Top Hackers Value Anonymity–So They Pay Cash

Joesph Salerno writes:

DEF CON is the premier annual convention of the hardcore hacking community. It began yesterday and runs until August 4 and is being held at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. One of the popular events at DEF CON is a game that is similar to “capture the flag” in which contestants vie to mine information from the websites of large companies like AT&T, Fed Ex, and Target as well as profiles on LinkedIn. No personal data are stolen and the larger aim is to demonstrate the vulnerabilities of the target companies. Last year the winner of the contest demonstrated on stage how he was able to hack into WalMart in twenty minutes.

By the way, the fee to attend is $180–payable in cash only. The following statement appears on the DEF CON website

DEF CON 21 costs $180 USD cash. Do we take credit cards? Are you JOKING? No, we only accept cash – no checks, no money orders, no travelers checks. We don’t want to be a target of any State or Federal fishing expeditions.

Hmmm, I wonder why there’s no mention of payment in Bitcoin?

See more from The Circle Bastiat here.

(ht Mark Thornton)