DC4420Talks - 27 October 2026
First talk
Death Of The Junior Pipeline - The Hidden Cost Of AI
Speaker
Synopsis
AI has undeniably taken the world by storm. As we rush towards an agentic, AI driven future we are creating a huge security hole that is being casually swept aside in the race for efficiency and productivity. Companies are responding to pressure to downsize the workforce massively to only the most senior and talented individuals to “make the most of AI powered efficiency”. A consequential choice that is being made across all tech related industries is to cut the junior hiring and training programs. This in turn is killing the junior to senior pipeline across all tech related industries. Subsequently, as we build our AI powered future, we are eroding the pathways for the creation of the next generation of technical experts to maintain the brave new world. This security debt is racing towards us and we are already beginning to see the fallout of this.
This talk will explore what has happened, the impact it is having on security both today and going forward and will show why it is so crucial to maintain a viable pipeline to create the next generation of talent and discuss what we must do if we are to have a secure future and not a vibe coded disaster.
Second talk
The Fortress
Speaker
Synopsis
A duress code’s effectiveness depends on two conditions: that the adversary doesn’t hold a copy of the encrypted data, and that the use of the code goes unnoticed. Physical coercion can violate both.
I propose a new approach to storing sensitive information. The Fortress uses remote duress codes with the ability to choose what they do: permanent erasure of the data, a temporary swap with a decoy, or temporary or permanent deletion of the account.
The service behaves identically for the genuine and duress credentials. It can make the stored sensitive data impossible to access, permanently or temporarily. Use cases for this tool may include protecting crypto passphrases, or any other sensitive information, against unlawful physical coercion.
Future talks
We’re still trying to build up a backlog of talks. If you’ve implemented a C2 on a smartwatch, want to walk us through the highlights of a CTF, or have some insight into the breakdown of security cooperation globally, we’re interested!
Drop a message to talks@dc4420.org with a title, synopsis and rough length, and don’t worry if you haven’t presented before.
We’re also happy to host other activities, like lockpicking, or demoing a new piece of kit, just let us know.