BSidesSF 2018

## Overview This is the closing ceremony address from BSidesSF 2018, delivered to conference participants. The speaker covers conference statistics, competition results, recognition of staff and volunteers, and announcements for next year.

## Attendance and Operations The conference sold almost 1,500 tickets with approximately 1,200 actually checking in (84% attendance rate). The event was supported by 13 full-time staff members and 180 volunteers filling 250 slots across the two-day event.

## Network Infrastructure The conference network was built from 6 Ubiquiti devices and several AC access points, pushed nearly 300 Mbps at peak throughput, delivered 352 gigabytes total, and handled 571 connected devices. A one gigabit connection was provided by Wet Pass from the roof or adjacent building. Due to a Minneapolis snow storm canceling flights and equipment delivery, staff members Ryan and Ian—with remote assistance from David (known as "video man")—rapidly purchased and deployed replacement networking equipment via Amazon Next Day Delivery.

## Competition Results **Capture the Flag**: 39 challenges, 341 players, 140 teams. Winners: 1st place DCU a Lucca (6,620 points, Uber Tooth One); 2nd place SE Works (5,320 points, Arduino starter kit); 3rd place In Us Gray Hats (4,895 points, Hack Five Packet Squirrel).

**IoT Village CTF**: 12 teams competed. Winners: 1st Who Am I (3,000 points); 2nd place (2,000 points); 3rd Nor Tango Dog (1,000 points).

**Escape Room Challenge**: 12 escape rooms. Winning team "The Cats" completed in 24 minutes 17 seconds (out of 30 minutes), with team members Ursula, Carolyn, Nic, and Hanson, each receiving a cybersecurity card game.

## Program Puzzles Four puzzles were embedded in the program this year as a teaching exercise with no prizes. Puzzle 1 was a Caesar cipher answering "Welcome to B-Sides." Puzzle 2 used transposition cipher with steampunk theme references to Brunel and the SS Great Britain. Puzzle 3 involved binary and base64 conversion with a Lord Byron quote about Ada Lovelace. Puzzle 4 required hex-to-binary conversion and referenced a song by Steam Powered Giraffe. Puzzles were created by Avi.

## Charity Fundraising T-shirt buyers voted via token placement for three charities: FFS raised over $2,000, Hackers for Charity raised nearly $1,000, and Girls in Tech raised over $2,300, totaling over $5,300.

## Sponsor Recognition and Thanks Leading sponsors were Cloud Passage, Google, and Hacker One. Rapid7 sponsored the closing happy hour. Special recognition was given to Megan (operations lead), Jim (design and artwork), and Avi (puzzles).

## Next Year BSidesSF 2019 is scheduled for March 3–4, 2019. Attendees are encouraged to provide feedback via Sched (for individual sessions) and the conference website (for general feedback) to inform future planning.