UAT Delivers at DEFCON

TEMPE, AZ--(Marketwire - August 19, 2008) - DEFCON, one of the world's foremost gatherings of hackers, launched its 16th installment at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on August 8. The University of Advancing Technology (UAT) maintained a strong presence at the conference with faculty involvement in several high-level events.

UAT's Professor of Robotics Ryan Clarke once again hosted the Mystery Challenge, in which teams competed to solve a series of riddles and cryptographic challenges in order to win the prestigious Black Badge, which grants the holder DEFCON admission for life. Preparation for the Mystery Challenge began months prior to DEFCON, with Clarke leaking hints on the DEFCON forums to competing teams before they were given an envelope containing the first clue of the riddle. Most of the teams that competed made it past the crypto-book level of the challenge. Only two teams were able to fully complete the challenge this year.

UAT Associate Professor Nathan Hamiel, a Senior Consultant at Idea Information Security and founder of Hexagon Security Group, teamed with Shawn Moyer, Chief Technical Officer at Agura Digital Security, for a presentation aptly titled "Satan Is on My Friends List: Attacking Social Networks." During the presentation, Hamiel and Moyer revealed the results of a series of public experiments that addressed the security and privacy of everyone's increasingly open and connected online personae and what the new attack vectors and their consequences may be.

According to Professor of Network Security Russ Rogers, a longtime organizer for many of the DEFCON events, Hamiel and Moyer's presentation "was one of the most anticipated presentations at the con."

UAT alum Scott White, Senior Security Consultant for SecureState, presented "Black vs. White: The Complete Life Cycle of a Real World Breach" with other SecureState colleagues. The presentation chronicled a real-world hack from start finish, and culminated in a discussion with the presenters on the techniques and challenges of what they do.

About UAT: The University of Advancing Technology is a unique, private college that serves its student body by fostering knowledge, creation and academic excellence in an environment that embraces the young technophiles of the world. With three centers of research and a suite of technology-centered undergraduate and graduate degrees, the University is a recognized leader in technology education.

For more information please visit:
www.uat.edu
www.defcon.org

Contact Information: CONTACT: Robert Marshall pressrelease@uat.edu