The Hacker Village concept originated with DEF CON as self-contained spaces for specific subject matter, such as lockpicking, cryptography, privacy, and industrial control systems. Many of these have now become non-profit educational organizations that operate year round, offering unique hands-on experiences and presentations. DEF CON 34 features nearly forty Villages — far too many to see in a weekend — so below are the ones the savvy policymaker is most likely to find useful, roughly in that order. Often the fastest way to understand a policy issue is to walk in and put your hands on it. The full official roster has the rest.
Policy @ DEF CON
The conference's own program for the public policy community - Policy Debriefs, Community Roundtables under Chatham House Rule, and an evening lounge where senior officials, researchers, and hackers mix. If you work in public policy, start here.
Voting Village
Hands-on election security with real voting machines, exploring election infrastructure from technical and public policy perspectives. A fixture of election security policy debates since 2017 - come see the machines yourself.
AI Village
Hands-on AI security workshops and large language model exploitation challenges. Home of the AI red-teaming exercises that have shaped government thinking on AI evaluation - if you work on AI policy, this is where the rubber meets the road.
ICS Village
Equips industry and policymakers to better defend industrial control systems through hands-on training on simulated environments. Built with policymakers in mind - the fastest way to understand critical infrastructure security debates.
Biohacking Village
Healthcare and medical device security in a hands-on lab environment. Essential for anyone working on FDA device regulation, hospital cybersecurity, or health sector resilience - the village has long partnered with regulators and manufacturers.
Aerospace Village
Security researchers and the aviation and space industries working together toward safe, reliable, and trustworthy air travel. Directly relevant to aviation cybersecurity policy, airworthiness standards, and the fast-growing commercial space sector.
Car Hacking Village
Hands-on vehicle exploitation with live CAN bus and wireless access, in collaboration with the automotive industry. Relevant to vehicle safety regulation, right-to-repair debates, and connected car privacy.
Crypto & Privacy Village
Cryptography and privacy, from the latest technical techniques to public policy discussions. The place to pressure-test encryption policy, surveillance, and privacy legislation with people who build and break these systems.
IoT Village
Expert talks, hands-on labs, and live bug hunting in Internet of Things devices. Directly relevant to IoT security legislation, labeling programs like the Cyber Trust Mark, and consumer device standards.
Bug Bounty Village
The bug bounty hunter community, with talks, workshops, and competitive challenges. Directly relevant to coordinated vulnerability disclosure policy, safe harbor protections, and hacker liability law.
Maritime Hacking Village
Immersive maritime systems exploitation and defense training. Ports, shipping, and vessels are critical infrastructure carrying trillions in global commerce - this village is where their security gaps get demonstrated.
Telecom Village
4G/5G network security, signaling systems, and telecom threat detection. Timely grounding for telecom security policy in an era of carrier breaches and 5G supply chain debates.
Quantum Village
Open quantum hardware access, talks, and hands-on activities in quantum technology and security. Where post-quantum cryptography migration and quantum policy meet the people doing the work.
Social Engineering Community Village
Human-focused hacking through psychology and tactics, featuring live vishing (voice phishing) competitions. Watch a live call and you'll never think about fraud policy, or your own inbox, the same way.
Recon Village
Reconnaissance and open-source intelligence, with live demos and capture the flags. An eye-opening look at how much personal and organizational data is publicly discoverable - fuel for privacy and data broker policy.
Tamper-Evident Village
How tamper-evident seals work - and how they can be defeated - through hands-on contests. Sobering context for anyone who relies on seals in elections, evidence handling, or supply chain integrity.
Lock Pick Village
One of the most hands-on experiences at DEF CON, run by TOOOL. Pick your first lock in under five minutes and gain a visceral understanding of why physical security - and security generally - is more nuanced than it looks.