Inside DEF CON Singapore: Where hackers battle it out to strengthen cybersecurity

• DEF CON Singapore was launched by HTX and DEF CON founder Jeff Moss, marking the event’s debut in Southeast Asia.
• Speakers emphasised hands-on learning, collaboration and critical thinking as essential to staying ahead of rapidly evolving cyber threats.
• The event featured 11 villages and 19 communities, with immersive challenges across various cybersecurity areas.
• The HTX Capture the Flag finals showcased cybersecurity talent tackling AI and IoT challenges, highlighting the need for continuous defence.

“For systems and solutions to work in the real world, there’s no better way than to test them.” With that key message, HTX’s Chief Executive (CE) Chan Tsan launched the inaugural DEF CON Singapore (SG) together with Jeff Moss, the founder of international cybersecurity and hacking conference DEF CON.

Born from a partnership between HTX and DEF CON, with the Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies (CSIT) as a strategic partner, the event is part of HTX’s efforts to cultivate and grow the cybersecurity community, ecosystem and talent pool in Singapore and the region.

Marking DEF CON’s debut in South-east Asia, Jeff emphasised in his opening speech that what sets the conference apart is not just the technologies showcased, but also the people and experiences that shape them.

He underscored the importance of continuously staying ahead through collaboration and adaptation, in the face of rapidly evolving security threats.

DEF CON SG plays host to 11 villages and 19 communities dedicated to cybersecurity, including the inaugural Public Safety Village (PSV) by HTX which comprises three immersive zones, each centred on real-world cybersecurity challenges.

In one section, a crowd buzzed around an autonomous robotic dog, with participants attempting to hack its network and disrupt communication between the robot and its control app.

DEF CON first-timer Gaurav Manek, the founder of a Singapore med-tech start-up, lauded the conference’s hands-on approach to public safety.

“The internet is in this enormous war that’s constantly raging under our noses.  We need to make sure that we are not vulnerable and can defend ourselves well,” he said, citing real-world AI safety risks such as prompt injection attacks, which can damage crucial systems.

Over at a challenge designed by HTX’s xCybersecurity group, participants rummaged through a dumpster heaped with clues to reconstruct both physical and digital evidence and unravel a hypothetical money laundering case.

Participant Aaron Carandang, a cybersecurity professional from the Philippines, described the challenge as “tricky” and reflective of the kind of investigative, hands-on work his team does in real-world incident response.

He added that the experience gave him a glimpse of Singapore’s advanced cybersecurity landscape and provided insights that he could potentially channel into his research work as well as community sharing.

“It is very important to always keep yourself updated on the emerging risks and red flags,” he said.

Beyond the PSV, DEF CON SG also features a wide range of villages that reflect the breadth of today’s cybersecurity challenges, from a Maritime Hacking Village where participants explore how to both attack and defend real-world maritime systems –including ships, ports and maritime communications infrastructure – to a Biohacking Village where participants test medical technologies like infusion pumps, wearables and diagnostics through hands-on hacking challenges focused on healthcare cybersecurity.

Adding grist to the mill is a roster of talks by cybersecurity experts from universities, research institutes and global cybersecurity firms sharing insights on hot-button topics including cybercrime, AI security and data privacy.

At the heart of the humming event was the finals of the first HTX Capture the Flag (CTF) contest, where 40 contestants competed against the clock to tackle IoT and AI-focused cybersecurity challenges. The competition, which was flagged off by HTX CE Chan Tsan and Mr Goh Pei Ming, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Social and Family Development, was the culmination of a journey that began in March, when the qualifier kicked off.

Participant Teo You Xiang, a student from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), said he was drawn to DEF CON SG for its scale and diversity, noting that the HTX CTF stood out from other CTFs for its focus on AI and IoT.

“With the rise of AI, hacking is a lot easier, so it’s good to see that HTX is putting more effort into that aspect of cybersecurity,” he said.

Crowned champion was William Tan, who is part of Citibank’s internal offensive security team. He shared that he found the challenges well-designed, with a gradually increasing difficulty level that kept him engaged throughout.

“Participating in this challenge made me realise that there are a lot more attack surfaces I wasn’t aware of, and more ways to enhance public safety.”

DEF CON SG is being held from 28-30 April at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre alongside MTX (Milipol TechX Summit) 2026, a major tech showcase featuring innovations from around the world as well as some of the top minds in science and tech discussing hot topics related to the public safety sector.