Subject: Announcing Pak Con 1st From: Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 15:26:01 +0200 A N N O U N C I N G P A K C O N 1st The Pakistans Hacking Convention [ theme ] We are proud to announce the 1st Pak Con Hacking Convention, the first ever security and hacking seminar of its kind in Pakistan. In an age where information is treasure and the treasure house is the virtual network, security is the first casualty. You are at risk if your priorities falter. Face the threats, learn the defenses, try it yourself and be safe. Pak Con lets you witness the virtual contest LIVE!!! [ scene ] The 1st Pak Con Hacking Convention has been planned with a focus on introducing the importance of security in enterprise level computing and the latest trends in fortifying enterprise networks against external as well as internal threats. This convention boasts of holding a hacking competition along with a series of talks by renowned national and international speakers both at amateur as well as advanced levels. [ Pak Con ] Pak Con is an exclusive hacking convention, the first initiative of its kind in the history of the Pakistan IT scene. Pak Con is the brainchild of a group of capable security professionals who have employed their genius and aptitude to provide their extensive and comprehensive experience of information security in the form of a wide-ranging convention on information security. We at Pak Con aim to highlight issues related to information security and the problems faced by IT professionals. Our objective is to examine flaws with new and current technologies, finding their solutions, covering unique and interesting developments in all areas such as network security, system security, application security, web security, database hacking, trojans, worms, exploits, laws, privacy issues, wireless security, firmware hacking, hardware hacking, embedded systems hacking, credit card and financial instrument technologies, surveillance, honeypots, honeynets, firewalls, IDS, information warfare, and similar fields. Pak Con has been formed with a mission to bring Pakistan at par with any developed nation of the world focusing on research and application of computer security components. Pak Con is geared towards hackers, programmers, phreaks, administrators, engineers, open source advocates, military, reporters, and anyone interested in discovering what's going on in the information security scene today. This list is, by no means intended to limit the enrollment of IT professionals; we would also like to have the involvement of the business, legal and allied sectors to participate in formulating effective cyber laws and trade policies to make Pakistans name synonymous with advanced research in the IT world. [ event ] WHO: If you know what you are doing with your computer, or if you dont know and would like to know more about what you can do with it then you are who we want to meet. WHAT: A convention for you to meet and party with security professionals, and listen to some speeches that you would normally never get to hear. WHEN: October 2nd & 3rd, 2004 WHERE: [Karachi, Pakistan] Taking advantage of the large convention space, there will be three tracks of speaking, with a combined break out area for small mini-classes on select topics. For complete up-to-the-minute information visit http://www.pakcon.org/ [ wireless network ] At Pak Con 1 we will be setting up a wireless network to cover most of the exhibition as well as the presentation area. Wireless access, however, shall only be available to people who have pre-registered at the Pak Con. It will be an open network with no WEP security and may provide limited internet browsing capability. All in all we are hoping that such a display network should work well for mobile clients (802.11b enabled laptops, PDAs etc.) [ call for papers ] If you are interested in speaking at Pak Con, please read this Call for Papers announcement and follow the directions to submit a talk. http://www.pakcon.org/cfp.html [ speaking ] There will be two speaking areas for briefings, trainings and demonstrations. Details of the speakers, schedule and other arrangements can be obtained from our website. [ streaming audio/video ] Provided we have the setup, we will be streaming all of the audio and video from sessions in adjacent rooms on to screens set up in the exhibition area. Hopefully, we can put up a few reflectors in different areas so that folks dispersed over the large hall will be able to see what's going on. OFFICIAL EVENTS [ Capture the Flag Contest ] The CTF Contest will feature participation of pre-registered hacking teams from various universities and organizations of Pakistan. Each team will be composed of 7-10 participants. There will be multiple scoring systems plugged into wall-projectors reporting on what is happening, as well as some custom filters to keep track of which team is ahead. This contest will feature various hacking attempts and can vary from buffer overflow attacks to attacking known vulnerabilities in various operating systems. Visit the website for more information regarding this exciting event. [ Chai Kahwa ] We believe that geeks also deserve some fun. In fact we are not geeks but smart people who know what to do and how to do it and those who do not label us as geeks. So, despite the hectic schedule of two activity-filled days, we will try to have a little time for ourselves with light music, traditional beverages and a casual environment to unwind ourselves. This will be a strictly restricted event with only invitational or pre-registered entry. [ Vendor Display ] There will be a vendor display area to demonstrate and discuss security products. Vendors will be asked to discuss security issues currently affecting businesses in Pakistan and demonstrate latest technologies available to aid businesses in combating these issues. We are accepting sponsors from security related companies. There are multiple sponsorship packages, for letting you select the right option fitting your needs. Please contact info@pakcon.org for more information about becoming a sponsor. [ cost ] Cost schedule, mode of payment and transaction procedure for Pak Con 1st has been put up on the website. All charges are in Pak Rupees. We will not be accepting any personal checks for any event related charges. Payments via cashiers checks or bank drafts are to be made in the name of Pak Con. People who do not have to pay are speakers, invitees, event staff, and VIPs. [fz]