Greetings and Salutations!
It's been a while, but here coming up will be the end of my third semester here at UAT. From a first impression, the year-round schooling is definitely something really great to look at in completing your degree sooner as opposed to two semesters per year, but it certainly is still taxing.
It's just the price to pay however to be able to do what I'm doing! We're currently in week 13, and needless to say, this has probably been one of the quickest semesters I've ever been in, and I can only imagine that it will continue to be so for as long as I'm a student here. There have been a handful of events going on around the July-August area, such as currently, there is a large conference going on in the Los Vegas area called Blackhat and another called Defcon that goes on right after.
To put it into perspective, Blackhat and Defcon are the largest Network Security Conferences in the United States, inviting those who practice the trade and pursue it as a career to go down for the week to meet with like-minded individuals and peers to discuss everything that is new or rising in the industry. You have everyone from the White-Hatters to those who would possibly be associated as a Grey-Hat going to these different events, where there are even classes and sessions that businesses send their employees down to for these events.
Below is an excerpt from the Blackhat about who they are:
"Black Hat is the most technical and relevant global information security event series in the world. For more than 16 years, Black Hat has provided attendees with the very latest in information security research, development, and trends in a strictly vendor-neutral environment. These high-profile global events and Trainings are driven by the needs of the security community, striving to bring together the best minds in the industry. Black Hat inspires professionals at all career levels, encouraging growth and collaboration among academia, world-class researchers and leaders in the public and private sectors.
From its inception in 1997, Black Hat has grown from a single annual conference in Las Vegas to the most respected information security event series internationally. Today, the Black Hat Briefings and Trainings are held annually in the United States, Europe and Asia, providing a premier venue for elite security researchers and trainers to find their audience."
Defcon immediately follows Blackhat which is another large conference, but this one in particular delves a little beyond business application, but rather the newest innovations in the hacking industry, and what you can do as a user to prevent such actions as well! Rightly dubbed the Hacking Conference, it's best to keep your phone shut off during the entire time of your stay!
If you are at all interested in the Network Security spectrum of the technology industry, I would highly recommend checking out these events or possibly participating them in a later time! Personally I will be going next semester!
Until next time,
-Nicholas "TAE"
