Defcon's new badge is a security key you can see inside | TheBriefWire
Defcon's new badge is a security key you can see inside
Published 1 August 2026 ¡ tech
Itâs been a longtime feature of the annual Defcon hacker conference that attendees come away not only with knowledge of new software vulnerabilities and hacking
Itâs been a longtime feature of the annual Defcon hacker conference that attendees come away not only with knowledge of new software vulnerabilities and hacking techniques but also an elaborately designed conference badgeâoften electronic masterpieces embedded with intricate puzzles, complex crypto challenges, hidden Easter eggs, and even the mechanical gear trains of a watch.
Each yearâs badge creator endeavors to top previous designs and blow the minds of hard-to-impress hackers. But this yearâs badges take a different tack. Instead of the badge designs being the star, itâs what is inside the hardware that will really stand out.
This year, Defcon asked legendary hardware hacker Andrew âbunnieâ Huang to create the badgesârevealed here for the first timeâand they include an innovative open source chip that Huang designed and that aims to do no less than advance the state of security, transparency, and trustworthiness in computing.
Published: August 1, 2026 ⢠3:35 PM IST ¡ Updated: August 1, 2026 ⢠4:36 PM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
Itâs been a longtime feature of the annual Defcon hacker conference that attendees come away not only with knowledge of new software vulnerabilities and hacking techniques but also an elaborately designed conference badgeâoften electronic masterpieces embedded with intricate puzzles, complex crypto challenges, hidden Easter eggs, and even the mechanical gear trains of a watch.
Each yearâs badge creator endeavors to top previous designs and blow the minds of hard-to-impress hackers.
But this yearâs badges take a different tack.
Instead of the badge designs being the star, itâs what is inside the hardware that will really stand out.
This year, Defcon asked legendary hardware hacker Andrew âbunnieâ Huang to create the badgesârevealed here for the first timeâand they include an innovative open source chip that Huang designed and that aims to do no less than advance the state of security, transparency, and trustworthiness in computing.
The BriefWire