but I can hear myself right thank you
although I own people still coming in
I'll give you a second to get sit down
well yeah Cheers cheers for coming
that's a bit load better awesome more
people coming this right as usual I've
given myself a stupid task
I've got 104 slides to get through so
you will excuse me if I don't breathe
much and talk very quick
I always do this it's terrible I'm Steve
the last slide I delivered somebody
complained that I use horrible fonts you
can't read so if you want to follow me
on Twitter it's it's a then pub I'm
happy to be here I love them I love the
University I don't love security it's
brilliant conference I first came to
here in 2012 I helped review the
syllabus I've spoken at security before
few years back me encountered someone
some embedded testing stuff the only
time my face has ever appeared in a
newspaper was here again I forget which
year that was me posing with somebody
else's kit no one I'm not here to talk
about confidence as such we do a lot of
conferences we've you know we teach
people lock-picking and all sorts of
stuff we rock up and bring kit and teach
stuff that's not sort of stuff I'm here
to talk about I'm not here to talk about
work I work for large telecoms company
in Britain we we get involved with a
challenge thing that's around
cybersecurity but again I'm not you know
we do sort of little games for that I'm
here to talk about something on a
slightly grander scale I'm not really
here to talk about hack food but I'm
gonna have to do to kind of explain what
this is all about who is member of your
event it's amazing it's a CTF thing that
runs over a number of days that they're
always awesome yeah I'm lucky enough
that I have friends of a company so so
my friend Mike you it was always crazy
about puzzle has taught me hooked in and
it's great fun I mean there are there
are some amazing people building amazing
challenges and the event itself is
stunning I mean again if you go and
Google you know there is stuff out there
on it I would suggest you make friends
and try and get invited though it's it's
difficult to get into but the way you
get in is you've built
just for them and then you get an invite
so what we hit talk about is there's a
couple of the challenges I made for them
over a couple of years now again I'm not
you know I have no background in
building games I you know I've played a
few and I decided to have a go and
because I like doing physical bits and
everybody else seems to do more
computery stuff it's that well I said
there's a slot there I can fill but yeah
yeah I'm you know I'm not an expert in
this sort of stuff this is just the
first couple of attempts I had what I
did how it went and I'm sort of you know
problems and things occurred along the
way so the first one first one was back
in 2015 now at the time I was teaching
myself how to repin locks refitting
locks is a useful skill because like you
know say you wanna buy padlocks if you
want to practice on 50 different
padlocks you have to buy you fifty
padlocks if you let the repin locks you
can buy one lock and and it's an
infinite number of locks you just take
it pop and we do it
so it's a trite I can it's useful skill
not lot of people are doing it I can
build something around that and you know
I'm somewhat optimistic so it's not
really difficult so how what can it be
you know manual dexterity but but you
know things should be fairly
self-explanatory that this is where it
starts doing wrong like assuming oh I
know how people approach this side I
know what will happen I know how all
good and I'll build something that's
that's doable in the time they've got
and then they don't but yeah so the
process I start following sites you know
I start off right there's an event in X
months I need to come up with something
get a notepad out stop scribbling ideas
down and that very quickly turns into
lots more random planning and I know the
idea to come up come up with some sort
of you know it's like like physical
things I can get them doing and some
sort of puzzles around that and then
there's an amount of you know get create
build kit stab yourself in hands a lot
taking lots of parts which is a meanness
one of the problems with doing this sort
of stuff but some idea for this was
right I know there's gonna be five teams
if I can get like five blocks per team
that's 25lakhs I have another one in
that's 26 I've got an alphabet I can now
start doing word puzzles around keys and
walks and you know making stuff
interesting the other thing was oh yes
some boxes so it's so I got my friend to
knock me up some quick boxes so they
stack the idea being you know you pick
the lock on box one you can then get
that off to get the box to the box three
plots for box five so again I've got
some progression start with these alts
get
more difficult and there will be things
in the boxes for them to do as they go
through I mean let's say the fact I knew
five teams are five multiple people that
gives me enough to work with I then
stopped writing documentation around it
which is the least fun bit trying to
come up with some sort of plot to
shoehorn in to make some excuse of why
they're doing this
now I'm deliberately not going to show
you much vac because it was dire and the
first time I did it second time they've
got better so you build all this stuff
and you go to the event so that fights
me in prison that is I see a former
prison that's never used for the things
that they hired get the kit there and
then I realized that like I've made all
these locks far too difficult so the
first night when everybody else is our
part in I'm citing a prison cell taking
lots of heart put them back together
they turned all the lights out in the
building so I had a power lead to that
lamp so I'm literally sat in the dark
doing this stuff again it so I never
plants the property it always goes wrong
don't do that so when they come in the
room of this first one you know a little
bit kick you know they've got a desk
lamp and the voice and some of the bits
and pieces a sealed envelope and there's
some locked boxes yeah oh yeah and a bit
of paper explaining how this works
because I've got a robbery dollar safe
that they can only do open know each of
the bits that's underlined all I'll talk
about in more detail so the the sealed
envelope and again this is this is going
to be the only bit of the friendís plot
you're gonna see you know it's got some
lock picks
and there's some lock boxes so it's kind
of obvious you need to open the lock
boxes where you will find other things
so the first box is a lot more you know
not picking gear and and some
documentation and again the first time I
did it I printed everything out on paper
so I ended up with with reams and reams
and roots so I mean for example this is
my notes from the second one yeah yeah
now you end up with a huge amount
documentation and you need a set for
each team and so you end up killing
those the trees but but they need those
documents to make any sense of what's
going on the second box when they get
into it so I thought what I call yield
repin and challenge so
when I first started taking rocks apart
so the picture on the left is the first
lock I've ever dismantled and I didn't
have the proper tools to do it but I did
have some matches so I worked out this
really horrendous complicated way of
using matches to replace the tools I
didn't have and it's it's a stupid idea
it's a stupid way of doing things but it
doesn't work and it's doable
all right I'll mix that chalasis learn
from my mistakes so yes so they complete
that they get a password for later on
which and again on reflection I should
have done one password
everybody got instead of doing different
ones per team because I just made myself
more work but it's all did my cheat and
collusion which I don't thinks it would
have done but yeah so they start again
it's it's not you know it's just fiddly
doing it on your own as a pin if you've
got a couple of people it's not so bad
[Applause]
carrying on the third box actually
starts to have some of the proper kit
for taking lots apart so so Club
followers and whatnot again more
documentation more documentation and say
that the key for the first box which
becomes important because then they
going to need to start measuring keys
and dismantling locks and measuring pins
now I give them again so it's so trying
to get them thinking along the right
lines without explicitly saying go and
measure these things and do this so it's
alright you've got a lot of them some
documentation rooms you know you've had
this stuff delivered but the paperwork
was damaged these are the serial numbers
but they're broken and again my idea so
that each of the numbers is basically
the depending on the keys so what I want
them to do if I can skip a clicker if
you know they should come up with
something like this and they will need
this later on but again it's trying to
you know without saying dou X dou Y dou
Zed it's like trying to mixing is sort
of obvious okay this is one of the
problems is people never think the same
way I do so you come up with all these
silly ideas and they don't work oh they
were you know sometimes carrying on so
obviously we need a measuring stuff so
in the fourth box lesson Bernays they
can actually you know stop doing the
measuring that's also agree to that I
made again to try and get you know the
idea of the minute motion up and then
the final box there's there's a bunch
more bits pieces so the black grid I
give them on the left and again the idea
is they'll come up with something like
the right now they don't actually need
the precise measurements it's just
understanding that you know there are
different sub graduations the keys and
they're getting lead up to the ordering
later on there's a safe and again this
is so this is funny modify used to work
the mo D like lots of buildings we
worked in with with the secure save
things like you don't memorize the
combination to say if you learn the
password and then there's a great
printed and you look up the word and
that PT the combination which I thought
well that's a nice simple puzzle I can
do so so they get this thing amongst the
the paperwork they get saying oh yeah
you need to print out this grid you know
there's some stuff about it's been
running for twelve months I've got lists
words so I give them a list of words all
these thousand of them of which twelve
of a crossed out so again the hope is
that they lock it in see own that's like
a word with a crossed out wouldn't be
crossed out with the see cross that
would so presumably like the next word
of the sequences could begin with an end
so they can they can go back their grid
and you know if probably starts with an
M so it's probably a zero now the other
thing is they know it's an incorrect
word the combination is a series of
three numbers not 99 so the other thing
we could probably think is well we've
probably got a couple of you know
characters between
the numbers so you can probably guess
them as well so you know you can start
the thing right we've got a list of
forty thousand words it's probably a
word that begins with M it's probably
either M s P your MPs so you could start
going through the words of trying to
find stuff or you know you'd find like a
crossword solver online and you know
what words could it be now the other
thing I gave them so they had to 12
previous number grids torn up into
little pieces so they have to put them
back together and then think write
passwords we know which ones fit which
and if you start looking for this
there's a bit of a pattern starts to
emerge that the gag being of course I
can't change the combination on the same
it's fixed all I can do is change the
word so again you go back to original
thing and then while you feed those
numbers in and sure enough you got
eventually when the animation works so
the passwords mistyped which is why I
had the subtle clues but nobody picks up
on us and again you know you spend all
these time come up with a clever little
things that nobody ever notices
so they're getting the safe and again
there's a bunch more bits and pieces
that they're gonna need when the second
points token I've skipped over one I
gave him the first one so but yeah and
more challenges so the next one is so
they were given a password so that PTT
my different password and they basically
need to dismantle the five locks they've
got from the five boxes and repin them
so that the keys that relate to the
words that were given will open them
which again is not you know it doesn't
take you to member time but but again it
was trying to how do I get them to think
and realize that's what they've got to
do and again writing the plot around it
which was a bit troublesome when they
complete that they get given the puzzle
box on the left which I was getting
opened and then they get from that the
puzzle box on the right which gives them
a key for the final box it's locked
and again this was a bit clunky in that
you know I need to make sure and watch
what's going on because you know a lot
of the challenges there helped a lot
computer-based well it's all automated
you know you just want to do stuff in it
it works whereas this stuff I have to
stand and watch them all do it not only
because I'm concerned they can break
stuff and a lot of this like when you've
got one of the things and if they mess
it up it's gonna ruin it for everyone
but again it's you know it's a lot more
time-consuming sort of monitor than some
of the other challenges they have which
is a problem for me because it means it
verily I miss most of the event because
I'm stood watching people go through my
challenge but yes and I'd say that the
key they get out the puzzle box will
open in another fire safe in which there
is the final challenge which talks about
master keys so the idea with master keys
is rather than just having two pins in a
lock you have three or four or five so
if you doing it like if you're in a
shared buildings you know that might be
like a you know like a management key
they'll open all the doors and then you
might have keys will only work for
certain floors or ever so the idea is
you can you know configure locks so they
can be opened with multiple different
keys and I mean if it's and less secure
because you have more points which the
local turn but yeah but yeah there is I
want them to try and come up with like
right given this thing how and we know
the keys can we make a lock that will be
opened by multiple keys and how many and
my best solution ought to come up with
three that's a way of doing it sequence
you know you can have one locks that
will be opened by three different Peas
but I said the general thing if they can
get this a 2 2 2 is a pass
that'd be good enough but yes and so the
basics of the entire totally the
challenge is you know pick five blocks
together the lot that's in bits measure
a bunch of stuff to work out the coding
that's in use open the safe
by working at the password thing repin
the five blocks so they match the
password you were given open the puzzle
boxes and then redo the final thing so
that simple writers but the trouble is
it isn't you know something to do that
you can been very mind they've got but
like four hours to do this I think it
was four hours per game I mean even if
you know what you're doing it it takes a
while we get through it and the trouble
is of course people don't realize what
they're doing so anyway you know no plan
survives first contact with the enemy
sobs I have an honest people taking part
anyway you know it went reasonably well
oh I also need to mention that the one
person who I haven't secured the
photograph because he said I could talk
about him it's my friend Terry I did
promise I would only say nice things
which I will
Terry's amazing so it's a most the team
sent you know a number of people sell
Gary's that's lot Chung's it's going on
what's then you've got certain time for
him to do certain ones and everybody
else you know three or four people would
turn up when it was Terry Terry's team's
go Terry turns up on his own which is
fine but there's you know there's lots
of stuff to get on with but he got to a
point whence the the time the hill
locked back together and I was convinced
he'd broken it like it's like you we
it up plus that's not fixable we
haven't got and he spent about 45
minutes and he fixed it which I will
give him all the credit in the world for
because I was convinced that he'd ruined
it for everyone
he also builds like a lot of challenges
he just like amazing work you'll see him
a lot of you know other events the MWR
up with all sorts of crazy so yeah an
amazing one with all logic kids and I've
been again you know there's a lot of
team effort goes into it but let's see
attack terrorism no I got a lot time to
Terry and he always says nice things
about me so I figure I'm you know I can
return the favor but yeah so that was
four points which isn't a lot the fight
teams took part most of them got two
points the final team who I might have
given a few more hints because I wanted
somebody to finish it I got three but
but nobody did the last bit it was you
know it just wasn't doable in the time
that they had so again it was open
poor design on my pot but you know I'd
never built one of these before now I'm
horribly self-critical so cause I sit
and like it it's just rubbish it's
terrible it's a disaster so you know
it's too complicated it's there's too
much going on it's also it's it's too
linear it's like you know you do this
then nothin nothin nothin nothin that's
all there is there wasn't you know I
didn't have like the huge amount of
technologies in there there was other
stuff I could deal with the plot was
awful and there really there are no
points soon all right so I bear that in
mind next time I go to build something
so this one was better I think I hope
it's a number - 2016
now again so they have like things like
advertising before the events where the
bits going on and it seemed that they
were gonna have like a post-apocalyptic
theme which is why in the write-up I
mention the wasteland scene I'm gonna
try and get some technologies a tree and
more more different types of technology
hopefully stuff they've not seen I've
got to try and train them in how that
stuff works and then have them do
something with it so it's more
educational I can get more out of it and
just oh we know how to do this already
now I'm obsessed with video games
I love post-apocalyptic stuff so that
you know I'm stopped thinking in my mind
so we're going through a fallout world
and fall actually not further than that
nobody's gonna get this reference I
would assume so so in the 1980s there
was a game called wasteland which was
amazing so again it's it's raw I need to
come up with stuff so again get the
notebooks out now I go back over the
notes from the game I did before and
find all the things that like I could do
something with playing cards or coins or
all the stuff I didn't have time to
implement so I would feed that in and
new things and again I you know I liked
recycling so I'm going to use the same
stuff again if I can so I've got the
same lockboxes
stack a lot boxes I had before I've
still got the fire safe and I've still
got the fire box but I also go buy some
additional bits so I like good having a
local army surplus store buy some ammo
crates because this is gonna have a
military theme when you only want to get
military stuff in here if I can I'd like
to say the idea is I have the lock boxes
which will teach them stuff and then the
things that they're taught from that
they go and use against the other things
to actually you know get stuff so this
time in a previously was pin tumblers
and repainting locks this time okay
we've still got pin tumblers repin in
but I'm also talking
with lots to be locks handcuffs padlock
sermons and lever locks decided to get
rid of the paper
having perving paper as a stupid idea I
can't keep printing there hundreds and
hundreds of sheets
it just becomes unmanageable so I'm
gonna get USB sticks USB sticks are
awesome because it means I can stop
doing stuff like encrypted documents I
can get from video files to my cats and
you know stuff that I couldn't do with
paper but I did end up generating a
rather large amount of stuff the other
thing I got better at is like notes
myself how does this work what's because
the other thing is I would like the
capital point where I can not have to
stand watching it all going on or get
some help
so again happy notes like what goes
where how does it work what are the
clues they need what solution bits they
need so again I you know my
documentation is getting better I hope
although again it's funny of you if you
go through the pile of stuff like the
first challenges are really well written
up and then as you get further on
there's less and less and a lot of it's
got bits scribbled in pen where I you
know realized on the event is I'm
setting up that stuff doesn't work but
again I'll walk you through so what goes
on so the first thing is tubular locks
and again always thinking so I don't
know whether people will recognize again
if there's haven't fallen fans
Brotherhood of Steel logo they've
crossed go and find old technology and
do stuff with it
so I have scavenger reports where
they've gotten phone stuff so for
example you know let's say some stuff on
Cuban locks I think I have obscured so
the there were GPS coordinates the kind
of point in my house obviously that's
where they would have found this stuff
and so I've taken those notes you can't
find out where I live but yes like I
said so there's that and then I have
research reports based on these
scavenger reports which explain in more
detail but what these things are how
they work and what you're supposed to do
so again I'm trying to I want to teach
people stuff like if you don't seen this
stuff before here is some stuff that I
wouldn't explains the gaming bits also
the technology behind it one one funny
thing so one of the things to do with
the tubing locks was you needed to
measure the cuts on keys so for that
you'd use like a motion thief
well I'm not just gonna give them that
so I tipped it to the bottom one of the
boxes nobody found it oh yeah
and again it's another one of those
things that were yeah I'll be dead
obvious they'll be looking first and
nobody did
even though there was what a clue in one
of the things saying the Peden has been
hidden somewhere else I see nobody
actually found on the day no I'm gonna
skip over I was gonna put the videos on
but I don't think I'm gonna have time
cuz I've got a lot to get through the
videos I used in my talk at besides
Manchester last year so if you're
particularly interested your web start
quick limit myself but yeah so basically
they need to get in that box first box
and in that box
I must standing on that chair in that
box there's a bunch of stuff a lot of
stuff again you might recognise if you
see him pick going back there but their
stuff on unlike impression in their
stuff on bump keys that there's a UV
torch and a load of uranium glass I had
a box with a lot of really active tape
all over it and glow sticks in so it was
all blue in there is a disc in there if
anybody remembers that little technology
on which there is a huge amount of stuff
and again so lots of stuff from and
again in my Manchester besides talk I
talk about Titleist that house style.the
town even allem and then just wires and
again there's you know videos of there's
documents there's there's a huge amount
of stuff on it that there is more stuff
on this this done you could watching the
time but the challenge is going to run
for the other thing is the horribly
broken locked in so if you look at the
title of the disc it's it's temporary
resident which is some online translate
thing when I said what's Latin for time
sync that's what it gave me
so if commit so it's all a red herring
none of this is anything to do with the
challenge you're not going to get any
points from any of this I wanted to be a
bit nasty to be fair like if anybody
spent more about 10 minutes like I said
leave that alone and guns
come and look at the other stuff I mean
the other thing that might give a little
clue so inside the lock box this is a
certain face although I was kind of nice
because if you're showing that you'd be
thing of it it says use the UV torch so
the only thing that boxer was any good
was UV torch again I love I love right
and stopping you being it's brilliant
for this sort of thing because you know
it's invisible until you look although
well so like you know like the ammo
cases and stuff awesome you can't see it
but some of the other plastic things you
write on it's like you can see yeah it's
visible so again it's working out where
does this work where doesn't it right
next one
so we've done Juba locks and then we've
got handcuffs again because everybody
likes clean with handcuffs
you do these things at conferences and
the handcuffs the one everyone liked now
the trouble is and again this is another
example of planning doing wrong I have
known 44 cons wrists USB stick things
and because of what's on the next slide
I wanted to use it which was awesome
until two days before the event when it
stopped working or became intermittent
so it's alright okay put it on another
USB stick and make a note in the
documentation they get seen here sorry
about this this nope doesn't make any
sense
but again it's you know I mean the other
thing like moving forward I'm gonna have
multiple copies of everything when I do
this because again I'd rather mean have
it not mean he dip in the other way
around on the USB stick again on
recycling old material is why not so I
did a I did a stuff first type of 44 con
on on handcuffs and paperclip pickings
so it's alright they can help have the
slides to read through again video on it
I'll skip over and then the thing they
have to open a couple of ammo cases and
you can just say that we've put some
loops on them in there handcuffed
together so to open the boxes you need
to take the handcuffs off one of them is
single locked one is double locked so
again you have easier one the harder one
and when you look in the boxes well
what's the first one there's a couple of
bags full of bits of stuff which is
pistol magazines disassembled there's a
knife him as a holster and some
raspberry at filters and and a skull and
crossbones flags
why not box number two with the nice
picture of a pistol on it
and be very again says well you'll see
when an episode comes up I put a drive
these things up and over the country to
the event so I don't really want people
play the pictures of these on the
internet so yeah so in box number two
there are a couple of pistols in pieces
now obviously from a legal point these
are not real guns those to a point for
us however the police don't know that
and if you're in a public place with
them you're probably gonna get shot so
so again just a note for all the
attendees say but please don't don't
mess around with you so I'm going to be
further up like an old military base so
there's you know they're all legitimate
weaponry around but again I'm finally
really responsible and for once which is
unusual for me
so yeah next one is padlock shims so
again you know we have small Oh
scavenger reports we found these bits
pieces we found these nerds I'd taken a
bin with meters as a prop which I'd
washed out a load of old coke cans
because you know you take your Co
transit connections at them and I put it
under the table with all the other stuff
and flow today people keep throwing
rubbish in it it's not know it's part
the challenges will you stop messing my
bin up which was the innocence you know
say you want the clean cans don't be
cutting up the ones that still follow
coke and again you know more
documentation explaining how these
shrooms work and again videos which I'll
skip over but the thing they have to get
you this time was a slightly larger I'm
okay stand you can see we stuck some
things on the ends there's a couple of
really bad padlocks that you can shove
up and even with shims made up with all
the coke cans and they decide that there
is some a couple of magazines for some
sort of assault rifle similar you know
the actual respirator that the filters
were in the box before was mortification
tablets it's not thing that might be
useful in a post-apocalyptic setting
there's also a bunch of clothing so
comforting a balaclava and gloves and a
USB stick with a little more stuff on it
and on the USB stick on more detailed
instructions for the things they've had
in bits in the previous bags so they
don't might actually have some idea on
how to put them together again which
obviously is part of challenges there's
also some some stuff on things they
haven't found yet and with some slightly
larger weaponry and ultimately there is
a text file called orders now looking at
that well let the pistols because we've
got instructions to put them back
together and the respirators not exactly
rocket science so they can do that but
I've see the rebuilding the rifles what
rifles and accessing the safe well how
do we do that there's nothing to tell us
thus far but yeah you know again I like
you be think so so the next bit level
four that they're going to open a box
and find there's a bunch of encrypted
stuff in there wouldn't they don't know
what the password is but it's written on
the box if you were looking and we get
everybody eventually when they picked up
the UV torch is like everything they
find is going over the UV torch okay I
had all sorts of ideas for like I'm
going to put lots of you know false
leads and but again
I left myself so short on time which is
another thing I do all the time like
writing this slide deck for today which
I finished a few minutes before I
started but yes lockboxes is leave a lot
so again it explains you know here's a
bunch of stuff when I have leave a
lock-picking works and examples and yeah
the encrypted documents so encrypted
with that password that's on the box one
of them talks about removing tip and oh
sorry I'll skip over the video oh the
other thing which I'll put my hands up
to I never wrote the Skype into report
for this bit which again is another
example of me having these grand ideas
and not really having time to do it
properly which is a thing we do all the
time so I'll put me under but ultimately
the box they've trying to get into is
this even bigger I'm okay I wonder
what's in that and the padlock which is
on there it's wrapped in tip because
it's a cut away and the hints encrypted
says you can take the tip off if you
want but it's funny because I only half
the team's did now whether that's
because they'd actually read the thing
we thought or we can it says we can take
the tip off or whether they're just the
sort of people look like but but that
tip will come off we can we don't mean
that there it'll say it was interesting
the way of different people approached
us obviously taking the tape off makes
it a lot easier but but I say several
teams opened it without and then in that
box right here are more guns so the
order said you but assemble them but but
they're already assembled so that
doesn't make a lot of sense unless you
find the UV message on the inside of the
ammo case saying that the code to open
the safe is hidden in the guns alright
so we need to take bits again these are
these are not real firearms these are
dummy training things designed to be
strippable it's an interesting legal
saying that the law has changed since I
bought these you can't buy these anymore
but I was surprised I'm lucky to keep
them just don't run around in public
with them now it's ok they need to get
the safe and we all know we can all
remember what's the password for the
safe well it's mistyped isn't it because
I can't change it and I why would I
bother resetting and nobody remembered
like the Aleut least some of the same
people did the thing from last year and
it all forgotten what the
you know the password had been to nobody
nobody did any shortcuts all got around
it that takes mental thing which again I
basically just taken that repinning
thing that nobody did the last time and
it's like no no somebody's gonna finish
this I'm just gonna keep running this is
a challenge every year until somebody
gets it so again we have scavenger
reports explaining how that's worked Oh
in the sea if there is another another
challenge which I don't put a second
again this one I've been nice and I've
taken the emails I had before and I've
actually filled them in for them so they
don't have to bother doing all the
measuring and stuff they just have to
think about it there was also a mailbox
and again there's a little image up
there that this is you know this blobs -
inmate 2 3 4 93 oh and if you look at
the if you look at the I've not obscure
that one because that doesn't point at
my house that's the place where we had
the thing in the previous year so again
like little Easter eggs for so you know
you might be asking who's hidden it
whatever that number is well that would
be me when I was in prison don't I look
happy
given I've just turned up at event and
being locked up in prison oh and I need
to sneakily get snoop Conan's as I knew
ponds our internal conference we'd run
every year so you don't see me wandering
around with snoop on everything but yeah
yeah so I say it's just another nod back
to the previous events now even in that
mill box you know some some weird
strange Masonic looking the stickers and
the key to answers which again if you
look at the UV thin so there was a
another thing that was encrypted and I
told them how to work out what lucky is
but in case they couldn't be bothered I
tried it later on although again I think
a lot of people didn't realize the
didn't week but that decrypted something
they'd seen previously and hadn't gotten
to I mean again it's you know I'm making
things openly complex but yeah and then
that the final bit that was in the safe
so I have an old locket of a safety
deposit box so it's an 11 leave a lock
and it's beautiful it's it's you know
it's it's built amazingly well and what
happens is you know you take this thing
you show it to people and you take the
cover off now that's pretty and
everybody turns it upside down and all
the bits drop out so I just give her the
bits and like there you go put that back
together because I've had to do it in
hundreds of times feel my pins and again
I'm nice I give them like pictures and
stuff so they can work
going on and again it's not it's not
really complicated stuff fiddly you know
it's not that's not no rocket science
involved now you know you've got a bunch
of things that will only sit in one of
the five or six positions and it's just
stacking them in the right order and
making sure it works and so that was the
final bit of the you know the actual of
what they need to do so again I had a
world phone getting it there bearing in
mind I've got to drive half the country
with a load of things that the police
wouldn't like me having I mean fortune
they're all in boxes all about still
locked on electron transport them safely
but yeah yeah we got there once again i
sat up half the night tweaking things
but because I forgot to take some of the
USB stick so I have to recreate a punch
of the contents from scratch whoops
and again it's I always do this no
you know what one day I will have it all
prepped and ready and ready to go but
just not the two I've done yet and again
so you can get some idea of the you know
the size the setup again it's you know
I've got a little table we've got the
safe on top list of mil box
there's the ammo crates hiding at the
back there's a bin with hands in it and
we've got people taking part I quite
like this picture because you can see
there's obviously a lot of different
things going on so where's the other one
was like horribly linear this one at
least people were sort of spinning there
and attacking different you've got one
person just opening the boxes and
handing the clues over then Megan so
again it was sort of more team-oriented
which I thought went quite well and
again you know a bunch of anonymous
people picking Rob's point pistols back
together again that the guns went there
really well everybody seemed like hey
guns clear guns
not that I'm sayin unless the Packers
like weaponry or anything but you know
the the theme fit with the wider plot
was going on and I mean again if you're
on Google there is a like a three or
four minute video trailer thing about
the event which which I buy a pair for
embarrass half a second as you see me
diving out of the camera shot him as
they pan past my kid I mean again you
know people working as a team
collaborating inside work quite nicely
and this time I know four points for the
first challenge this time I had seven
and all of them some people cuz you've
got quite a nice bell curve in a couple
of them one team got several of the most
of the team's cotton and there's a
couple that like one team
didn't and again I think the trouble
lost the team that didn't really pistols
it's because they were trying to get all
the pin tumblers picked and they didn't
get it done in time
no I got some amazing feedback it was
yeah it was I think a lot better
received in the first one again because
I say I've got you know there is stuff
they've not seen so I'm teaching you how
it works and I'm making you actually you
know practically use those skills for
something have I only really done class
now because I'm getting the end of this
that's that doesn't make sense
um so yeah I've got the summary quick
and I thought I pro tip don't leave
lasting right in your slides the last
minute no you know it is a lot of fun
doing the sort of stuff but it's
expensive its time-consuming it's
frustrating it's annoying it's
infuriating but ultimately rewarding you
know it was it was a huge amount of fun
watching people I mean yeah the first
one not so much the second one was a lot
more fun I am currently thinking about
version 3 I have some ideas we've we've
got some bits for work that I can
probably repurpose I have some sneaky
ideas for again more more red herrings
more more you know things to waste their
time more things to put them off I'm now
looking I mean I keep saying next time
I'm just gonna build something that's a
roughly pie that you just push one
button and it's ready to go and I don't
have to sit all night
oh I suspect I won't I suspect I will
end up with all this stuff and more bits
and yeah let's say I've been playing
around electronics I'll be building
rusty pies on doing as that stuff we did
some stuff at InfoSec last year you know
simple time isn't like that went down
quite well so I'm hoping to get some
writing I'm hoping to try and like
recruit some help could I say trying to
run these things on your own is yeah
it's hard work I say put both in terms
of you know the amount of time it takes
to plan and plot and buy and design and
document I mean again I dread to think
how much effort I certainly the second
one you know the second one was it is
stupid remember work and again you know
I've had hard random ideas once again
it's like
I'll come up with all these ideas and
then actually implement it is the the
bit but I struggle with again you know
through my own competences and on a
sudden I've got the pub instead there'll
be plenty of time later which there ever
is but yes like I said you know do it
doing it as a team thing would probably
probably be better but but you know I
say if you have the opportunity I would
you know building these things is fun
you have taken part it's fun but but I
say building them as well is it a
different salt rewarding I would suggest
you all do it and get involved in events
like this I mean again you know it's a
wider point you know the amount I have
learnt by attending those events because
you have such clever people around you
with you know such interesting ideas and
I'm trying to make you think which again
is can be difficult but like I say I
would I would definitely get involved
and I've just done a hundred of three
slides in 35 minutes I'm really sorry I
thought I was going to run at the time
[Music]
does anybody have any questions so sorry
I'll repeat the question because I
didn't the last time I did this for the
for the point in my phone have I ever
thought about escape rooms so I've done
one wants in Edinburgh funnily enough
which again was it was great fun and
this sort of stuff I guess you could
could redeploy it that sort of thing and
I should look for more
I'd say it's it's a we had we had a
brilliant time in Edinburgh even even
though we yeah they have to give us some
significant help the other thing is cost
they don't like it when you turn up and
they've got something involving locks no
just open picks up oh no but yeah yeah I
mean this is like this is like a 3d
escape room effectively these events not
as if I said it's brilliant fun
I definitely yeah I need to find I
should set up a local escape room there
must be it must be trying upon and
listen where I live where I live
are you can Google become not hard to
find in fact Twitter says where I live
there you go any anyone else come
[Music]
no this is one of the problems I wish I
did
that's the store one I'm awesome at
coming up with ideas and I'm terrible
implementation because again it's oh no
they'll be talking about will be time
for I'll make up and then invariably at
all I mean I say it's like writing it
off for day I should have written this
months ago when it was accepted I
shouldn't have left it till you know the
last minute but I always do it is and
I'm trying not to but again you know my
planning my admin is getting better so
hopefully I can I can carry forward I
mean the other thing is like I say I you
know it's like keeping ideas I like oh
we all could do something's cards and
alphabets because you've got minute 52
cards yourself about twice I should
start having like a bank of like right
I'm gonna use that I'm gonna use that
and use that and the plot based a bit I
really struggle with is the Ignite I can
come up with like you need to do that
why it's the right and the stuff that
explains explains that this problem but
again for the next time I'm yes I should
try a bit simpler but then but then
where's the fun in that
no I want more things more things I'd
say having hope would be the big thing
is somebody to read me back a bit or
somebody who's slightly better at
management to like that's the stupid
idea there isn't gonna be time but yeah
once it's it's I can find hopefully
improving next time this next time will
be better and the time after that if I
can get an invite back again anymore for
anymore or sorry up I mean the
brainstorming is a quick bit that's not
you know I mean I'm thinking all the
time so and again any not ideas for x1
note the implementation is a problem I
mean I I have no idea how long it took
me to build that months and I'm gonna
get not like a full-time job ya know
it's it's a huge time sink which again
is worried like getting more people to
help would be good because then I could
upload something work on them like again
why should I should learn to control a
bit more I should give myself a less to
do
but again I always think there's more
that's more like a knife that's more
with more bits as more bits as more bits
and again I need somebody to ring me
back in and say stop doing that make the
first bit worth yes
what's that what I did I'm not doing
this talk like my career in general
being friends with you
I honestly done I don't know
transporting like guns across the
country proper wasn't the smallest news
although I got away with it Hey mmm VW i
rvw it sorry I just bought my new car
but when I did that I fell asleep at the
wheel on the way back because I'd
basically be not for like to not days
doing stuff like my VW has lovely
adaptive cruise control so so
front-facing radar basically so it
stopped me playing at the back of the
BMW about 90 when I dozed off of the
wheel that was a stupid idea
yeah problems again I got these events
and I I don't sleep
and I do far too much and you end up
worn out but again it's worth it I need
a driver for the next time oh yeah more
or less
[Music]
well I mean because it's not like
full-time work it's the source stuff you
can pick up and do for a bit and leave
and pick up and do for a bit and leave I
mean like see at the event itself I'm
physically burnt out but but this is
it's worthwhile I don't mind that but no
no in the planning building phase again
I couldn't if I get I've had enough I'll
leave it for a bit I say I mean the
obvious happens is I've got too many
ideas I need to do all this stuff nicely
it's not been a problem yet yes stress
to the yet but again I mean if it wasn't
fun I wouldn't I wouldn't do it you know
if it got the point of like oh I hear
this why - yeah no the point is it is a
lot of fun and you know it's very
creative you know I don't do a lot
that's particularly creative and my job
is mostly disruptive my wife's ruin
other people's stuff since I'd say it's
nice to have something something that's
a bit more on the creative side so it's
not it's not being a problem boss fall
[Music]
yeah I mean I I think I think I said
something you know when I did my
chocolate beats them hey Manchester I've
liked the trouble is like say you you
think that you know how people are going
to approach stuff and then invariably
they don't so again it's trying to
second-guess and it's trying to not make
it so obvious that they're just
following the set of instructions yeah I
mean it is tricky and that's it and the
plot in the background certainly for the
first one it was like an afterthought
it's oh my god I need to write some sort
of Laurence so I just made a load of
rubbish up whereas the second one I was
again thinking more about it before I
started so it just kind of flowed and
the fact it was something about which
I'm already I mean let's say
post-apocalyptic role-playing games I've
been a huge fan on forever so it's
alright now I can I know stuff for this
this is so that flowed a lot more easily
than the one before
again I think it's like next time I will
come up with a plot first and then fit
the challenges to the plot Ron the first
time when I built the challenges and
then tried to retrofit a plot to them
but again you know my back room is not
it's not like right and plots and things
it's you know I'm a computer guy so
again it's yeah it's different mummies
do but it's it's yeah let's say that the
second one was better the next one
hopefully wasn't be better again
but let's say it's gonna come up with a
plot first and work stuff back and then
again I suppose you know after the first
one I was a lot more prepared for that
so again it's like right stop writing
documentation right at the beginning and
then I said that the rest of its all
flowed
anymore or can we go to the pub now well
you logged and got the pub now I need to
go back to my lock-picking room now look
at this thank you very much I can't
believe I'm done in record time