DEF CON 30 - Emma Best & Xan North - Leak The Planet: Veritatem cognoscere non pereat mundus
Channel: DEFCONConference
Date: 20/10/2022

As leaks become more prevalent, they come from an increasing variety of sources: from data that simply isn't secured, to insiders, to hacktivists, and even occassional state-actors (both covert and overt). Often treated as a threat, when handled responsibly leaks are a necessary part of the ecosystem of a healthy and free society and economy. In spite of prosecutors' love of prosecution, the eternal fixation with Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt and DDoSecrets' apocalyptic motto, leaks won't destroy the world - they can only save it.

In this presentation, we'll discuss the necessity and evolution of leaks, and how various types of leaks and sources can offer different sorts of revelations. We'll then explore how we can responsibly handle different types of leaks even during volatile and politically charged situations, as well as past failures.

We'll also debunk the myth that hacktivism is just a cover for state actors by exploring examples of entities with state ties and how they were identified, as well as how both hacktivists and state actors have been misidentified or mishandled in the past.

Finally, we'll discuss some of the lessons activists, newsrooms and governments can learn from the last decade, and where we should collectively go from here.