DEF CON 4 Human Badge
A DEF CON 4 physical access/identity credential documented by InfoconDB event metadata, the official DEF CON IV archive page, and official DEF CON media-server event photos from the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino.
DEF CON
DEF CON 4
The July 26-28, 1996 DEF CON edition represented here by official-photo evidence of a pre-electronic chest identity credential.
Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada · United States · 1996
Lifecycle
Add-ons & Upgrades
Operational history
Issues & Camp Impact
No local DEF CON 4 badge photo has been added because the official media-server event photos do not provide a complete reusable license, attribution, and processing-provenance trail for this catalogue.
The record remains source-backed and image-free rather than copying DEF CON archive photography without complete rights clearance.
DEF CON 4 is modeled as a non-electronic physical chest credential because the public source trail proves an identity/access artifact but does not support electronics, firmware, or hackable hardware claims.
The compendium preserves the early conference credential without upgrading it into a circuit-board badge.
The current public sources prove visible DEF CON 4 rectangular chest credentials but do not identify the badge designer, production process, material, full role taxonomy, or any official puzzle layer.
The record limits claims to visible physical-credential evidence and event context.
Resources
Badgelife history
article · VICE/Motherboard history placing the first DEF CON electronic badge at DEF CON 14 in 2006, supporting DEF CON 4's conservative non-electronic classification.
DEF CON 4 event metadata
event page · InfoconDB source for the July 26-28, 1996 DEF CON 4 dates, Monte Carlo Resort and Casino venue, official page link, and program/archive references.
DEF CON 4 official archive page
official event page · Official DEF CON IV archive page preserving Las Vegas event context, speaker/audio/article links, picture-archive links, and the post-event archive trail.
DEF CON 4 Evil Pete photo set
official media archive · Official media-server photo-set listing used to verify visible rectangular DEF CON 4 chest credentials.
DEF CON 4 picture archive
official media archive · Official media-server directory for DEF CON 4 pictures, including Evil Pete, Lockheed, MCS, Pluvis, TDYC, and Wyatt event-photo sets.
DEF CON 4 program
official program · Official scanned program PDF preserved in the DEF CON media archive for event-program context; no badge electronics claim is derived from it.
DEF CON 4 chest-credential photo evidence
rights-limited archive photo · Official archive JPEG showing an attendee wearing a red-topped rectangular chest credential; used only as artifact evidence and not republished because the embedded copyright comment and media-server context do not satisfy the site's image policy.
DEF CON 4 corroborating credential photo
rights-limited archive photo · Official archive JPEG showing another attendee with a rectangular chest credential; used only to corroborate the artifact classification and not republished.
Sources
DEF CON Communications: DEF CON 4 Program
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official scanned program PDF preserved in the DEF CON media archive; used for event-program context rather than badge hardware claims.
DEF CON Communications: DEF CON IV Archives
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official archive page for DEF CON 4, used for event context and the picture/program archive trail.
DEF CON Media Server: DEF CON 4 Evil Pete Sat-027.jpg
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official archive image evidence for a visible red-topped rectangular DEF CON 4 chest credential; used for artifact description only, not as a local published image.
DEF CON Media Server: DEF CON 4 Evil Pete Sat-044.jpg
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official archive image evidence for another rectangular DEF CON 4 chest credential; used for artifact corroboration only, not as a local published image.
DEF CON Media Server: DEF CON 4 Pictures - Evil Pete
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official photo-set listing preserving DEF CON 4 event images, including visible rectangular chest credentials.
DEF CON Media Server: DEF CON 4 pictures
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official media-server directory for the DEF CON 4 picture archive.
InfoconDB: DEF CON 4 (1996)
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Event-context source for DEF CON 4 dates, official-page and program links, admission price, and Monte Carlo Resort and Casino venue metadata.
VICE / Motherboard: A History of Badgelife, Def Con's Unlikely Obsession with Artistic Circuit Boards
Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Secondary context source stating that DEF CON 14 in 2006 was the first electronic DEF CON badge, supporting the non-electronic classification of DEF CON 4.