Events & Villages

We are thrilled to be able to offer two Friday Workshops this year:

• TBD
• TBD

Pre-registration is required for workshop attendance.

During the Hands-On Hardware Hacking Village, you'll dive in deep to gain root access on an IoT camera. Using tools like Flashrom and Hexedit, we'll guide you through dumping SPI flash, modifying firmware dump to force single user mode, and using UART to interact with the target. Then we'll rebuild the environment, load drivers, and regain full access—finishing with modifying the "CORRECT" root password file to take complete control.

Also during the Saturday lab we will also be running short technical discussions on hardware hacking methods and methodologies every hour. No equipment is needed, everything will be provided. We will have six workstations running on a first come, first serve basis.

AI Village — hackers, ML engineers and data scientists educating CkC on the use and abuse of artificial intelligence in security and privacy. Get hands on with models, hackbots and more.

EverSec returns once again to host the CkC Capture the Flag! Come test your offensive security skills against live, vulnerable systems to discover vulnerabilities and win points. We've built the challenges to cater to all skill levels. With a wide variety of challenges, there's something for everyone. Play as a team or tackle it solo, but be sure not to miss it!

Two years ago a rag tag crew of hackers created and ran PhreakMe as a Defcon contest awarding a black badge to the winner. Last year they did it again and awarded another black badge to the winners. Cackalackycon will be the first non-Defcon venue to have PhreakMe. PhreakMe was created as a one of a kind telephony CTF where participants can dial into a PBX and complete challenges. From n00bs to experts there's something for everyone with the opportunity to learn some history. See Camellia for details and a pay phone!

Oak City Locksport will be running a Lockpick Village. If you've never picked a lock and want to learn this is the place to start. If you're an intermediate or advanced picker and want to try something new, ask the Village staff because not everything we have may be out!

OCL will have:

• Picking contests and games
• OCL Store: Progressive and re-pinnable locks available for sale along with a variety of picks and picking gear, swag, etc.

OCL is the RDU area locksport club, founded in 2010. We meet once a month to pick locks and share our projects. Find us on Meetup to attend a meeting.

GreenHat Solutions (GHS) presents a 802.11 (WiFi) Capture The Flag event.

Unlike many CTF's, the Shoothouse provides an opportunity to conduct wireless penetration testing against various targets. While capturing the keys to access the wireless network will award points, the challenge doesn't end there. Competitors will have the option to find additional flags; these flags will either require accessing the router user interface, the client devices, or the traffic between clients.

Contestants will have the chance to train on or hone their skills with a vast arsenal of tools and techniques including: Hashcat, JtR, Crunch, Cewl, most tools in the aircrack suite, hydra, medusa, mdk-3, pyrit, coWPAtty, nmap, wireshark, macchanger, Metasploit, ettercap…

Looking for a job? Looking for an employee or new colleague? Need someone to take a look at your résumé and offer advice? Looking to network? This is the place.

Hang out with other attendees in what you feel comfortably fancy in. Hacker Swan is optional, but it's a fun excuse to wear those elegant clothes in the back of your closet you don't have other chances to wear.

Ready to break away from the main questline? Want to discover what else the conference has to offer and maybe do it with a friend you made in lobbycon? Step into sidequest mode and compete in off-script (and connected) challenges packed with puzzles, physical feats, and hacker hijinks. Shenanigans encouraged.

Quests and Chaos 2026 : Plague of Limes
Are you ready for a themed task-based scavenger hunt with DnD campaign or Skyrim side quest vibes? Quests and Chaos has roots in last year's BINGO Sidequet, but this version will be themed and will make players, called Questers, feel like they are on an epic and exciting journey. There will be many varied quests that will be fun, wacky, weird, silly, and fun. The quests will include a wide range of various skills people might have. The ultimate goal is that there will be a challenge that anyone can complete, regardless of age, technological prowess, level of intelligence. We want everyone to have the chance to be included if they so wish!

Do you know a lot of random things about hacking or hackers? Let the games begin.

Hodlers unite. Join us to learn about/discuss/buy/sell cryptocurrency. All your apes are belong to us if you bring them up.

We are so happy to be offering ham exams this year! So start studying. 📚

You must register for a spot and apply for a FRN before the exam.

You must have a FCC Registration Number (FRN) before you can take any license examination. If you are already licensed, you already have a FRN; it's on your copy of your license. If you do not have a FRN, you must apply for one on-line, directly from the FCC.

Remember when you heard about the fragility of control systems and the cyber security problems they face? Whether the threats are from vulnerable PLCs to protocols that lack authentication, or proprietary protocols where there is little to no documentation, these systems are becoming more and more notorious for their security vulnerabilities.

Perhaps you've heard people talking about how bad OT/ICS is, or the age-old "modbus security sucks" comment, but you've never really understood what it all means. Or maybe you're an engineer who has built process systems but you're unsure about how security considerations impact your control system.

If you're interested in learning even more about control systems and how they work, as well as discussing the security implications of these systems, then our community is the perfect place for you. We welcome anyone who wants to explore the protocols and discuss the nuances of a complex system attack.

Our community offers discussions and interactions in control system hacking, including activities such as protocol manipulation with Modbus and DNP3. Our goal is to help you gain a deeper understanding of how these systems work and learn how to care for critical infrastructure assets.

So gather up your python skills with PyDNP3, Snap7, pylogix, bacpypes, bac0, and even some pymodbus and lets see what all you can do! Or if you feel particularly adventurous, grab an HMI software of your choice and see what you may be able to do with it as well…

Additionally, we also will focus on IoT hacking, where you'll learn how to assess vulnerabilities within devices and perform activities such as dumping device firmware and interfacing with device debugging capabilities. We focus on firmware access via SPI and I2C protocols, giving you the skills you need to hack into a wide range of devices. We will also focus on the threats to many of these devices and why disassembling the devices powering the world around is both a fun and worthwhile activity.

Anyone interested in control systems, how they work, and their security implications is encouraged to stop by and chat. Join us at our community and start your journey towards becoming a true hacking expert pariah enthusiast in control systems and IoT. Together, we'll all be able to unlock new opportunities and make a real impact on the world around us, or at least have a lot of fun and hack on some things most people rarely get to play with.