No expense has been spared by the organisers to reinforce the 80’s theme including name badges in the form of real audio cassettes (yes, they still exist) that are labelled with your hacker name.  I’m afraid my hacker name of “Michael” was somewhat plain in hindsight!

The self-deprecating humour scattered throughout the Kiwicon website and program guide is nothing short of amazing; a must-read if you get the chance.  And the permanent stage props of a Llama and Sheep really help paint the picture of a conference that has a wonderful relaxed, if not quirky tone.

With more than 1,100 security geeks attending, including many international guests, this conference is likely the closest thing to DEFCON this side of the Pacific; and from comments I’ve heard from fellow attendees, maybe even better.

The first day has concluded with talks as diverse as real cases of journalists and human rights activists being hacked by suspicious government actors, to researchers who reverse engineered the Bluetooth powered controls of an electric skateboard.

Presentations at Kiwicon tend to be very technical, and give you an insight into the genius minds behind some of the leading edge security research that over time assists in keeping all of us safer online, as vulnerabilities are discovered and disclosed.

Day two of Kiwicon is packed with topics such as a walk through of techniques that can be used to detect hoax images that are all too familiar on the Internet these days, as well as some possible disclosures relating to Minecraft which may well turn into breaking news.

But if attending security talks aren’t your thing, the conference also offers the chance to participate in a hacking challenge, lock-picking competition and other activities to keep the minds of the brightest up and coming security professionals occupied.

Until the next conference, stay safe out there.