Social engineering star Chris Hadnagy who was banned by DEFCON is now suing the convention

When the hacker convention DEFCON released its annual transparency report in February, the public learned that one of the most prominent figures in the field of social engineering had been completely prohibited from attending.

Chris Hadnagy had long taken pride in his prominent role as the conference’s head of the social engineering village. But it was noted in the DEFCON transparency report that he had regularly violated the convention’s code of conduct. Hadnagy was thereby permanently banned from the convention, and possibly a new team will be in charge of the social engineering town as of 2022.

Hadnagy has since brought legal action against the convention, claiming slander and breach of contract. Hadnagy is named as the plaintiff in the case, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on August 3. DEFCON Communications Inc. and Jeff Moss, a.k.a. “The Darkish Tangent,” the convention’s originator, are named as defendants. At this year’s convention in Las Vegas, papers have been served to Jeffrey McNamara, the lawyer for Moss.

As is typical in harassment cases, there aren’t many public details available about the episodes that led to Hadnagy’s ban. DEFCON organisers were purposefully vague about the reported behaviour in the transparency report announcing the permanent ban. The gravity of the violations merits a suspension from DEFCON, according to Chris and the reporting events, the convention’s organisers said in their post-conference transparency report following the earlier year’s convention. The minimum Code of Conduct at DEFCON concentrates almost entirely on a “no harassing” policy. The language states that harassment includes “deliberate intimidation and focusing on others in a way that makes them feel unwelcome, uncomfortable, or terrified.” “It is expected that anyone asked to stop harassing behaviour will comply right away.”

DEFCON’s commitment to a public transparency report, which was initially offered in 2017, signalled a fresh drive from organisers to make the convention safer by toughening up on harassment in regions close to it.
Nevertheless, Hadnagy’s ban has shocked the DEFCON community, especially in light of his position as a convention insider and the administrator of a popular workout area. Hadnagy held a renowned position at the convention year after year, discussing tradecraft and running a popular capture-the-flag competition. The SE Village is where delegates learn the skill of obtaining sensitive information from targets through psychological techniques. Hadnagy’s attendance was a major lure for attendees as a published author and frequent lecturer on the topic of social engineering.

Hadnagy claims in the case that the assertions made in the transparency report, together with the rarity of being denied entry to the conference, indicate that the ban amounts to “severe and irreparable” harm to his reputation. He is seeking damages of more than $75,000 for this claim. The complaint also includes further claims of invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress, and interference with contractual ties, with the same amount of damages sought on each count. Hadnagy has become a persona non grata at linked events as a result of the prohibition. Recently, one of the main organisers of the BSides Cleveland security conference resigned after booking Hadnagy as the surprise keynote speaker. According to reports, Hadnagy wanted to send a message that criticised “cancel tradition.”

Some prominent figures in the infosec community responded with an important responsibility when the case’s details became public. Epic International’s chief data security officer, Alyssa Miller, called the action an abuse of the legal system and an effort to control convention planners.

Miller tweeted, “Let’s be clear about what this lawsuit is about. “It’s not about DarkTangent or DEFCON. That is about [Chris Hadnagy] trying to get the names and the information of his accusers out there so he can go after them, attack them, and try to discredit them.