So How Was It for You? Reliving RANTCon via Twitter

It was “emotional, controversial, and highly entertaining,” declared RANT Events founder Simon Hember at the close of yesterday’s second annual RANT Conference. And while he would say good things about his own event, the genuine delight that infused his valedictory address was very clearly genuine.
Translating the chat-over-a-pint atmosphere of the long-running RANT Forum format to a conference setting isn’t quite the no-brainer it might at first appear. The monthly, standing-room events put London’s infosec community in an environment of convivial intimacy that’s hard to replicate in a much larger room filled with chairs and tables, and where the speakers need more and bigger screens as well as a louder PA system. But there was none of the dry greyness that so often attends security-industry events. Debate and argument continued to be encouraged – even very deliberately sought out by some speakers. And, best of all, the sense was preserved that the serious work and the often intensely complicated debates that surround the vital business of safeguarding information don’t have to be conducted in an atmosphere of sterile dourness and exaggerated brow-furrowing. In short: RANTCon makes this stuff a laugh.
If you weren’t there and are wondering what went on, or if you were and fancy a quick re-run of the day’s highlights, here’s a virtual reconstruction of the conference culled from Tweets made during the programme. It’s not quite a set of minutes that would pass muster at board level, but as a collection of some of the head-spinning counter-intuitive wisdom and provocatively personal polemic that makes RANTCon the highlight in many an infosec professional’s calendar, it certainly serves a purpose.
Until next year, then…
Once again #rantcon is the best Infosec event the industry has to offer. Great speakers, great venue, belly laughs and profound insights
— Rowenna Fielding (@InfosecGeekLady) June 12, 2014
@HostUnknownTV @RANTEvents good, I’ll need someone to check my luggage! If i ever get there…
— Christian Toon (@christiantoon) June 12, 2014
Made it to Museum of London and Barbican. Next task, locate the mysterious #RANTcon
— DanRaywood (@DanRaywood) June 12, 2014
@StuartNolan is speaking at #RANTCon – “Magician in Residence”. Mind reading tech may mean he will soon be out of a job…
— CSCSS (@CSCSS1066) June 12, 2014
Oh no, stuart nolan is messing. With my head at #RANTCon and now I’m wiggling a stranger’s fingers pic.twitter.com/QV1JVPBbhh
— InfosecChap (@InfosecChap) June 12, 2014
Ideomotor responses are an HCI backdoor / nightmare. #RANTCon
— David Sheryn (@david_sheryn) June 12, 2014
#RANTCon ’14 looks to have some very good speakers through the day. Much more entertaining than the bore-fest I experience at other events
— Pete Mistry (@petemistry) June 12, 2014
“CSO’s are like Ibiza DJ’s. Adapting and changing to engage their audience” #TheAnalogies #RANTcon #CSO
— TheAnalogies Project (@TheAnalogies) June 12, 2014
Plant a request for brown M&Ms in your policies & contracts. Are folks paying attention #RANTCon @TheAnalogies
— Sarah Clarke (@S_Clarke22) June 12, 2014
Bad news 4 reclusive super-nerds among us; infosec is about people & relationships not tech. Time to come out of the server room! #rantcon
— Rowenna Fielding (@InfosecGeekLady) June 12, 2014
Magic, Van Halen and a VW camper dressed up as the Mystery Machine driving by outside. Must be #RANTCon
— Lee (@Security_FAQs) June 12, 2014
Delighted with the response from the #RANTcon audience to the @TheAnalogies panel, we ran over but could have talked all day.
— DanRaywood (@DanRaywood) June 12, 2014
Westlife are looking a bit haggard these days don’t you think? http://t.co/NSNRYdzJsK #RANTCon
— Darren Hodder (@FraudAssist) June 12, 2014
“The pub just needs to know that you are over 18, not who you are. That’s just another data leak opportunity” @dgwbirch #RANTCon
— David Sheryn (@david_sheryn) June 12, 2014
#RANTCon identity management needs to be less about identity and more about entitlement… I don’t care who you are, only if you’re entitled
— Taylor Baines (@TaylorBainesLtd) June 12, 2014
“If you have an Apple device, you’ve never really had location privacy, nor will you have it ever.” @sarbsembhi on #privacy at #RANTCon
— Angus Batey (@angusbatey) June 12, 2014
Amoungst @Jenny_Radcliffe’s primary weapons are tools such as fear, flattery, time and greed… #RANTCon #SocialEngineering #hacking
— Darren Hodder (@FraudAssist) June 12, 2014
MT: @DAB_Hand_Dave: #RANTCon @Jenny_Radcliffe Jedi Jenny rocks, never give her your password, whatever she says. #Haiku
— sir jester (@sirjester) June 12, 2014
#QOTD (so far) “There is no patch for human stupidity” @Jenny_Radcliffe #hacking #SocialEngineering #fraud #RANTCon
— #TheFraudTube (@TheFraudTube) June 12, 2014
Just left my laptop open and unattended, signed in to Twitter and email, at the #RANTCon. #schoolboyerror Happily, no-one was tempted.
— Angus Batey (@angusbatey) June 12, 2014
The ‘Has RANT got news for you’ session at #RANTCon is genius. The most entertained I’ve ever been at an IT Conference
— Pete Mistry (@petemistry) June 12, 2014
Afternoon stroll by the river #ladyofleisure but still thinking of you #RANTCon !! pic.twitter.com/TJjkeSB3U9
— Gemma Paterson (@GemmaPats) June 12, 2014
@infoseccrow is an insider replicant, sent to distract us from the coming robo-apocalypse says @stephenbonner at #RANTCon
— Rowenna Fielding (@InfosecGeekLady) June 12, 2014
@stephenbonner is John Connor!!! Leading the human resistance with tasty chocolate snacks #rantcon
— Rowenna Fielding (@InfosecGeekLady) June 12, 2014
“Non-Snowdenistas think The Bourne Identity is a good thriller; Snowdenistas think it’s a documentary.” Edward Lucas at #RANTCon
— Angus Batey (@angusbatey) June 12, 2014
Fire alarm going at #RANTCon, I can only assume Simon Hember has been smoking in the toilets…
— Darren Hodder (@FraudAssist) June 12, 2014
Help! The machines have lowered the blast doors at #RANTCon and locked us humans in pic.twitter.com/6KbCpjgH2O
— InfosecChap (@InfosecChap) June 12, 2014
@gcluley being pelted for claiming that Matt Smith is a better Doctor than Tom Baker #RANTCon #DoctorWho
— Darren Hodder (@FraudAssist) June 12, 2014
Damn, I’m older than @gcluley my first machine was a ZX80 #RANTCon
— SecWaza (@secwaza) June 12, 2014
@gcluley and his favourite virus (Disk Destroyer) at #RANTCon loving the evil pic.twitter.com/hQjjrT8OTg
— Rowenna Fielding (@InfosecGeekLady) June 12, 2014
@gcluley Great whistle stop tour of malware thru the ages. From cheeky and visual to weaponized and invisible #RANTCon
— Sarah Clarke (@S_Clarke22) June 12, 2014
@gcluley wanging on about how Banksy is the same as an old-school Virus writer. Whatever next. #RANTCon pic.twitter.com/Kefpg06NQs
— Pete Mistry (@petemistry) June 12, 2014
300,000 malwares are output PER DAY. But without any QA, sadly. #RANTcon
— PedroStephano (@PedroStephano) June 12, 2014
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” @optimistontour #RANTCon
— David Sheryn (@david_sheryn) June 12, 2014
“Cynicism is like smoking – it might look cool but it’s bad for you and the person next to you” – wise words from @optimistontour #rantcon
— Rowenna Fielding (@InfosecGeekLady) June 12, 2014
#RANTCon has some real gems coming out of it today.
— L Sutton (@Just_this_time) June 12, 2014
“I’ve had a police operation named after me at Scotland Yard. Operation Hydrogen. I’m quite proud of that” @bennettarron #RANTCon
— David Sheryn (@david_sheryn) June 12, 2014
Really good day at #RANTCon lovely to meet and catch up with people.
— Mo Amin (@infosecmo) June 12, 2014
New #RANTCon Qotd: “This is the first InfoSec conference where I’ve been hugged by a naked man!” Handled with aplomb Gabe. Superb comedy
— Sarah Clarke (@S_Clarke22) June 12, 2014
#RANTCon – multiple shoutouts, my thoughts on the day and the best talk was… http://t.co/HuAc7piNGW
— Lee (@Security_FAQs) June 12, 2014
Excellent #RANTCON event today. Varied presentations and great hospitality, truly a day well spent @rantcon
— James (@JamesGoz) June 12, 2014
Great first #RANTcon event, recommend you get along in 2015 as great venue, organisers, delegates, food and (ahem) speakers!
— DanRaywood (@DanRaywood) June 12, 2014