Ten years ago, DEF CON 101 was founded by HighWiz as a way to introduce n00bs to DEF CON. The idea was to help attendees get the best experience out of DEF CON (and also tell them how to survive the weekend!). The DEF CON 101 panel has been a way for people who have participated in making DEF CON what it is today to share those experiences and, hopefully, inspire attendees to expand their horizons. DEF CON offers so much more than just talks and the DEF CON 101 panel is the perfect place to learn about all things DEF CON so you, dear reader, can get the best experience possible. The panel will end with the time honored tradition of "Name the n00b" where lucky attendees will be brought up on stage to introduce themselves to you and earn the coveted 101 n00b handle. Don't worry if you don't make it on to the stage, there will be plenty of other prizes for you to enjoy!
HighWiz is born of glitter and moon beams and he has all the right moves. He is the things that sweet dreams are made of and nightmares long to be... Years ago, with the help of some very awesome people*, he set about to create an event that would give the n00bs of DEF CON a place to feel welcomed and further their own pursuit of knowledge. For years he has held onto the simple tenet that "You get out of DEF CON what you put into it". HighWiz is the fabled Man on the Mountain whom people seek to gain a taste of his forbidden knowledge. He is a rare sighting at DEF CON only to be glimpsed by those lucky few. HighWiz is a member of the DEF CON CFP Review Board and Security Tribe. *Some (but not all) of the people HighWiz would like to thank for helping to make 101 into what it is today : Runnerup, Wiseacre, Nikita, Roamer, Shaggy, Lockheed, Pyr0, Zac, V3rtgio, 1o57, Neil, Sethalump, AlxRogan, Jenn, Zant, MalwareUnicorn, Clutch, TheDarkTangent, Siviak, Ripshy, Valkyrie, Xodia, Flipper and all the members of Security Tribe. @highwiz
For over 15 years, Nikita has worked to ensure DEF CON runs as smoothly as one can expect from a hacker conference. In addition to planning a vast array of details prior to DEF CON and thwarting issues while onsite, she also serves as the Director of Content for the CFP Review Board. @niki7a
Appearing in a cloud of (cigarette) smoke, Roamer is a man full of whiskey and ideas. He has appeared at DEF CON since before (almost) the beginning. He is a renown author, speaker, pontificator and is famous for giving the most entertaining Worldwide Wardrive talk. He is also the Grand Vizier of All Things Vendor—you are welcome. When Roamer speaks, people listen. And often fall in love.
Chris "Suggy" Sumner is the polite one. He is a co-founder of the not-for-profit Online Privacy Foundation, who contribute to the field of online behavioural research. Suggy is also the CFP review board's undisputed fence sitting champion. @5uggy
Since 1992, Jericho has been poking about the hacker/security scene. His experience has allowed him to develop (and deliver—often in the form of rants) a great perspective on many topics, mostly security related. He has been a speaker at security conferences worldwide, primarily for the free travel to exotic locales. A founding member of Attrition.org, he was also the content manager for the Open Source Vulnerability Database (OSVDB) and an officer in the Open Security Foundation (OSF). He is a champion of security industry integrity and small misunderstood creatures. He epitomizes the saying, "Why be a pessimist? It won't work, anyway." @attritionorg
Wiseacre was introduced to DEF CON by Roamer. Though he appeared at his first DEF CON because of the Capture the Flag contest, Roamer and HighWiz showed him how to make DEF CON so much more than simply attending the talks. From then on he made a point to participate in as much as he could. Of course, this was all within the limits of social anxiety so, if it allowed participation as a wallflower, he was in! Now, he wants to make sure everyone else gets to know as much as possible about this year's conference. In his private life, Mike hacks managers and is happy anyone listens to him at all. wiseacre_mike
Shaggy has the Voice of Barry White, the brains of Albert Einstein and the soul of Bea Arthur. He has a few philosophies on life: He believes that while the righteous keep moving forward, those with clean hands become stronger and stronger . That the field of battle between God and Satan is the human soul. It is in the soul that the battle rages every moment of life. He also believes that one should Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. Because You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working, and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves.