• CompSec, CommSec Meetups

    From warmfuzzy@700:100/0 to All on Tue Sep 11 02:19:50 2018
    Have you ever wanted to find some people that are *actually* into the same stuff you are, but no one seems to be into security topics, and even if they were, having you disclose to your friends that you're into the study of security might freak them out... well there are two avenues to pursue, the first being conferences and the second being informal meetings at special interest groups.

    As for the conference side of things the two main ones are HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth) and DEFCON. Both of these conferences take place in the USA, which means that many people wouldn't attend out of fear of being in the camp of the security police, as the USA is known to be the policeman of the world where you could be added to a naughty list for simply attending one of these conferences. Luckily, both conferences offer recordings of their talks in
    both audio and video... but then how do you meet others and do the social networking that you would be able to do if you were there in person? Simple answer, tweet like crazy during the conference's late hours to get others to join you on irc and teleconference. That way you can meet lots of the personalities without the TSA "touching with sexual advances" bother you, nor having the security establishment trying to lure you into the dark side.

    As for the personal meetings, in contrast with the conferences, you can join Linux User Groups (LUGs), and 2600 meetups, which can be found in just about any country on Earth. These two meetups aren't specifically dealing with security matters, however those who attend these meetups are often into computer and communications security on a hobby basis. Furthermore, meetups
    in person don't run as high a risk of interception as meeting online do. Plus, believe it or not these meetings have a good mix of sexes making for some fun chit-chat and awe that your soul mate can code an exploit while listening to Off The Hook and working on a circuit board. =)

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