About

What is DEF CON and Defcon Worcester / DC441905?

DEF CON is an annual security conference in Las Vegas that has been running since 1993. From there DEF CON Groups (DCGs or DC-Groups) were spawned which allowed people to meet others within their local area to discuss technology and other security topics. The meetings are open to anyone and designed to help you learn new things, meets new people, mentor others in areas you may be strong in and provide some cohesion within the hacker culture and its members.

As of 2019 there were over 270 different DCGs spread across the world. Each group is identified by their local phone area code, and for countries outside of the USA this also includes the country code. The UK country code is 44, and the area code 01905, hence DC441905 or simply Defcon Worcester.

Defcon Worcester was founded in 2020 and began with streaming talks and moved to in person meet ups as restrictions around COVID-19 were lifted.

Who is this for?

Anyone and everyone is welcome. Defcon is not a hacker meeting, it is something better. It’s important to note we use the term hacker in its traditional definition, a technology enthusiast, and we do not condone any illegal activity. This meeting is designed to attract not only hackers but members of the InfoSec community and people who want to learn more about InfoSec but do not consider themselves hackers. The purpose here is to interact with people who may have different backgrounds but share the same passion for technology.

We enjoy all aspects of technology and you don’t have to have experience in any field to join in. Generally people are interested to learn something new from the various presentations that happen, but just as importantly there is a social aspect to the community where you can meet likeminded individuals. We are open to all, but expect everyone to follow our Code of Conduct.

We also welcome members of law enforcement and the media, but ask that you are open about who you are and what you do. Failure to disclose who you are might lead to the perception that you’re out to “get someone”.

Who runs Defcon Worcester?

We are a community that is run by you. We are reliant on people both attending and giving talks to make this work. If there is something you want to see, ask for it or try it.

To help coordinate everything there is a team of organisers. They are:

	Jess (She/Her) Jess took over running Defcon Worcester during December 2022. She has worked in cyber security for just over 4 years as a cyber security engineer. She enjoys cocktails, open mic nights and playing Overwatch.
	Ian (He/Him) Ian is a penetration tester and former soldier. When Jess took over the group in December 2022 he landed the role of Jess’ assistant (gopher/dogs body/fixer and general B***H). Mostly staying in the background and making sure that things run as smoothly as they can. Although his attendance at the evening events can be varied due to work commitments he’s always there in some capacity. Outside of cyber security his main interests are mountains lakes and snow, when they’re not available he can be found mostly playing PUBG.
	Labby (Her/She/It/Dog) Labby is Defcon Worcester’s mascot and furry moral. Owned by Ian, whenever he is there she is. She’s an overly friendly working border collie who loves nothing more than saying hello to everyone stealing peoples snacks and making sure everyone is happy. Her favourite things to do are exploring new places, things and smells or chasing any kind of ball. She is also known for lying and may tell you that she is never fed, taken out for walks and is beaten at home, rest assured these are just her social engineering skills in play.
	Tom Tom has been working in IT for over 15 years with an interest in making and breaking all things technical even longer than that. He has worked in a variety of different sectors and in both defensive and offensive security teams. He’s been with Defcon Worcester since its inception and whilst not making it to every meetup, is there in spirit and always around the Internet somewhere helping out with things in the background.