Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by segfaultbuserr 2512 days ago
Yeah, selling snake-oil encryption to a group of professional infosec researchers and cryptographers? Do they even a have brain...
3 comments

Maybe they just wanted to be able to say they spoke at BH and maybe a short clip to put on their site?

Most bad or boring presentations are not called out publicly on several media.

I'm guessing there aren't all that many cryptographers at blackhat; that's quite a different specialty, isn't it? Then again, is also pays to know enough about cryptography to at least identify poorly applies crypto, so there are likely enough people in attendance with surprisingly in-depth knowledge even if crypto isn't technically their specialty.
You don't have to be a medical expert to recognize that a guy selling crystal-infused snake oil probably hasn't found the cure to cancer.
Thomas Pornin and JP Aumasson were at the talk, Thomas because he's crypto review board (along with a bunch of other cryptography people, many also in attendance) and JP because he spoke at the conference this year.

We have a pretty strong cryptography program going on at Black Hat. I think we might be the best industry offensive crypto conference at this point.

> I'm guessing there aren't all that many cryptographers at blackhat; that's quite a different specialty, isn't it?

Well, it's not "quite a different specialty" in the same sense that zoology is quite a different specialty from what you would expect at Black Hat. There's some overlap between cryptography and Black Hat.

Yes, it was what I meant to say.
Plenty of "security professionals" buy snake oil by the tanker full