37c3 Log

The Conference

During the Christmas holidays, I had the opportunity to attend the 37th Chaos Computer Congress, one of the oldest and biggest computer, hacking, and tech politics conferences globally.

It was my second attendance at the conference (the previous one was 35c3 in 2017 in Leipzig), but my first at the CCH conference center in Hamburg, recently renovated.

I love that CCC has a political view embedded in its core, something I strongly believe in. Another aspect I admire is the level of self-organization required to manage a global-scale event with over 15,000 attendants, showcasing that self-organization, solidarity, and kindness can accomplish great things.

As it was my second time at CCC, I didn’t experience the initial wow effect, but it allowed me to understand and engage more thoroughly with talks, self-organized assemblies, hacking sessions, and more.

I will summarize the talks I watched and other highlights:

Talks

• Unlocking the Road Ahead: Automotive Digital Forensics
  A fascinating talk about the latest trends in the digital forensics field of vehicles.

• YOU’VE JUST BEEN FUCKED BY PSYOPS
  An engaging narrative talk about military and government operations (PYSOPS) involving mind-control, UFOs, magic, and remote-control zombies, connecting it with generative AI and media.

• All Cops Are Broadcasting
  A techy talk about the legendary TETRA standard and several discovered vulnerabilities.

• I Pack My ICT-Bag for Gaza and I Take with Me…
  A non-recorded session about preparing a humanitarian response to a conflict zone and an update on the communication networks’ situation in Gaza.

• The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)
  One of the best technological presentations at CCC, detailing the engineering of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).

• Sucking Dust and Cutting Grass: Reversing Robots and Bypassing Security
  Reverse engineering and hacking of robot vacuums.

• Why Railway Is Safe But Not Secure
  Another railway presentation (quite popular at this conference) about railway safety. Great slides and sketches.

• Predator Files: How European Spyware Threatens Civil Society Around the World
  A significant political and technological presentation from Amnesty International’s tech department about the infamous predator files and the evolving market of mercenary spywares. The presenter emphasized to engineers: DO NOT work for the mercenary spyware industry.

• Don’t Contribute Anything Relevant in Web Forums Like Reddit, HN, Facebook
  A talk summarizing the dangers and providing positive examples of how the loss of knowledge can be minimized in the future.

• Tor Censorship Attempts in Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan
  A presentation summarizing the latest censorship attempts in several states and Tor’s involvement in protecting user anonymity and facilitating free Internet access. The talk also introduced me to the Snowflake Project, an add-on on the Tor network that helps circumvent censorship.

• NEW IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS
  Insights into attacking Large Language Model applications. A decent talk on a hot topic.

• Mobile Reverse Engineering to Empower the Gig Economy Workers and Labor Unions
  A compelling talk about how technology can empower the working class and how labor unions can contribute.

• Decolonize Runet! Decolonize Network Measurements! A Provocative Take on the Russian Sovereign Internet Project
  A talk with many interesting facts about the sovereign Russia Network and censorship in Russia, although it wasn’t recorded.

• Tech(no)fixes Beware!
  Discussing how technology is sometimes misused for issues that could be resolved using alternative means.

• A Libyan Militia and the EU - A Love Story?
  A very unsettling story about the dark connections between Libya paramilitary organizations and the European Union, aiding them with illegal push-backs.

Things I Admired

• How the congress is set up, with the help of many people (angels), and how self-organization of many people can achieve such a conference.
• The respect between the people at the congress and how everyone is accepted and welcomed.
• The technical feasibility of the conference; there is a related talk called Infrastructure Review.

Things I Enjoyed

• Many talks and sessions with friends about technology and politics.
• The internal 2G/4G Network of CCC.
• Many art installations throughout the congress.
• Soldering things from Blinky Parts, mostly worked on afterwards at home.
• Postcards from Chaos Post.
• The music between the talks (Pausenmusik)