Arkansas Hackers: More than meets the eye

     What do you think of when you think of Arkansas? Walmart? Bill Clinton? Barefooted hillbillies? Now, what do you think of when you think of a hacker? I am willing to bet that most of you reading this probably don't think the two go together at all. But you'll be surprised to find out that there is a large group of Cybersecurity experts and hobbyists with all kinds of interests. And so hopefully by the end of this post you will see just how expansive Arkansas Hackers is! 

Last week from Friday the 6th to Sunday the 8th I had the privilege of being able to attend a popular hacking CTF that goes by the name of JOLT. For those that may not know, a hacking CTF is basically where teams of hackers come together to try and get flags that are behind challenges. These challenges are wide-ranging and cover all types of hacking areas. Other than the bragging rights there are generally rewards for the top 3 winners. JOLT is located in Little Rock, Arkansas and is headed by members of the Central Arkansas Hackers group in alliance with the venture center. JOLT has been happening for a long time and this past weekend was actually JOLTS biggest CTF attendance wise to date!! I think this goes to show that there is a thirst and a hunger for Cybersecurity activities and events in Arkansas. A lot of the top teams were high school/college students as well which is great to see. 

Three days of caffeinated, barely resting, and staring at screens is what I live for personally, and so do a lot of other people. It was not only a great event challenge wise but an awesome networking event and an opportunity to meet a lot of the discord peeps in person! If you haven't been, it's been awhile, or you went this past weekend I hope to see you in 2024! You can find more information here: https://www.venturecenter.co/entrepreneurs/programs/jolt/

Another great CTF that is coming up is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In the Northwest part of the state going by the name of razorhack. I personally have never been to it but I hear it's an amazing event and has a lot of neat things to offer. Additionally, its spearheaded by the IEEE Computer Society in Ozark and in partnership with University of Arkansas CyberHogs Cybersecurity club. From November 3-5 this year it will be a lot similar to JOLT. You can find more information here: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/355921

Now, I am going to be a little biased here and talk about the next CTF that is Shell on the Border. This is located in my current and hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas. This year is going to be amazing and there is so much that is going to be going on. The dates of this is around new years, with 1 day being tech talks, and the rest of the weekend being the ctf hacking event. One of the things that I think is unique about SOTB is the idea of BYOCTF. Get it? Like BYOB but with CTF? Ok so basically the idea is that you "bring your own CTF." At the event players will have the opportunity to craft their own challenges at a certain percentage and to post and give out to the other players at the event. Think of it like a CTF economy. Additionally, it will be at the arcade in Fort Smith, with DJ's, awesome challenges, and a new years party! I definitely recommend taking a look and checking it out! You can view more information here: https://shellontheborder.com/

The beauty of it all is that these aren't the only events going on in the state! You might say that these are the most "popular" and focused towards hackers specifically. But for instance, Sparkcon, hosted by Walmart is centered on Cybersecurity and is free to the public to attend and is hosted in Bentonville Arkansas. You can find more info here: https://one.walmart.com/content/sp4rkcon/wmeo/sp4rkcon-home/sp4rkcon-2023.html

Now, these are just the events! I haven't even started talking about the groups or the history of hacking in Arkansas. My recommendation? Check out krime.life (the link to the Arkansas Hackers discord) and check out all that it has to offer! There are groups all across the state and I 100% recommend you to get involved. Even if you aren't in Arkansas we welcome you too! 

Hopefully you've realized by now that a Hacker is not limited to geographical location nor stereotypes. I am thankful and so happy to be apart of this group and I have learned so much and met so many amazing people in the past years since 2019 (when I joined the discord). And I've seen the discord grow so much and want it to grow even more! 

If you are curious about any of this or what more info feel free to message here, or reach out to me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/black_cattxx/  I'd be happy to help in anyway I can! 

Until then, Cheers. 

Blackcatt :)