fed" T-shirt. The agent gets a T-shirt too, which reads: "I am the Fed." Judging by past Defcons, by the end of the show, at least a couple of dozen rather sheepish but good-natured federal agents will be wearing that black shirt. ============================================================ Get FREE business cards for your business or personal use! VistaPrint.com is giving away 250 full color business cards - an $85 value. Claim this unique FREE gift now! http://click.topica.com/caaacASb1dhr0b2EDp2f/VistaPrint ============================================================ --via http://techPolice.com archive: http://theMezz.com/cybercrime/archive subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --via http://theMezz.com ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1dhr0.b2EDp2 Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
