Country dossier
Worldwide badge coverage for Canada, grouped into seeded badges, event editions, add-ons, operational issues, resources, and evidence sources.
Seeded artifacts
Team hardware badge for the Bonsecours CTF
NorthSec's official past-editions page documents the 2015 Bonsecours CTF as a 54-team competition where participants, grouped in teams of eight, each had a hardware badge tied to network, IPv6 workstation, RF-monitoring, smartcard, and related challenge paths.
nRF51 and STM32 OLED/BLE badge
NorthSec's public 2016 badge repository documents an electronic attendee badge with nRF51822 and STM32F072CB microcontrollers, OLED display, BLE, battery management, touch buttons, red/green LEDs, USB, SWD programming, and STM32 USB DFU support.
nRF51 and STM32 badge with event firmware images
The NorthSec 2017 badge repository documents a dual-MCU electronic badge with nRF51822 BLE/OLED control, STM32F072 USB and touch-button handling, battery management, red/green LEDs, schematic files, website material, and multiple firmware images.
nRF52 OLED/BLE badge with NeoPixels
The NorthSec 2018 badge repository documents an electronic badge with an nRF52832 main controller, STM32F070 USB controller, OLED display, BLE, NeoPixel RGB LEDs, buttons, battery management, Li-ion/USB power, USB charging, and schematic release.
TwinkleTwinkie PCB-art badge
TwinkleTwinkie's DEF CON 27 Hardware Hacking Village bio lists the BSides Vancouver 2019 Badge among notable artistic PCB badges and indie badge add-ons produced by the independent PCB artist. The current official B|Sides Vancouver site keeps the Vancouver Security BSides lineage visible, while this pass keeps the badge record limited to the artifact name, maker trail, and PCB-art classification.
Official-history-backed CTF electronic badge
Hackfest's official history says the 2019 CTF innovated by introducing an electronic badge, and that the addition was an immediate hit with participants. The 2019 schedule documents badge pickup on October 31, November 1, and November 2, plus CTF registration and CTF room activity during the Plaza-era Quebec City event.
nRF52 OLED/BLE badge with games and challenges
The NorthSec 2019 badge repository documents an nRF52832 and STM32F070 electronic badge with OLED, BLE, NeoPixel RGB LEDs, buttons, USB, Li-ion or USB power, schematics, BOM material, Gerbers, firmware applications, games, challenges, schedule code, and BLE/LED control utilities.
ESP32 North Sectoria RPG badge
NorthSec's official 2021 badge page and repository document an ESP32 electronic badge with Wi-Fi, BLE, 240x240 color LCD, NeoPixel RGB LEDs, six buttons, buzzer, UART serial port, micro-USB or external battery power, ESP-IDF firmware, and ten badge flags tied to the North Sectoria game theme.
ESP32 return-to-hallway badge with SAO hardware archive
NorthSec 2022 now has a source-backed badge record from NorthSec's official past-editions page and the public nsec-badge archive: an ESP32 WROOM32 electronic badge with CH340C USB serial, MCP73831 LiPo charging, AP2112 3.3 V regulation, twenty-four WS2811/5050 RGB LEDs, 0805 status LEDs, production Gerbers, BOM files, challenge image assets, and multiple SAO hardware directories.
AVR badge-chain interaction badge
NorthSec 2023's public badge trail combines the official badge repositories with a first-hand technical writeup documenting an ATmega328PB attendee badge with CH340C USB serial, six push buttons, 16 WS2812B RGB LEDs, optional 128x32 OLED, AVR ISP, SAO connector, side-chain headers, BLE mesh controller-screen challenge behavior, and point-scoring badge-to-badge interaction.
ESP32-S3 badge with four SAO ports
The NorthSec 2024 badge repository documents an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R8 electronic badge loosely based on ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1, with sixteen NeoPixel RGB LEDs, six buttons, two pairing connectors, four SAO v1.69bis connectors, USB-C or 3xAAA power, hardware files, and PlatformIO/ESP-IDF firmware targets.
ESP32-C3/NFC electronic badge with first-party binaries and later public source
BSides Vancouver's official 2025 badge page calls the artifact an electronic badge, links its first-party programming bundle, and directs firmware information to a public project archive. That archive documents a 2025 REV 2 board and a public firmware refactor committed in 2026, so this record separates the completed 2025 artifact from the later source-tree revision.
ESP32-C3 conference and CTF badge with SAO and IR pairing
NorthSec 2025's official badge repository documents an ESP32-C3-WROOM-02-N4 badge with eighteen NeoPixel RGB LEDs, five buttons, an IR pairing connector, two SAO v1.69bis connectors, USB-C or AAA battery power, and separate conference/CTF firmware builds.
Official ESP32-S3 NFC e-paper badge with post-event Apache-2.0 source release
NorthSec 2026's official registration page lists a new social electronic badge as an included item for conference, CTF, combo, and training ticket holders while supplies lasted. The official competition page's retained 2026 Solarpunk section says the hackable electronic badge was fully integrated into the CTF, with badge challenges worth points and on-site badge-firmware tampering among the physical tracks. Official villages pages document badge pickup through attendees' nSec order QR codes, soldering-village activity where attendees could enhance their badge with blinking electronic parts, and a badge museum. On August 3, after the May event, NorthSec published the separate Apache-2.0 `nsec/badge-2026` repository. Its commit-pinned hardware and source tree documents an ESP32-S3 badge design with an ST25R3916 NFC front end, six buttons, eighteen WS2812/NeoPixel LEDs, a 200×200 GDEH0154D67 / SSD1681 e-paper path, KiCad design files, production BOM/CPL/Gerbers, PlatformIO firmware, conference/CTF partitions, CTF assets, and dock/SAO directories.
Montreal CH32V203 and RP2040 badge by Electronic Cats with LoRa and NFC
A Canadian REcon 2026 official electronic badge by Electronic Cats, documented by the official sponsors page and the public badge-recon-2026 repository as a CH32V203 primary board with an RP2040 daughterboard, an SSD1306 OLED, a Semtech SX1262 915 MHz LoRa radio, an NFC PN7150 daughterboard, four buttons, USB-C, and a rich LoRa radar, chat, flag, NFC flag-hunt, magspoof, and Simon challenge surface.
Planned RP2350 developer-conference PCB badge for Tables Day
Software You Can Love's official 2026 update says attendees of the conference's Sunday Tables Day will receive a SYCL Badge V2. The planned October 3-6 Metro Vancouver event describes the activity as a PCB Badge and identifies selected V2 changes: an RP2350 instead of the earlier ATSAMD51J19 and three AAA batteries instead of LiPo power. A public project repository describes itself as the SYCL conference badge, but the official event material does not map a particular repository commit or design revision to the October handout.
Events
The Bonsecours NorthSec 2015 CTF edition whose official past-editions page documents 54 teams, team-of-eight competition structure, and hardware badges used for network, IPv6, RF-monitoring, smartcard, and related challenge paths.
The Montreal NorthSec 2016 edition whose public badge repository documents an nRF51822 and STM32F072 electronic badge with OLED, BLE, touch buttons, USB, battery management, LEDs, and SWD/DFU programming paths.
The Montreal NorthSec 2017 edition whose public badge repository documents the refreshed nRF51822 and STM32F072 electronic badge, OLED/BLE behavior, touch buttons, USB, batteries, firmware images, and schematic release.
The Montreal NorthSec 2018 edition whose public badge repository documents an nRF52832 and STM32F070 electronic badge with OLED, BLE, NeoPixel RGB LEDs, buttons, rechargeable Li-ion battery support, USB charging, and schematics.
The 2019 BSides Vancouver edition represented here by TwinkleTwinkie's public DEF CON 27 Hardware Hacking Village bio, which lists the BSides Vancouver 2019 Badge among notable artistic PCB badge work.
The October 31-November 2, 2019 Hackfest 11 / Upside Down edition in Quebec City, where the official Hackfest history says the CTF introduced an electronic badge that was an immediate hit with participants.
The Montreal NorthSec 2019 edition whose public badge repository documents an nRF52832 and STM32F070 electronic badge with OLED, BLE, NeoPixel RGB LEDs, USB, Li-ion battery support, hardware files, firmware, games, challenges, and schedule code.
The remote NorthSec 2021 edition whose official badge page and public repository document a North Sectoria ESP32 electronic badge with 240x240 LCD, Wi-Fi, BLE, NeoPixels, buttons, buzzer, game flags, and ESP-IDF firmware.
The return-to-in-person NorthSec edition at Marche Bonsecours whose public repository archive preserves a 2022 ESP32 badge hardware tree, production files, BOM material, challenge assets, and SAO hardware directories.
The Montreal NorthSec 2023 anniversary edition whose public badge repository and first-hand technical writeup document an attendee electronic badge with badge-chain interaction, optional OLED, RGB LEDs, AVR firmware behavior, and hardware-source context.
The Montreal NorthSec 2024 edition whose public badge repository documents an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 badge with NeoPixel LEDs, buttons, pairing connectors, four SAO connectors, USB-C or AAA battery power, and PlatformIO firmware targets.
The May 25-26, 2025 BSides Vancouver edition whose official 2025 badge archive identifies an electronic badge, links a first-party programming bundle, and directs badge information to a public source archive. The public hardware documentation calls the production board REV 2 dated 2025-05-05, while the visible refactor was committed in 2026 and is not treated as proof of a 2026 electronic-badge reissue.
The Montreal NorthSec 2025 edition whose public badge repository documents an ESP32-C3 electronic badge with RGB LEDs, buttons, IR pairing, dual SAO connectors, USB-C/AAA power, and PlatformIO firmware workflows.
The May 9-17, 2026 Montreal NorthSec edition whose official registration page offered a new social electronic badge while supplies lasted and whose villages material documented badge soldering, badge-enhancement activity, and a badge museum. Post-event first-hand and third-party firmware sources document an observed ESP32-S3/NFC/NeoPixel badge configuration, while NorthSec's public archive still lacks an official 2026 hardware or firmware release.
The June 19-21, 2026 Montreal reverse-engineering conference whose official sponsors page names Electronic Cats as the electronic badge sponsor and whose public badge-recon-2026 repository documents a CH32V203 and RP2040 badge with LoRa, NFC, and magspoof challenges.
The planned October 3-6, 2026 Software You Can Love developer conference in Metro Vancouver. Official conference updates place its Sunday Tables Day at Site B in Port Moody and say those attendees will receive a SYCL Badge V2, while the wider event includes Coquitlam talk days. Public material documents the planned badge and selected high-level revision claims, not final manufacture, exact unit configuration, delivery, or image rights.
Lifecycle
NorthSec's official archive says 2015 CTF participants were grouped into teams of eight and each had a hardware badge tied to the competition environment.
The CTF page lists Electronic among the 2019 challenge categories, alongside Cloud, SDR, Web, and other challenge types.
The 2022 hardware tree includes multiple SAO directories, including Ubisoft, numbered SAO revisions, BOMs, Gerbers, assembly exports, and board-source material.
TwinkleTwinkie's DEF CON 27 Hardware Hacking Village bio explicitly names BSides Vancouver 2019 Badge among notable produced works.
The PN7150 NFC daughterboard supports tag and reader detection, Mifare Classic read and write, and a flag-hunt where tapping a tag unlocks a flag and broadcasts it to every nearby badge.
The badge emulates magnetic stripe cards over USB serial and includes a solo Simon Says memory game triggered by holding button 4.
The production BOM lists twenty-four WS2811/5050 RGB LED parts plus additional red 0805 status LEDs on the badge hardware.
The registration page lists a new social electronic badge as an included item for multiple NorthSec 2026 ticket classes while supplies lasted.
The official badge page documents ten badge flags hidden across trivia, reverse engineering, and badge interfaces, submitted through FLAGBOT.
A USB serial console enumerating as RECON2026 exposes commands for ping, mode, LEDs, LoRa transmit, chat, stats, beacon, scan, lock, Simon, reset, and test injectors.
The release notes document a 915 MHz badge-to-badge LoRa social layer with Radar discovery, Chat, and Flags sharing over the SX1262 radio.
The 2019 schedule lists badge pickup across opening night and both conference days, placing badges in attendee logistics.
The villages schedule told attendees to retrieve goodies such as their t-shirt and badge using the QR code in their nSec order email.
The repository tag preserves firmware apps, games, challenge material, schedule code, BLE control, and LED control utilities.
The public hardware tree preserves a badge challenge directory with bitmap, JPEG, PNG, and PSD assets tied to the 2022 badge archive.
The official controller-screen repository documents an ESP32 screen interface that controlled 2023 badge LEDs over BLE mesh, exposed debug/admin menu behavior, sent messages/popups, and used secure boot on competition boards.
The same official note connects the badge context to network challenges, simulated IPv6 workstations, an RF monitoring station, and a provided smartcard.
The `Understanding & Making Pcb Art` session placed TwinkleTwinkie's PCB-art practice in the DEF CON 27 Hardware Hacking Village programme.
The later source archive documents NFC tag interactions, LED progress indicators, sensors, optional Wi-Fi control-panel behavior, and a mini-CTF. The catalogue preserves that high-level feature surface while refusing to call it the exact factory image or reproduce programming and challenge instructions.
The public hardware reference describes a 100 mm × 100 mm board, ESP32-C3FH4, ST25R3911B NFC reader, RGB and charlieplex LEDs, sensors, buttons, USB edge connector, and CR2032 holders, and calls the PCB REV 2 dated 2025-05-05. This is linked as a technical documentation trail rather than a production audit or safety certification.
The repository README and workshop guide describe a hands-on badge-workshop package with a starter template and source material. The record keeps this as source-published workshop context; no reviewed organizer source proves every session date, participant count, or completed workshop outcome.
Hackfest's official history describes 2019 as the pre-pandemic record edition with 1600 participants at the Plaza.
The writeup documents avrdude dumping, EEPROM fields, inverted serial signaling, 38400 8N1 framing, and a 0xAF 0xFA packet prefix.
The 2017 tree preserves event firmware images and website material alongside schematic and source references.
The official badge-conf-2023 repository preserves ATmega328PB firmware with PlatformIO/MiniCore build instructions, AVR fuse/upload workflow, and a `binary/firmware.hex` conference image.
The repository documents separate PlatformIO build/upload environments for conference and CTF firmware on top of Espressif IDF.
The repository documents PlatformIO/ESP-IDF environments for conference, CTF, and addon firmware plus USB serial monitoring and DTR reset behavior.
Jean Privat's 2025 writeup documents USB-C/esptool firmware dumping, ESP32-C3 detection, partition extraction, factory-app identification, firmware strings for badge-network and persistence components, and attempts to patch the original firmware.
The README documents SWD programming for both MCUs and USB DFU flashing for the STM32 side.
The README documents USB serial monitoring at 115200 baud plus reset-through-DTR guidance for firmware development and debugging.
The 2016 badge paired nRF51822 OLED/BLE/battery/LED control with an STM32F072 USB and touch-button controller.
The 2021 badge combined ESP32, 240x240 LCD, Wi-Fi, NeoPixels, six buttons, buzzer, and USB or external battery power.
The V3j BOM identifies the badge core as ESP32_WROOM32_SKINNY with CH340C USB serial, AP2112 regulation, MCP73831 charging, power switching, and USB connector hardware.
The README documents an ESP32-C3-WROOM-02-N4 badge core with eighteen NeoPixel RGB LEDs and five attendee-facing buttons.
The README documents ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R8, sixteen NeoPixels, six buttons, two pairing connectors, and four SAO v1.69bis connectors.
The 2017 repository documents the continued nRF51822/STM32F072 badge platform with OLED, BLE, battery management, touch buttons, USB, and AAA/USB power.
The 2018 badge moved to nRF52832 with OLED, BLE, NeoPixel RGB LEDs, buttons, battery management, and STM32 USB handling.
The 2019 badge kept the nRF52832/STM32F070 split with OLED, BLE, NeoPixel RGB LEDs, buttons, and Li-ion/USB power.
The badge exposes two Shitty Add-On V1.69bis connectors and an IR pairing connector, giving attendees both add-on and badge-to-badge interaction surfaces.
The official hardware tree supplies KiCad board/schematic files plus JLCPCB BOM, CPL, and Gerber material, with dock and SAO design directories. It documents the released project design without proving that every recipient board was populated or flashed identically.
The 2023 writeup documents side connectors for badge chaining, optional OLED feedback, buttons, RGB LEDs, and point-scoring badge-to-badge interaction.
The official villages page describes a Badge Museum documenting NorthSec's long-running electronic-badge history and open-hardware culture.
Hackfest's official history says the 2019 CTF introduced an electronic badge and that participants immediately appreciated it.
The DEF CON 27 bio describes TwinkleTwinkie as an independent PCB artist who has manufactured artistic PCB badges and indie badge add-ons.
The official competition page's retained 2026 Solarpunk section says the hackable electronic badge was fully integrated into the CTF and that solving badge challenges earned points; it separately names badge-firmware tampering among on-site physical tracks.
The organizer's own repository describes files for programming the BSides Vancouver 2025 Electronic Badge and lists a bootloader, partition table, badge binary, and helper script. It establishes an official programming bundle without exposing a versioned source release, deployment ledger, or individual recipient record.
NorthSec's C++/Arduino PlatformIO tree includes shared NFC, e-paper, LED, and button modules alongside conference/CTF partition material. The public snapshot does not identify a tagged release, factory binary, or event-unit deployment revision.
Software You Can Love's official 2026 update says attendees of Sunday Tables Day will receive a SYCL Badge V2.
The official update says the V2 moves from the earlier ATSAMD51J19 to an RP2350 and from LiPo power to three AAA batteries.
The official update describes an operating layer capable of supporting multiple Cart applications on the planned V2 badge.
Marx314's post-event attendee account identifies an observed NorthSec 2026 badge with ESP32-S3-WROOM-1, 16 MB flash, ST25R3916 NFC, a six-button D-pad, an 18-pixel NeoPixel ring, and an e-ink display path. NorthSec's later official map corroborates the common controller/peripheral shape but not the reported module capacity or every production variant.
NorthSec publicly released the separate nsec/badge-2026 source tree after the event, including hardware, firmware, animations, CTF content, dock material, and source artwork. Its historical commit timestamps are retained project chronology, not proof of public availability before the event.
The archive's history places the initial public refactored v2.4.0 source and workshop docs on May 29, 2026, with related v2.4.1 and deck updates through June 1. It increases transparency around the 2025 board but does not establish a 2026 badge reissue or production-firmware parity.
The README documents Li-ion battery or USB power and USB charging when the power switch is on.
The current official B|Sides Vancouver site anchors the Vancouver Security BSides lineage and location while this 2019 badge record remains constrained to recovered badge-specific evidence.
The 2025 soldering-village writeup documents an add-on challenge with eight LEDs, polarity/defect debugging, VCC and pin behavior, SAO table context, scrambled code recovery, and final flag submission.
The public archive declares an MIT license for software and associated documentation under BSides Vancouver Society copyright. This is a source-license record, not an automatic reuse clearance for every photograph, board-art layer, logo, physical artifact, or event mark that may appear around the project.
Marx314's public post-event source implements custom NFC-to-webhook behavior with Wi-Fi setup and display/no-display builds. It is replacement firmware for an observed badge configuration, not NorthSec's factory firmware or Apache-2.0 source release.
The villages material describes enhancing the NorthSec badge with blinking electronic parts during soldering-village activity.
Operational history
The record does not backdate later source improvements into the delivered 2025 image or treat public 2026 commits as evidence of a separate 2026 conference badge.
The catalogue records the full hardware and challenge surface without asserting the exact populated OLED variant or the physical distribution scope.
The visible page stays concise while preserving the key source trail for deeper later archaeology.
The badge is classified as a CTF team hardware artifact rather than a confirmed all-attendee admission badge.
The catalogue uses them to enrich firmware and challenge behavior while keeping authoritative hardware-source claims tied to the official NorthSec repository.
The record preserves the published V2 direction without presenting it as a finished specification, operating guide, safe configuration, or final hardware/software release.
The catalogue links valuable source and binary evidence without asserting a current, authenticated, supported, or universally deployed firmware image.
The record documents verified hardware and archive surfaces while avoiding unsupported badge-game or firmware-behavior claims.
The catalogue records the badge's existence and challenge context without inventing electronics.
The catalogue can document the official technical surface and CTF integration without presenting the published design snapshot or any third-party observation as a universal recipient-unit configuration.
The record preserves the electronic-badge milestone while avoiding invented component or firmware claims.
The catalogue records verified hardware and firmware surfaces while leaving deeper NorthSec 2025 artifact archaeology for later work.
The public badge page, image archive, and API point at a real repository photo with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes preserved.
The public badge page, image archive, and API point at a real official repository raster with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes preserved.
The public badge page, image archive, and API point at a real repository photo with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes preserved.
The public badge page, image archive, and API point at a real repository photo with source URL, license, attribution, and processing notes preserved.
The entry remains image-free rather than copying event media, Flickr photos, screenshots, social images, or generated placeholder art.
The entry remains image-free rather than copying event media, maker photos, social images, screenshots, or generated placeholder art.
The record is accurate at the badge level and leaves per-game or per-challenge archaeology for later expansion.
The catalogue records the public badge workflow without overclaiming dependency licensing.
The catalogue treats the hardware and source trail as public but does not imply that every upstream dependency is freely redistributable.
The record favors source-backed text over uncleared visual material.
The Canada record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying source-page media, documentation screenshots, event photos, social media, placeholders, or generated approximations.
The Canada record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying source-page media, documentation screenshots, event photos, social media, placeholders, or generated approximations.
The record is source-backed by the hardware archive while staying image-free under the no-generated/no-placeholder image policy.
The record remains text-source complete while avoiding generated, placeholder, social-media, or uncleared imagery.
The Canada record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying source-page media, documentation screenshots, event photos, social media, placeholders, or generated approximations.
The Canadian record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying repository diagrams, screenshots, social media, placeholders, or generated approximations.
The badge remains source-backed without violating the no-generated/no-placeholder image policy.
The Canada record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying source-page media, documentation screenshots, event photos, social media, placeholders, or generated approximations.
The record remains text-source complete while avoiding generated, placeholder, or uncleared imagery.
Claims are kept specific to what each source proves, and the record does not overstate official documentation beyond the public repositories and first-hand writeup.
The record has a rights-cleared visual without implying that the image is conference-floor photography.
Readers can inspect a real official source release while the catalogue avoids backdating its publication, claiming a particular factory image, or treating one source revision as proof for every badge handed out.
No safety, battery-life, interoperability, or reliable wireless-operation claim is inferred from the visible board documentation.
The catalogue records the source-backed planned day-specific allocation without treating it as an event-wide entitlement, an admission credential, or completed fulfilment.
Source-backed board details remain useful without becoming a claim of every produced badge's exact bill of materials, layout, quality, or final physical state.
The catalogue records verified badge surfaces and leaves deeper event-specific artifact inventory for future work.
The catalogue records a real 2025 electronic badge without asserting that every ticket holder received one or that a particular source bundle was flashed onto every physical unit.
The record focuses on the public electronic badge, game flags, and development-board behavior rather than unsupported hallway-distribution details.
The repository is cited as source context without asserting event-unit parity or copying code, hardware files, artwork, branding, or images as reusable material.
The catalogue can seed the badge without implying that every file was published during the original 2022 event window.
The record preserves the Canadian PCB-art badge lineage while avoiding unsupported electronics, variant, firmware, dimension, or manufacturing claims.
The record may link the software and documentation license while keeping visual, branding, physical-artifact, and local-image reuse claims deliberately scoped.
Readers can inspect the custom firmware trail, but the catalogue does not imply permission to redistribute, modify, or reuse it and keeps it distinct from NorthSec's separately published Apache-2.0 source archive.
