Area41 2018 · Switzerland · 2018

Area41 2018 Proteus Badge

ESP8266 WiFi badge running the Proteus firmware ecosystem

A Swiss Area41 2018 conference badge with an ESP8266 WiFi chip, display, web-based name configuration, LCD nickname display, Area41 schedule app, WiFi-scanning behavior, button-order Easter eggs, and public Proteus firmware.

Area41 Switzerland Zürich ESP8266 WiFi Display Proteus PlatformIO Xtensa Europe

EventArea41 2018

SeriesArea41

LocationZürich, Switzerland

CountrySwitzerland

People

Authors & Credits

Area41 2018 organizer

DEFCON Switzerland

Compass Security's wrap-up says the sixth Area41 edition was organized by DEFCON Switzerland.

Source

Proteus firmware affiliation

Ministry of Zombie Defense

The Proteus README identifies Krogoth as part of Ministry of Zombie Defense.

Source

Proteus firmware author

Krogoth

The Proteus README credits Krogoth of Ministry of Zombie Defense and contributing authors.

Source

badge creator

Area41 team

Compass Security's wrap-up states that the Area41 team created the 2018 badge.

Source

Why It Mattered

It adds a concrete Swiss security-conference badge to the European map and shows the ESP8266 badge era as a live exploitation, app, and firmware target rather than only a decorative credential.

Hardware

The Compass wrap-up documents an ESP8266 chip with WiFi and a display. The Proteus repository targets the PlatformIO `heltec_wifi_kit_8` board, uses the Arduino ESP8266 framework, U8g2 display library, ESP8266 audio-related dependencies, and three button inputs named Left, Right, and Program in the README's architecture notes. The catalogue does not infer schematic, BOM, PCB, battery, or exact display-module details until a primary hardware archive is recovered.

Software & Apps

The public Proteus repository describes C++ ESP8266 firmware and an app/module ecosystem. It documents PlatformIO build/upload workflows, OTA binary placement through a TECT installation, SPIFFS image flashing, module/mode switching, event handling for the three buttons, DisplayManager rendering support, and AGPLv3 licensing.

Lore

Compass Security's Area41 2018 wrap-up says the Area41 team created the badge, that attendees configured usernames through a badge-hosted WiFi/web interface, that the badge could show nicknames, schedule data, and WiFi scans, and that specific button orders exposed Easter eggs. The same report notes a badge talk, 'Blame the badge, or how a conf badge had us exploring Xtensa exploitation', and a hardware hack where audio could be played by soldering headphones to RX.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

badge interaction historical

WiFi scanner and button-order Easter eggs

Compass reports WiFi scanning behavior and Easter eggs triggered by pressing badge buttons in specific orders.

Compatibility: Area41 2018 Proteus badge

Source

configuration app historical

Badge-hosted username web interface

The Compass wrap-up says attendees configured the badge by connecting to badge WiFi and entering a username in a web interface.

Compatibility: Area41 2018 Proteus badge

Source

firmware update path historical

TECT OTA firmware flow

The Proteus README says PlatformIO builds a binary that could be placed into the firmware folder of a TECT installation for OTA installation.

Compatibility: Proteus firmware ecosystem

Source

hardware hack historical

RX-pin audio hardware hack

The Compass wrap-up says it was possible to play sound from the badge by soldering headphones to the RX pin.

Compatibility: Area41 2018 Proteus badge

Source

on-badge apps historical

LCD nickname and schedule apps

Compass reports installed apps for showing the attendee nickname on the LCD and viewing the Area41 schedule.

Compatibility: Area41 2018 Proteus badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

hardware archive gap note

The source set proves ESP8266, WiFi, display, button inputs, and firmware behavior, but not a complete schematic, BOM, PCB revision, display part number, enclosure, or battery specification.

The hardware section intentionally avoids component-level claims beyond public sources until an original hardware archive or transcript is recovered.

Confidence: source-conservative public archive
Status: needs schematic or BOM recovery
Timeframe: post-event archive
Source note: Compass Security wrap-up, Proteus README, and platformio.ini.

missing rights-cleared image note

No Area41 2018 badge image is published because the recovered wrap-up and linked social images do not provide the complete reusable license, attribution, source URL, and processing record required by badge.gallery.

The record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying blog, social-media, or repository imagery without complete provenance.

Confidence: local project policy
Status: needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: badge.gallery image policy, Compass Security wrap-up image attributions, and Proteus repository media.

scope boundary note

The public Proteus archive documents firmware and build/update workflow; it does not by itself clear badge photos or prove every attendee-distribution detail beyond the Compass report's Area41-team badge statement.

The dossier presents the badge as a real Area41 2018 artifact while keeping image rights and distribution-depth claims narrow.

Confidence: source-conservative public archive
Status: documented caveat
Timeframe: 2018 event and post-event archive
Source note: Compass Security wrap-up and le-krogoth/proteus repository.

Resources

Area41 2018 wrap-up conference report · Compass Security report documenting the June 15-16 2018 Zürich event, DEFCON Switzerland organization, the ESP8266/WiFi/display badge, username configuration, apps, Easter eggs, badge talk, and RX-audio hack. Compass at Area41 2018 event preview · Compass preview confirming Area41 2018 dates, Zürich context, Compass sponsorship, and the 'Blame the badge' Xtensa exploitation talk. Proteus AGPLv3 license license · Repository license file containing the GNU Affero General Public License v3 text. Proteus PlatformIO target build configuration · PlatformIO configuration identifying the espressif8266 Arduino target, heltec_wifi_kit_8 board, upload speed, U8g2, ArduinoJson, and ESP8266 audio-related dependencies. Proteus README firmware documentation · README documenting ESP8266 firmware, TECT backend update flow, PlatformIO build/upload commands, SPIFFS flashing, modules, button event handling, display manager, authorship, and AGPLv3 license statement. le-krogoth/proteus firmware source · Public Proteus firmware repository for the 2018 Area41 badge.

Sources

Compass Security Blog: Area41 2018 Wrap Up Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary field report for Area41 2018 dates, Zürich location, DEFCON Switzerland organization, ESP8266/WiFi/display badge facts, web username configuration, LCD nickname app, schedule app, WiFi scanning, Easter eggs, source-code link, badge talk, and RX-audio hack. Compass Security Blog: Compass at Area41 2018 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Primary preview source for Area41 2018 as a Zürich IT security conference and for the 'Blame the badge' talk by Philipp Promeuschel and Carel van Rooyen. GitHub / Krogoth: le-krogoth/proteus Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public firmware repository for Proteus, described as firmware for the 2018 Area41 security conference badge. GitHub / Krogoth: Proteus README Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Source for ESP8266 client scope, PlatformIO build workflow, TECT/OTA update notes, SPIFFS flashing, module/mode architecture, three-button event handling, display manager, authorship, and AGPLv3 statement. GitHub / Krogoth: platformio.ini Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Build-configuration source for espressif8266 Arduino framework, heltec_wifi_kit_8 board target, and declared libraries. GitHub / Krogoth: LICENSE Retrieved 2026-05-15 · License source for AGPLv3 terms applied to Proteus.