Hacker Con Badges

NorthSec

NorthSec 2026

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.

Bonsecours Market, Montreal · Canada · 2026

NorthSec 2026 Badge badge image

NorthSec 2026 Badge

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.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

NorthSec 2026 Badge official event-page backed

badge distribution

New social electronic badge entitlement

The registration page lists a new social electronic badge as an included item for multiple NorthSec 2026 ticket classes while supplies lasted.

Compatibility: NorthSec 2026 conference, CTF, combo, and training attendance

NorthSec 2026 Badge official schedule backed

badge pickup workflow

Order QR badge pickup

The villages schedule told attendees to retrieve goodies such as their t-shirt and badge using the QR code in their nSec order email.

Compatibility: NorthSec 2026 Badge

NorthSec 2026 Badge official commit-pinned public source

hardware source

Official 2026 KiCad and production archive

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.

Compatibility: NorthSec 2026 badge design; physical production variance and allocation scope unconfirmed

NorthSec 2026 Badge official village backed

lineage exhibit

NorthSec Badge Museum

The official villages page describes a Badge Museum documenting NorthSec's long-running electronic-badge history and open-hardware culture.

Compatibility: NorthSec badge lineage

NorthSec 2026 Badge official 2026 competition page backed

official CTF challenge surface

CTF-integrated badge challenges

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.

Compatibility: NorthSec 2026 CTF and electronic badge

NorthSec 2026 Badge public source; no tagged binary release

official firmware source

Official conference/CTF firmware source

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.

Compatibility: NorthSec 2026 badge source tree; exact deployed firmware unconfirmed

NorthSec 2026 Badge first-hand source-backed; official map corroborates core peripherals

post-event hardware observation

First-hand ESP32-S3, NFC, and NeoPixel hardware observation

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.

Compatibility: Observed NorthSec 2026 attendee badge; production-variant scope unconfirmed

NorthSec 2026 Badge official commit-pinned publication

post-event official source release

Official 2026 Apache-2.0 source release

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.

Compatibility: NorthSec 2026 badge project; no physical-unit or deployed-firmware revision mapping published

NorthSec 2026 Badge public source; license unspecified

third-party firmware

Custom NFC webhook and e-ink firmware

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.

Compatibility: NorthSec 2026 badge as configured by the third-party project; not an official NorthSec release

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

NorthSec 2026 Badge note

hardware-source caveat · official post-event source plus first-hand observation · official design source documented; event-unit deployment scope remains open

NorthSec's separate Apache-2.0 nsec/badge-2026 repository now publishes KiCad, BOM/CPL/Gerbers, a pin map, and C++/PlatformIO source for the ESP32-S3/NFC/e-paper/NeoPixel design. It does not identify a source commit, binary, display state, component revision, or assembly/flash configuration for each distributed badge. Marx314's write-up remains useful first-hand context, including its observed 16 MB module report, but it is not an official production ledger.

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.

NorthSec 2026 Badge note

official-source publication and deployment boundary · commit-pinned official GitHub publication · documented; public source release is post-event

The official nsec/badge-2026 repository appeared publicly after NorthSec 2026. Its March-to-May authored commit history documents development chronology but does not establish public availability during the May event. The reviewed repository has no tag, GitHub release, or published binary, and no source maps a specific commit to a physical attendee unit or deployed CTF state.

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.

NorthSec 2026 Badge note

third-party firmware license caveat · repository metadata audit · source visible; license unspecified

The public marx314/nsec-badge-2026-nfc-webhook project has no GitLab license metadata, root LICENSE or LICENSE.md file, tag, or release that declares reuse terms. Its visible source must therefore not be represented as Apache-2.0, officially released by NorthSec, or otherwise reusable by default.

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.

Resources

NorthSec team page credits · Official team page naming the 2026 badge team members used for public credit records. NorthSec 2026 registration page event page · Official registration source for May 9-17, 2026 dates, Bonsecours Market venue, ticket entitlements, and the new social electronic badge while supplies lasted. NorthSec 2026 PlatformIO build configuration firmware source · Official C++/Arduino PlatformIO build configuration for the public badge source. The source tree includes conference/CTF partition material but no tagged or released event binary. NSEC26 Badge Shenanigans first-hand technical write-up · Marx314's post-event account of an observed NorthSec 2026 badge, including the boundary between NorthSec-made hardware and custom personal firmware; its 16 MB module statement remains first-hand observation rather than a production-wide official claim. NorthSec 2026 hardware and production files hardware archive · Official KiCad design, production BOM/CPL/Gerber, dock, SAO, and source-artwork tree for the 2026 badge. It documents the project design without identifying a specific physical recipient unit. NorthSec 2026 board pin map hardware documentation · Official ESP32-S3 hardware map for ST25R3916 NFC, 200×200 SSD1681 e-paper, six buttons, and eighteen WS2812/NeoPixel LEDs. NorthSec 2026 official front-board vector image source · Official front-board SVG used as the exact source for the local high-resolution PNG and optimized WebP derivative; provenance records its source URL, Apache-2.0 license basis, repository attribution, and non-destructive processing. NorthSec legacy public badge-source archive legacy source archive · The legacy nsec/nsec-badge archive lacked a 2026 branch, tag, or dedicated hardware tree at its 2026-08-03 recheck. It remains useful for lineage context, but NorthSec's separate nsec/badge-2026 repository now provides the official 2026 source release. NorthSec 2026 Apache-2.0 license license · Official commit-pinned Apache License 2.0 text for nsec/badge-2026, including the license basis recorded for the selected upstream front-board vector render. NorthSec 2026 competition page official CTF page · Official competition page whose retained 2026 Solarpunk section says the hackable electronic badge was fully integrated into the CTF, with point-bearing badge challenges and on-site badge-firmware tampering among physical tracks. NorthSec villages schedule schedule · Official community-room schedule source for all-day schwag pickup where attendees retrieved their t-shirt and badge with the nSec order QR code, plus soldering-village badge enhancement sessions and Badge Museum hours. NorthSec 2026 official source release source archive · Commit-pinned official Apache-2.0 nsec/badge-2026 source release. It appeared publicly on 2026-08-03, after the event, and had no tag, GitHub release, or binary artifact at review time. Marx314 custom NFC-webhook firmware third-party firmware · Public custom firmware for NorthSec 2026 badge hardware, with NFC-to-webhook behavior, configuration/setup support, and display/no-display build paths; it is not an official NorthSec factory release, has no stated project license, and remains separate from the Apache-2.0 official source tree. NorthSec villages page village page · Official villages page documenting the soldering village, badge enhancements with blinking electronic parts, and a Badge Museum focused on NorthSec's electronic badges.

Sources

Hubert Hackin' / Marx314: NSEC26 Badge Shenanigans Retrieved 2026-05-15 · First-hand post-event attendee write-up for an observed NorthSec 2026 badge with ESP32-S3, NFC, buttons, NeoPixels, and an e-ink display path; it explicitly separates the NorthSec-made hardware from the author's custom firmware. Its reported 16 MB module configuration remains source-scoped to that observation. Marx314 / GitLab: marx314/nsec-badge-2026-nfc-webhook Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Public third-party firmware source for custom NFC-to-webhook behavior. Its README describes ESP32-S3-WROOM-1, 16 MB flash, ST25R3916 NFC, a six-button D-pad, and an 18-pixel NeoPixel ring; the project tree includes display and no-display builds but no project license metadata or root license file. It is separate from NorthSec's Apache-2.0 source release. NorthSec: Competition (CTF) Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official competition source whose retained 2026 Solarpunk section says the hackable electronic badge was fully integrated into the CTF, with badge challenges for points and on-site badge-firmware tampering among physical tracks. NorthSec: NorthSec 2026 Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official event and registration source for dates, venue, ticket classes, and the new social electronic badge entitlement. NorthSec: Team Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official source naming the NorthSec 2026 badge team members credited by the catalogue. NorthSec: Villages Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official source for the soldering village, badge-enhancement workshop language, blinking electronic-parts framing, and NorthSec Badge Museum context. NorthSec: Villages Schedule Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official schedule source for t-shirt and badge pickup using nSec order QR codes, badge enhancement sessions, and Badge Museum hours. NorthSec / GitHub: NorthSec 2026 Apache-2.0 license Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Commit-pinned official Apache License 2.0 text for the public nsec/badge-2026 repository, used as the reuse basis for the repository's selected front-board source render. NorthSec / GitHub: NorthSec 2026 PlatformIO configuration Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official build configuration for the C++/Arduino PlatformIO source tree. The repository also carries conference/CTF partition material and source modules, but this source does not establish a tagged or physically deployed event firmware image. NorthSec / GitHub: NorthSec 2026 board pin map Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official source header mapping ST25R3916 NFC, the 200×200 GDEH0154D67 / SSD1681 e-paper path, six buttons, and eighteen WS2812/NeoPixel LEDs on the ESP32-S3 design. NorthSec / GitHub: NorthSec 2026 hardware and production archive Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official hardware directory whose README identifies the NorthSec 2026 badge design. It contains KiCad board and schematic files, JLCPCB BOM/CPL/Gerber production material, dock hardware, and source artwork; it proves a public post-event design archive, not a per-recipient production configuration. NorthSec / GitHub: NorthSec 2026 official front-board vector Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official source SVG for the NorthSec 2026 front-board artwork. The catalogue's local image is a high-resolution raster export of this exact vector, with NorthSec repository attribution, Apache-2.0 license basis, and processing notes recorded in BadgeImage metadata. NorthSec / GitHub: NorthSec legacy public badge-source archive recheck Retrieved 2026-05-15 · The historical nsec/nsec-badge archive rechecked on 2026-08-03 had no 2026 branch, tag, or dedicated hardware tree. That finding applies only to the legacy archive and is no longer an official-2026-source gap: NorthSec separately published nsec/badge-2026. NorthSec / GitHub: nsec/badge-2026 official source release Retrieved 2026-05-15 · Official NorthSec 2026 badge source snapshot at commit 4dab9e6c4c0b8efc9a643ee646a49550453ea22c. The public repository appeared on 2026-08-03 after the May event, carries Apache-2.0 licensing, and had no tagged release, GitHub release, or published binary at review time. Its earlier authored commits record development history, not prior public availability.