This one time, at Hacker Summer Camp …

This past week, the security industry convened for Hacker Summer Camp in Las Vegas, featuring three major conferences: Black Hat, BSides Las Vegas, and DEF CON. All three meetings revolved around two prominent themes: the scorching summer heat and the growing influence of agentic AI.

At BSides Las Vegas, the smallest and most community-oriented event, practitioners could hone their skills and network through hands-on talks and training sessions. The Hire Ground career track even focused on job hunting and career-building in the cybersecurity field.

Black Hat, the largest of the three conferences, boasted a massive expo floor, a government-heavy opening session to highlight the White House's AI and cyber strategy, and two keynotes featuring prominent cybersecurity figures. With an emphasis on AI-powered vulnerability research and exploit generation, the conference aimed to help defenders keep up with increasingly sophisticated threats.

Finally, DEF CON, the most playful and experimental event, centered around the theme of "agency," emphasizing the need for collaboration between the hacker and human-rights communities to protect critical infrastructure and preserve human rights in the digital age. This year's conference included nearly 30 Villages, each focusing on different aspects of security, such as AI hacking and critical infrastructure protection.