What is IoT Village?

IoT Village is a traveling hacking event series. We run it at DEF CON, RSA Conference USA, and many others. There’s also a popular virtual event that we host entirely online.

Its purpose is to spread awareness about IoT security, teach newest methods, share research, and make IoT security better.

At IoT Village, we strive to share knowledge, and build community. Like any community, these events are not stuffy; they’re fun, informal, and enjoyable. You won’t find anyone wearing a suit. People of shared interests come together to have a good time, learn from each other, and teach each other.

Think of it like hanging out with your friends. The smartest ones.

See for yourself:

What Makes IoT Village Special?

IoT Village hosts talks by expert security researchers, interactive hacking labs, live bug hunting in the lastest IoT tech, and competitive IoT hacking contests.

IoT Village includes hacking contests, live bug hunting, talks, hands-on hacking labs, press events, hacker parties, and more. We set the vibe you want to spend time and hang out in.

IoT Village was established by security consulting and research firm, Independent Security Evaluators (ISE). Today it is co-organized in close partnership between ISE and the nonprofit organization, Village Idiot Labs (VIL).

Why Does ISE Run IoT Village?

“I am not a teacher, but an awakener” - Robert Frost

The year was 2014, and the challenge question was this: Can we gamify the technical concepts of hacking connected devices in order to make it real, experiential, and teachable?

With the problem statement in mind, we set out to launch what has today become IoT Village — an experience that includes hacking contests, talks, live demos, and press events. It began as a hacking contest hosted from a single table in the back corner of a crowded room deep in the bowels of the DEF CON security conference. We were stationed literally behind a trash can.

What happened next surprised even us: the demand was overwhelming. Attendees loved getting hands on access to hack things in new and exciting ways. They loved learning from each other. They loved being part of the community.

Fast forward to today, and IoT Village is a platform which showcases and uncovers hundreds of new vulnerabilities, giving researchers and companies the opportunity to learn about the most innovative techniques to both hack and secure IoT. We visit more than a dozen conferences per year, and now run a virtual series online as well. Tens of thousands of people have participated.

We run IoT Village because we want to make IoT security better. We want to create a platform for security research. We want to surround ourselves with the smartest people we can find. We do this by providing attendees, sponsors, and companies the opportunity to learn about the most innovative techniques to both hack and secure IoT.

Doing this makes us better.

Here’s our vision for what makes IoT Village great:

Why Get Involved with IoT Village?