Where and when will CactusCon 12 take place?
Friday 2/16/2024 and Saturday 2/17/2024 at the Mesa Convention Center, 263 N Center St, Mesa, AZ 85201. Parking is plentiful and free.
What kind of content can I expect?
PHEW, we have SO MUCH content this year! In addition to our three main speaking tracks and workshop track, we have the return of our Lockpick Village, Hardware Village, Career Village, and AI Village. We're also proud to present the CactusCon Greenhouse! This area is designed for those new to hacking to get their feet wet in infosec with topics like port scanning, web enumeration, hash cracking and others (BYOL - bring your own laptop!). We've also got our CTF going on in the main hall, and DC480 is again presenting Snow Talks, which are off-the-record (no recording allowed) presentations too spicy for the main talks.
We're streaming all three of our main talk tracks, and interacting with remote participants via Discord (Unfortunately, workshops and villages are NOT streamed). Grab a ticket at https://cactuscon.com/register, and head to https://cactuscon.com/cc12-discord to join in the night before the con! Once in, you'll get a DM from our bot Hacktar. Simply send the barcode ID or a screenshot of your barcode from your EventBrite ticket, and you'll be welcomed into the con Discord. From there, you can view the schedule, links to the talks, hang out in the virtual cabana, participate in the CTF, and interact with our sponsors! We'll also have a bunch of giveaways going on in there, both from CactusCon itself and our sponsors. (NOTE that entering a sponsored giveaway constitutes permission for us to give the sponsor your name and email address from your EventBrite signup. We will not share attendee information with sponsors unless you enter a giveaway). In-person attendees are welcome to jump into the Discord as well! Same ticket is used for in-person attendance and our virtual presence.
How can I participate if I can't make it to Arizona?
YEP! We're bringing back our hardware badges, which will be for sale at the the con. We've got a limited number, first come first served (cash and credit accepted). You can also reserve a badge by purchasing a Hardware Badge level ticket at https://cactuscon.com/register
Ya'll got them badges this year?
Our merch table will have a limited quantity of t-shirts, stickers, and posters for sale, cash or credit. We also have our web store open with LOTS more stuff at https://store.cactuscon.com
What about merch?
Common courtesy. We ask that you do not take photos or videos of someone without their express permission. We don't have a PRESS badge, so it's safe to assume that there ARE members of the press present. There's no need to take videos of the talks, they'll be streamed and available later on YouTube. If you have a concern or feel someone is violating this policy, please find a member of the staff. During DC480 Snow Talks however, no recording of any kind is permitted.
What are your policies on photography or recording?
Before the Conference:
Reach out to us via email at info@cactuscon.com, on X at https://twitter.com/cactuscon, or in Discord at https://cactuscon.com/Discord (look for anyone with the black STAFF role)
During the Conference:
IN CASE OF MEDICAL OR POLICE EMERGENCY, DIAL 911.
If you're here in person, look for the folks in the GREEN CactusCon t-shirts. Those are our volunteers, and can typically answer any questions you have (or at least point you to someone who can). If you need to talk to our staff leads, look for those wearing black hoodies and a STAFF badge. If you need help regarding a particular village, look for the BLUE-shirted volunteers in the village. If you're participating remotely, you can send a DM to the Hacktar bot with !mod for moderator support or !reg for registration support.