Lifecycle
Badge ecosystems keep moving after handout: apps, hexpansions, SAOs, antennas, cases, repair parts, firmware updates, and post-event hardware experiments.
SEIF-UAM publishes C and PlatformIO source for the event badge's menu and compact game collection. The catalogue links the source but does not reproduce build, flashing, game-control, or hidden-feature instructions.
SourceBIC's 2025 event summary says badges and merchandise sold out and that proceeds helped raise funds for future programming.
SourceThe badge hosted a BENDER CTF variant playable directly on the badge while mirroring interaction over an RS232 serial connection.
SourceThe challenge server used distinct RF settings, periodic hints, player-state persistence, 88-miles-an-hour and 1.21-gigawatts stages, and an XOR/base64 unlock payload for the final box.
SourceThe official 2018 pages introduced digital currency into souvenirs, HITCON Token collection, and Hacker Cat upgrades alongside the Wallet badge context.
SourceBadges were assigned red, blue, or green factions and used IR interactions plus server-side logic to convert or level nearby badges during the conference.
SourceThe DEF CON 27 badge game used near-field magnetic induction badge interactions and role-specific badge types to advance through DEFCON letter levels.
SourceThe official guide describes Red-vs-Blue tower capture behavior as a team game played through the badge ecosystem.
SourceThe badge puzzle combined firmware, hieroglyphic shapes, binary codes, lanyards, venue clues, program material, and social interaction into a secret-society narrative.
SourceAttendees illuminated roots and branches of the badge's tree by completing conference tasks, with completion turning the badge into a sparkling tree display.
SourceThe repository documents the Attribution Game clue/card workflow plus a Trick-or-Treat variant where attendees trade digital candy and cash it in for real candy.
SourceThe public team record credits challenge work, making puzzle content part of the badge's event role even though technical details remain sparse.
SourceThe talk and schedule context preserve the badge as a HackerHotel challenge surface, even though component-level firmware and app-store records remain open.
SourceThe public late-July update announces DEF CON-week pickup points and a wearable multi-day infrared tag game, while final assembly and flashing remain in progress.
SourceE-ALE documented a NZD 20 on-site kit price at LCA after ARM sponsorship reduced the original hardware cost.
SourceThe badge could display the conference schedule, live Hacker Challenge score, and current location zone within the venue.
SourceBadges retained hit records locally and periodically synchronized results through internet-connected exhibit-hall base stations using ESP-NOW with periodic channel and data-rate hopping.
SourceInteractive panels were used for CTF signup, answer submission, attendee Sched-profile display, nicknames, profile pictures, and XP points.
SourceThe event page says ticket and sponsorship revenue is reinvested into venue, food, swag, and participant experience, giving the badge a documented role in the participant bundle.
SourceThe CFP, current sponsor page, and Humanitix listing identify the July 27-28, 2026 Amora/Hilton Adelaide event as the third BSides Adelaide and anchor CTF, village, hardware, embedded, IoT, and RF topic context without making badge-implementation claims.
SourceThe same first-hand wrap-up frames OzSecCon as a Melbourne physical-security conference with locksport, tamper-evident bypass, and key-impressioning activity.
SourceThe official RVAsec 6 layout placed badges from HackRVA in the James River Terrace area.
SourceThe official agenda tells attendees to check in and pick up their conference badge and materials during the registration window.
SourceThe ticket-prices page describes a non-profit shared-cost model where registered participants could contribute a corrected price on departure based on real attendance data, with a small price-calculation script linked.
SourceHITCON placed card readers and mini-games at booths and scattered around the venue, letting attendees activate interactions with their badge.
SourceThe 2024 activity system used the PCB badge as an attendee score surface across HITCON activities and games.
SourceAttendees could unlock badge LEDs by solving the board puzzle or completing sponsor booth challenges, with all LEDs unlocked leading to a HITCON lottery chance.
SourceTom Dalby's HAB Flash app used Tildagon as a HABVille navigation and tracking tool, sending location to a physical receipt printer during EMF 2024.
SourceThe official Zer0Con 2025 page places the event at Fairmont Ambassador Hotel Seoul and frames the conference as a closed vulnerability-research community.
SourceThe official Zer0Con 2026 page places the event at Fairmont Ambassador Hotel Seoul and frames the conference as a closed vulnerability-research community.
SourceThe official Quicket page places the Redacted-themed event at Lagoon Beach Hotel & Spa on December 6, 2025 and offers swag-bag plus swag-ticket context without publishing badge design details.
SourceThe official pocket guide lists registration check-in during the Human/Human+ conference days, grounding the badge-and-lanyard artifact in on-site attendee operations.
SourceThe official Zer0Con 2024 archive places the event at Fairmont Ambassador Hotel Seoul and marks all reserved seats sold.
SourcePunk Security's repository says the Compass Badge was given out at the CyberFest conference to all attendees. CyberNorth's official sources establish the conference context, but reviewed sources do not give a count, ticket tiers, recipient list, or individual pickup/handoff record.
SourceThe official challenge page tells attendees to inspect the badge and other neck-worn materials for clues, while keeping the 2026 challenge intentionally vague and hint-free.
SourceThe challenge expanded beyond the skull PCB into lanyard data, room keys, standee glyphs, DEF CON media-server files, conference CD material, and program equations.
SourcePublic writeups and attendee recaps describe DEF CON 23 key-card material as part of the noir-themed badge challenge trail.
SourceThe Disobey 2019 badge firmware contained pointers used as part of the event's hacker puzzle competition.
SourceThe 2026 activities guide describes venue kiosks, SCAN mode, crank-built charge, printed clues, tasks, and LED animation rewards.
SourceJames Harrison's Barstats is an event-related Hatchery app, documenting that TiDAL apps included live camp-service integrations as well as graphics and games.
SourceThe current Hardware Village page says session details, workshop bookings, and tool guidance are still being prepared, so no final badge-session schedule is claimed.
SourceThe CfP names Camp++ FRAB as the submission system and describes technical talks and workshops, establishing software-adjacent event infrastructure without implying badge firmware.
SourceThe CfP names Camp++ FRAB as the submission system and describes technical talks and workshops, establishing software-adjacent event infrastructure without implying badge firmware.
SourceThe CfP names Camp++ FRAB as the submission system and describes technical talks and workshops, establishing software-adjacent event infrastructure without implying badge firmware.
SourceThe CfP names Camp++ FRAB as the submission system and describes technical talks and workshops, establishing software-adjacent event infrastructure without implying badge firmware.
SourceThe CfP names the Camp++ Pretalx submission system and the event page links schedule and recordings, establishing the software-adjacent event infrastructure without implying badge firmware.
SourceThe CfP names Camp++ Pretalx as the submission system and describes technical lectures and workshops, establishing software-adjacent event infrastructure without implying badge firmware.
SourceThe CfP names Camp++ Pretalx as the submission system and describes technical lectures and workshops, establishing software-adjacent event infrastructure without implying badge firmware.
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