Staff

bace16 brings a rare blend of technical expertise and people‑first leadership to the hacker conference scene. With a way too long background in Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), she's helped organizations untangle complicated breaches, turning chaotic incidents into actionable lessons. Leveraging that deep forensic insight, bace16 pivoted into leading a purple team, driving proactive security initiatives.

As Director of Community Engagement, bace16 orchestrates a network of volunteers, encouraging potential speakers, and managing CKC's social media. Her knack for building inclusive, high‑energy communities ensures every participant feels heard, inspired, and ready to push the boundaries of security research.

When she's not coordinating meet‑ups like DEF CON Group 919 or speaking on the nuances of attacker or insider threat psychology, bace16 enjoys mentoring the next wave of infosec talent, hacking something in a CTF, and exploring the intersection of cybersecurity and ethical storytelling. She has spoken at many conferences including FIRST, BSidesLV, BSidesRDU, WiCyS, and The Diana Initiative.

In 1988 Curbob started running a BBS out of his family home, after 10pm using the families only phone line. One Christmas after receiving a new sound card for his 386, he added it to a few BBS's to trade for a 9600 modem. Meeting someone at a parking lot to make the trade, the stranger ask if he traded WareZ, Yeah sure I do, he answered without knowing what it was. The next day connecting to the strangers BBS, the Admin chat appeared and Curbob was given access to the Warez section of the BBS. This started Curbob on a life of crime.. oops I mean a life of living partially in the hacker scene.

Curbob would later find himself working for a small company that ran a BBS that was soon going to offer "the internet" as soon as it went live for the public. In 2005 Curbob moves to Raleigh, NC and finds a local 2600 meeting. At the first meeting he learns that he just missed something called CarolinaCon1 and they wanted to run it again the next year. Curbob agreed that he'd help, not knowing what a hacker convention was, Curbob went to Phreaknic and outerzone that first year before working on CarolinaCon2 and he's been working on hacker conventions, hacker spaces and helping the community ever since.

As a child, Emwav was introduced to hacking through the world of Shadowrun and the movie Hackers. He decided then and there to become the world's greatest hacker. Unfortunately, his family didn't own a computer.

A few years later, at age 18, Emwav finally got one and promptly became the world's… okay-est hacker. He took the computer apart, put it back together, taught himself Linux, and learned how to code. As one of the few — if any — people in Carteret County who knew Linux in the '90s, he landed a job as a systems administrator for a local computer shop and ISP, officially beginning his career in technology.

Emwav spent years learning everything he could about Linux, networking, phone systems, coding, and security. He's worked at small startups, large corporations, and just about everything in between. Throughout his career, he's worked hard to be lazy — automating and documenting his way to the top… well, the upper middle.

In his late 30s, Emwav returned to school to finish his undergraduate degree. While there, he realized that many aspiring newbie hackers were missing critical skills they'd need once they hit the job market. So he started giving talks to help students navigate the transition from college to their first job. Today, he runs the Career Village at CackalackCon and has helped with résumé reviews at multiple conferences, including Defcon.

nutcrunch is a renowned figure in the world of cybersecurity, known for his unparalleled skills in hacking and digital security.

Beyond his technical prowess, nutcrunch is also a fervent educator, sharing his knowledge through workshops, seminars, and online platforms. He believes in empowering others with the skills and knowledge needed to protect themselves in an increasingly digitized world.

In addition to his work in cybersecurity, nutcrunch is also an avid advocate for online privacy rights and digital freedom. He actively campaigns for legislation that protects individuals' rights in the digital realm and fights against unjust surveillance practices.

In a world where digital threats loom large, nutcrunch stands as a beacon of integrity, using his talents to safeguard the digital landscape and champion the cause of cybersecurity for all.

As a seasoned cybersecurity professional, s0lray has worked with a diverse range of clients, from multinational corporations to government agencies, assisting them in securing their networks, systems, and data. His expertise spans a wide array of domains, including penetration testing, digital forensics, malware analysis, and incident response.

His commitment to advancing the field of cybersecurity extends beyond his professional endeavors. He is an active member of several cybersecurity communities and has contributed to numerous open-source projects aimed at bolstering online security.

At CkC, s0lray brings his unparalleled expertise to the stage, delivering insightful talks and workshops that educate and inspire audiences. Whether he's discussing the latest cyber threats or demonstrating cutting-edge hacking techniques, he never fails to captivate and empower attendees with his wealth of knowledge and passion for cybersecurity.

sq33k does the stuff no one else wants to do, like making spreadsheets, updating agendas, scheduling calls, and talking to attorneys. During the con, she sits at the registration desk, hands out stickers, and tells people not to break the rules (of course, there are always exceptions). Come talk to her about Zelda, Arrested Development, or religious cults.

sq33k is friends with everyone. ♥

Threlfall helps out mostly with the CFP, he works at the intersection of offensive security(red team) and machine learning security.

Threlfall has spoken at conferences like DEFCON, BlackHat, Cactuscon, way too many Bsides, and most importantly Cackalackycon!

He recently accidentally bought a graveyard with 72 bodies (and counting).

Our Director of Events is unregistered436 (it's a SIP error code), but you may hear him going by "Unreg" (uhn-rEj) because we just can't say all that. While some hacker documentaries have accused him of being in his 70s he's not quite that old, but is one of the seniors on staff. He's old enough to have actually used a Blue Box and gotten in trouble for it. Professionally he's a presales security architect, which amounts to a security educator and professional vendor bullshit-caller. He's done everything from building AppSec and product security programs, built VoIP, DDoS, & WAF solutions for telcos, run a technical product evaluation lab, and slung code for 80 hours a week (some of which was in COBOL in his youth).

While the corporate gig pays the bills, he's a hacker and #Telephreak at heart, passionate about the security community. Besides volunteering as staff, he and some fellow directors run the Raleigh locksport group called Oak City Locksport which puts on our Lockpick Village. He has spoken at national and regional conferences such as DEF CON, DerbyCon, BSidesLV, CarolinaCon, ISSA, CFCA, DevOps conferences, and regional OWASP events. You may see him rockin' a mohawk from May through about November.

Thanks to our partner organizations and all the people who have helped us along the way:

Oak City Locksport · Steve Myrick, David Burt, Jeff Mako and Eversec CTF · Pat Wylie and Greenhat Solutions · melvin2001 · Pandatrax · Deral Heiland · Ms. Mouse · Austin Wood · (Blame) Gabe Marshall · Dr. X · Britney Nordine · Liz Wood · Phil Young · David Mitchell · smrk3r · Hoodoer · Griffin Francis · Kiwi · Nix · NottheotherMike · Psevd0 · QR · mic.redacted · Tasha · theagon · W00zles · Vic Vandal

…and the entire hacker community.