I get it. I really do.
I used to be an online journalist, and I know how much pressure there is to bring in page views. I’m sure I’ve even written a few headlines that played up the fear factor to get clicks. I’m human, and humans are often misguided.
But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that throwing around words like “terrifying” and “scary” do more harm than good — especially when you’re using them at Black Hat, BSidesLV and DEF CON.
Scanning the headlines this morning, I came across this:
“Eight Terrifying Things To See at Black Hat 2014”
Written by By Fahmida Y. Rashid, Max Eddy and Neil J. Rubenking of PC Magazine, the article describes talks that will surely scare the stuffing out of people. Neil Rubenking calls a talk about capturing passwords with Google Glass “alarming.” Of Black Hat in general, he writes:
We will be terrified. We will come away with our brains performing mental calisthenics to understand all the new attacks we now know are possible. How many people are going to be able to get on a plane after this year’s session on airport security scanners? Black Hat doesn’t reflect today’s threats, but shows us all the things that are coming. It’s the closest thing we have to a crystal ball. Think about it—we are seeing attacks against ATMs now, but Black Hat attendees saw a working demonstration nearly five years ago.
This post isn’t meant to attack the writers. Like I said, I get it. I also don’t know them. I’m sure they’re good chaps.
My beef is with words like “alarming” and “terrifying.” Black Hat is a hotbed for drama to begin with, and words like that only make matters worse.
These talks aren’t meant to terrify people. Make them concerned and motivate them to fix the security holes? Sure.
I can say with reasonable certainty that attendees won’t be scared. Hacking is their craft, and they’ve seen a lot of crazy vulnerabilities. They’ll be fascinated by some talks and underwhelmed by others. But they won’t be scared.
These talks should enlighten and inspire. Where some find vulnerabilities, others find solutions to those flaws down the road.
That’s what this annual Las Vegas exercise is about — or should be about.
