Hacking in Sun and Snow H1-303 Colorado

Guess what, hackers? We are back to Live Hacking Events! Hackers greeted each other with open arms after a two-year hiatus. Though the pandemic is not over, we found a small pocket to unite our community. So, let’s talk about the hot and cool of our time in Denver, Colorado! 

Things did feel different, though only for a second. Before joining up, it was essential to grab your rapid tests at the front desk before heading to your hotel room. We are still in a pandemic, after all.

After running our own personal COVID science project, it was straight down to the lobby to see the crew. Nothing adequately describes hackers watching their friends walk through the front doors after two years. Undoubtedly, one of the best parts of this event was the reunions- but the great times didn’t stop there.

Something to note, we wanted everyone to rest before they got here. So, we paused submissions during travel days. The pause relieved the pressure to compete so we had time to travel, network, and meet with peers freely.

We got everything started with a Happy Hour. Everyone met for a drink on the rooftop of the hotel. It was an opportunity to unwind and meet new peers. A chance to break the ice and talk about collaboration before the event.

Hacker Happy Hour

Our new Hacker Success Managers greeted everyone on their way to events. The Hacker Success Manager role was introduced earlier this year to help you succeed at HackerOne - check how they intended to do that here. 

(Chad (HSM) in the light gray shirt and Steve (HSM) in the darker gray)

For Mental Health Awareness Month, we brought a panel together to help illustrate and breach the subject of mental health in our field. 
For our panel, we were joined by NahamSec, todayisnew, and Pamela Greenberg from our People Services Team! We appreciate their open discussion on mental health, which applies to everyone.

Mental Health Awareness Panel

We want hackers to put forth their best efforts into getting to these live hacking events and programs, but never at the expense of your personal well-being. Here are subjects our guests discussed in the panel:

• Unique challenges that researchers face when it comes to their mental health
• Experiences with burnout within the field
• How we, as a community, discuss issues involving mental health

My personal favorite is something I leave for you to answer, "If you were going to give the cybersecurity industry a report card on how we’re doing when it comes to mental health, what grade would you give?"

Event Standings for H1-303

So, how did it all shake out in the end? Well, let’s check the board! HackerOne awards are ranked based on bounties received at the event or outstanding achievements 

Leaderboard Results

The placement awards went to:
1. yassineaboukir
2. rhynorator
3. Niemand_sec

MVH H1-303 Yassineaboukir 

yassineaboukir was also the Most Valuable Hacker for this event! Owning this program with ease, you love to see it.

Our Exterminator (Best Bug of the Event) went to...
todayisnew, m0chan, and d0xing!

Best performance- I mean, Best Collaboration went to
 the_arch_angel, ramsexy, smsecurity, and rez0!
You love to see hackers coming together to lands these awards! Teamwork does make the dream work. 

Bonuses! (Bonus names and titles were all creatively decided by our partners for the event)

Outstanding Balance (most impactful):
todayisnew, m0chan, and d0xing!

The Banksy (Most Creative Attack):
f4d3, samux, and debsec!

Compound Interest (Most Valid Reports):
rhynorator!

Don't Work a Loan (Best Collab):
 the_arch_angel, ramsexy, smsecurity, and rez0!

To everyone who participated, we congratulate your efforts and time during the event. We hope you enjoyed your time at the event. 

We want to close by sharing our favorite moments of the event. If you're curious about seeing the event first-hand, check out Farah Hawa’s and Nahamsec's vlogs! 

Here are some other moments we don't want you to miss:

MC's hitting the stage for their show and tell

The SW@G

A flash snow storm (first time some of our crew has seen snow)

And we can not forget, karaoke! 

Having these events back is a breath of fresh air. LHE’s are at the very core of what we want our community to experience. Curious about what it takes to join in? Check out this blog about requirements! We hope to see you at the next event!