SAINTCON is a nonprofit conference devoted to security training and awareness, and presented by the UtahSAINT Organization. SAINTCON was founded in 2001, originally designed to provide security training to Utah based public entities. Today the conference has grown into a large gathering of security professionals, students, and interested individuals. From security to community, we focus on working together to promote security in all areas of technology.
Many of the attendees of SAINTCON include computer security professionals, IT professionals, security researchers, students, or anyone with a general interst in technology security related topics.
The conference consists of several tracks of speakers presenting on a variety of security related content, in-depth training on tools and techniques used in the security field, and a variety of security related competitions and events to promote awareness and encourage involvement.
The mission of SAINTCON and the UtahSAINT Organization is to welcome all who seek a deeper understanding of technology and security. We believe in security, and our need to educate others, change attitudes, enhance skills, and promote security and privacy.
This conference is a way for us to accomplish this mission through the incredible people that participate, speak, and train those at attend the conference. We have a large sense of community, and provide support to each other not only at this event, but all year long.
In recent years, SAINTCON has provided some of the best content in the intermountain-west, and continues to recruit great talent in their presenters and trainers. SAINTCON is also an excellent place to meet and network with other security practitoners across the region and beyond. You may find that some of your most valuable contacts are those you met at SAINTCON.
SAINTCON is not a traditional business conference, it has been organized by the UtahSAINT Organization (organized by geeks for geeks). Attendees at the conference represent the best and brightest security minds in the region. At SAINTCON you will find Hackers, CSOs, State and Federal Government officials, IT professionals, Developers, and everything in between. SAINTCON is often compared to the feel of BlackHat or Def Con, but in a more family-friendly atmospehere.
This event has inspired IT professionals throughout the state of Utah to bolster security, make security and privacy a priority on our networks, and provide security in every technology area. We invite you to join us at SAINTCON and continue to help make computer security a priority for all industries.
In years past, there has been great interest in holding a version of SAINTCON with a focus on the younger "hackers" of the world. When we first considered this idea in 2013, we knew that it could be just what the participants would need in order to involve their kids in a safe and educational event that helped teach them skills and techniques that would generate interest in the areas of computer security.
So far, SAINTCON for Kids has not been something we have done, but it certainly remains on the top of our list of things to expand into. We are currently planning on holding a SAINTCON for Kids event during the 2017 SAINTCON event.
SAINTCON is an annual technology security conference presented by the Utah chapter of the Security Advisory and Incident Network Team ("UtahSAINT"). This conference has been held for 14 years throughout the State of Utah. Prior to 2013 the conference was called the "UtahSAINT Conference", but was renamed to be more recognizable and could flourish on it's own.
SAINTCON is focused on providing great technology security instruction and training. Topics and activities at SAINTCON provide all levels of security training from fundamentals to advanced techniques.
Most people come to listen to the Talks and Presentations, but year by year we continue to bring more and more elements into the conference. While the presentations are great, we provide a rich experience that allows attendees to focus on things that interest them the most.
Games and Contests are a major part of SAINTCON. Many people spend their entire time at the conference (and in their hotels) playing the Hackers Challenge game. Hackers Challenge was originally used to provide "Something else to do" during less interesting presentations, but has become a serious and high skills driven game that the attendees love to play.
The most recent addition to SAINTCON are the "Villages". The idea stolen fair and square from DEF CON, we want to provide a casual and hands-on environment to learn and apply new skills while having fun. Villages will be a large part of SAINTCON moving forward with three (3) major villages in the line-up for 2016.
This year the cost for SAINTCON will be approx $275 for early registration. All attendees who register after Aug 31, 2016 will pay $300. The additional costs for later registrations are used to cover the cost of non-bulk purchases of materials needed for the conference. To avoid paying more, we encourage you to register early.
Registration costs primarily cover the cost of food. Lunch and Drinks are provided by SAINTCON for attendees.
In addition, they cover the costs of Badges, Booklets, Lab Materials, and other items you reveive at the conference. Money for Venue, Projectors, Screens, Cables, and other equipment also come from registration costs. EVERY DOLLAR we take in goes to making the conference happen.
No... SAINTCON has of course grown from a strong interaction from Public Education. It is not limited to this mission. We continue to expand the conference to include private corporations and non-education entities. We feel that this strengthens our conference and the UtahSAINT Organization. SAINTCON is open to anyone and everyone who would like to attend.
We will always continue however to have an education focus in key areas, however Network Security does not differ significantly in application.
Maybe... SAINTCON is not just for security and IT professionals, but is for anyone who has an interest in computer security. If computer security, hacking, security research, or other similar things interest you, you will likely enjoy SAINTCON.
We understand that being an IT or security professional often means being tethered to the office via phone and Internet. So we generally provide a robust and highly capable wireless network running at the Conference. You should consider it semi-hostile. Make sure you use appropriate VPN or other secure methods of communication because it is a security conference after all, and we’re sure people are listening. It should be more than adequate for you to keep things running back at the office.
No, In fact we encourage you to bring younger attendees to SAINTCON. We have expanded this option in recent years, and have found that much of what we do and discuss is beneficial to High School students and younger. Student Groups are also welcome and if you contact us prior to registration, we can sometimes work out discounts on registration costs for groups of students.
SAINTCON has always been limited by the number of seats we have available. The conference has SOLD OUT every year we have had it since 2009. We continue to find larger and larger venues, provide more seats and we somehow seem to fill them. In 2015 we sold a max of 575 seats. For 2016, we have room for A LOT MORE. The UVCC venue allows us to expand up to more than 1000 attendees. This MAY be the first year we don't sell out.
Involvement in SAINTCON is an organic thing. Many of the people involved in the conference just seem to show up and start helping. Soon after, they realize what they have gotten themselves into, but by then it’s too late. These days however, we strive for a little more organization than we have in the past. To get involved all you need to do is be willing to help, and reach out to one of the members of the Conference Committee.
You can submit a response to our Call for Presenters. All entries are evaluated by the conference committee and those chosen are notified soon after the CFP closes. Call for Presenters usually opens in early May, and closes by the end of June.
YES!, (which means everything). You can help by: Building Hackers Challenge Puzzles, Volunteering to Present at SAINTCON, helping us setup the conference, Help with A/V monitoring during the conference, Video Streaming, Registration and Check-in, Staffing for Villages, Booklet Layout and Printing, Photography, and the list goes on and on.
If you have skills in any of these areas and a couple hundred hours you are willing to dedicate to the cause, we’d love to hear from you. Call for Volunteers will occur in June. If you are interested in helping, Sign up when CFV is announced.
Conference villages are areas of the conference where you can explore and develop different security and technology skills. Villages are run and supported by volunteers at the conference. This year, we will host at least three villages. We are currently planning for: Hardware Hacking (HHV), Lock Picking (LPV), The Vault Village (TVV), Tamper Proof Village (TPV), and Hackers Challenge (HCV).
Roughly defined, it is a Jeopardy-like progressive game where players are presented with puzzles which require various security and technical skills to solve. Individuals work on these puzzles and submit keys from solving them in order to earn points. The person with the highest points wins a Black Badge. (the coveted badge that allows them to attend SAINTCON free of charge for life.)