NotAwful.Security

I have spoken about the importance of a Code of Conduct in the past. Since conversations have cropped up around several communities and events in technology regarding Codes of Conduct, I am going to discuss my experiences with them. Over the years I have spent a lot of time in and around gaming communities. During that time I realized that community guidelines and a code of conduct are an important tool. In watching these recent conversations, I feel some people have been too focused on their practical application. So I will talk about why a community should have a code of conduct, what you stand to gain by implementing one, and address some of the common arguments against them. I wrote a step-by-step guide to writing a code of conduct here , taken from an earlier blog post addressing another community that lacked a code of conduct. I'm not a bad person, why do I need one? I have not read the code of conduct for most communities I have been a part of one. I also do not know...

UPDATE 2017-07-29 This post previously stated that @BretMattingly was a member of the leadership of @InfosecN00bs. Just before Defcon BretMattingly stepped away from @InfosecN00bs for unstated reasons. After this blog post was originally published, he took the concerns to @Hacksforsnacks_ and @K_5m00th, who did not want to return funds raised, issue a statement regarding the matter, or take any corrective actions. The fundraiser was done under @Bretmattingly's name because he was being set up to be the fall guy for when everything toppled over. Original Post The twitter account @InfosecN00bs  has posted an official statement regarding their failed crowdfunding campaign after a few people publicly questioned where the money was being used.  The @InfosecN00bs group is run by @Hacksforsnacks_ , @K_5m00th . Official Statement: Part 1 Official Statement: Part 2 To be perfectly clear: This is a press release statement playing damage control. @InfosecN00bs...

You have probably seen the twitter posts about the lasers and smoke machines on display at BlackHatUSA's Keynote speech on Wednesday. If you have not then I can give you the very quick run-down on that: Last-gen/old hackers, who are very anti-conformist and anti-corporate, turned their noses up because BlackHatUSA's keynote speech showed how much bank they made. Holla holla get dolla And why shouldn't they? The Briefings Pass, that would get you into all of the talks, runs for $2095 USD if you ordered before May 10th, and $2795 USD if you bought a ticket at the door. Trainings Passes were also expensive with additional costs for workshops you attended. Jeff Moss, the founder of BlackHatUSA and DEF CON, admitted that BlackHatUSA is a conference aimed at professionals and is premium-priced for large corporations because DEF CON's low barrier to entry made it harder for employees to sell to their bosses. While many old-school hackers stopped paying attention the m...

This is a rather difficult post because it is addressing problems in a group that does not want to listen to criticism of their behavior if it is conveyed with a tone and, thanks to @hacksforsnacks_'s experience in public relations, created a reputation that at first glance seems welcoming and supportive of all people. There are likely people who will come to defend the group but I have found, anecdotally, more people that have stepped forwards with complaints. In my previous post I broke down a press release statement posted by the @InfosecN00bs account to discern what the statement actually says. Here, I will speak about moderating online communities and then call out specific problems with the way that @InfosecN00bs has, and for each problem I discuss I will provide constructive and actionable solutions. Disclaimer : I do not have a good history with this group. I am highly critical of members of their leadership. I do, however, think that highly technical fields are b...