Mid-Year Update

Over the last four years, Hackfest has grown from a modest local event into the biggest security event in the province, if not in Eastern Canada (Toronto excepted, of course). Our efforts to spread security knowledge have kept growing, with the addition of a monthly event (Hackerspace) that's doing well with around thirty attendees, the blog where we publish technical content and opinion pieces on security, a weekly podcast summing up the past week's security news and, finally, quarterly security games (iHack).

I'm taking advantage of this quieter period, before the summer season, to give an update on our initiatives. It's also an opportunity to ask for your help in continuing to spread the security message, to insiders and newcomers alike. Like public health, security is a responsibility that everyone has to share, and we must be ambassadors of this knowledge.

1- iHack

The first iHack we held last March was a success and confirms people's interest in taking part in games in a more intimate setting. As announced at launch, we keep organizing iHacks on the schedule we announced, namely February, May and August. So the next iHack will be in August. The exact date isn't set yet, but we're aiming for some regularity, like the Hackerspace (4th Thursday of every month). Partners are joining us to improve both the logistics and the content. Announcements will be made in the coming weeks. We also have surprises in store for the 2013 iHacks, especially the one in May. We can't wait to announce all that :-)

2- Podcast

We're currently running two podcasts: a weekly one where we cover the news that caught our attention, and a monthly one where we talk more freely about security topics. These two initiatives will be merged into a single  weekly podcast. If you're interested in taking part as an occasional guest, for an interview, or on a regular basis, please get in touch with us.

3- Blog

We've started running the blog on a more regular basis. You'll find technical articles as well as opinion pieces. Our goal is to publish up to 4 "tekniks" articles per month. To get there, we need your help. For those who are interested, it's another great opportunity to give back to the community, make your mark and get yourself known (employers like seeing your writing skills).

4- Hackerspace

The Hackerspace is the monthly (free!) meetup for security enthusiasts, where someone comes to share an aspect of security that interests them. Some have come to present their school projects, others to explain topics of interest and current events in plain terms... All in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Over its two years of existence, this meetup has drawn around thirty people on site on average. On top of that, we've just added live streaming over the Internet using Ustream on our very own channel. For our first stream, more than ten people joined that way. The meetup wraps up with networking among attendees and discussions on cutting-edge security topics. For those who'd like to come share their passion for security, we're always looking for new presenters.

5- Hackfest Lab

The Hackfest Lab has been split off from the Hackerspace, since our projects hadn't reached the goals we had set. To give them more visibility, we decided to create the Hackfest Lab, a security project incubator. This initiative hasn't reached its full potential yet and we'll keep putting effort into promoting it.

6- Hackfest

Hackfest planning is well under way. We've announced a few speakers and many more are being selected. The contests will be even bigger than anything we've organized so far. Plus, this year we're offering a training with one of the world's leading experts in Windows exploitation and reverse engineering! We even had to change hotels to accommodate our growth. We're very happy about this and we thank you for making this event such a great success. We've also made a few changes to the Hackfest format to make this growth a reality. From now on, all Saturday talks will be in English, and on Friday we'll split into two tracks, one in French and the other in English. Turning into a regional event, as opposed to a local one, requires us to take this kind of turn. We believe it's for the best, since it will let us attract cutting-edge speakers and draw attendees from outside Quebec's borders... We believe that mixing ideas brings out the best, will benefit our businesses and institutions in Quebec, and will equip people here to better protect information. On top of that, we're keeping the admission price affordable for as many people as possible. This is possible thanks to partners, who get the best visibility per dollar spent, without us having to sell our soul or the attendee list.

8- Hackfest Media

Hackfest Media brings together standalone initiatives like the podcast and the Blog, as well as orphan items (photos) and support for other initiatives (presentations, videos, etc.). This area will be revamped to give more visibility to all the media we have, some of which are used to spread the security message (Mission Possible). Access will be made easier, the content put back in order, and whatever is missing will be published.

7- Hackfest Communication

I can't skip this part, which is the least visible and least known. It's important to know that all our initiatives are run within a non-profit organization (NPO). This guarantees that everything undertaken in collaboration with us has continuity over time and that we'll still be here tomorrow. All your contributions will be recognized just like work experience. Likewise, we use the money we receive responsibly; it essentially goes to supporting our mission, not to excessive benefits for directors and contributors. We are also audited by a renowned accounting firm (Mallette).

That sums up what's new under the sun for the Hackfest team. We'll also use this channel (Hackfest Network) to share more information about our initiatives. Once again, if you'd like to help advance security, we invite you to get in touch with us at [email protected]