Just Add More LEDs: NSec 2018 and 2019 Badge Mods

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Here's what you can do with a hardware badge once a con is over besides just hanging it up on the lanyard. Specifically, how to modify the Nsec 2018 'Sputnik' and 2019 'Brain' badges for off-board LED strips. e.g. as a monitor backlight, or just BLINKEN LIGHTS! With a bonus of how to do a hardware-port of a 503 party badge to the nsec 2018 badge.

I'll share all the parts lists with links and steps on how to do it. The LED strip mods are pretty simple and could be completed at home by those with some soldering experience, but I will show a few ways not to do it that I learned the hard way anyways. We will try to always include the "why it's possible" for those of you not familiar with HW stuff: Attendees will leave with parts lists and plans to add off-board LEDs to the 2018 and 2019 Nsec badges as well as the burning desire to make their own mods to other conference badges, whether or not they probably should. I love making my own use of HW -- usually involving a mess of wires and I hope it rubs off on you too.


Ben Gardiner , Yellow Flag Security Inc.

Mr. Gardiner is an independent consultant at Yellow Flag Security, Inc. presently working to secure commercial transportation at the NMFTA and connected transportation with TMNA. With more than ten years of professional experience in embedded systems design and a lifetime of hacking experience, Gardiner has a deep knowledge of the low-level functions of operating systems and the hardware with which they interface. Prior to YFS Inc., Mr. Gardiner held security assurance and reversing roles at a global corporation, as well as worked in embedded software and systems engineering roles at several organizations. He holds a M.Sc. Eng. in Applied Math & Stats from Queen’s University. He is a DEF CON Hardware Hacking Village (DC HHV) and Car Hacking Village (CHV) volunteer. He is GIAC GPEN certified and a GIAC advisory board member, he is also chair of the SAE TEVEES18A1 Cybersecurity Assurance Testing TF (drafting J3061-2), contributor to several ATA TMC task forces, ISO WG11 committees, and a voting member of the SAE Vehicle Electronic Systems Security Committee. Mr. Gardiner has delivered workshops and presentations at several world cybersecurity events including the Cybertruck Challenge, GENIVI security sessions, Hack in Paris, HackFest and DEF CON main stage.