In February 2024, I went on a literal social meetup spree as both the attendee and the speaker. Amongst all the events, one really stood out: the RuneTalk meetup. In this article, I would like to take you with me through the event, so stay awhile and listen…
A couple months ago, one of the games I had been looking forward to for a long time came out: Last Epoch. In this action role-playing game, I am playing as a wizard who uses ancient magic and casts devastating spells. Since my character is built around casting runes, I was thrilled when I discovered that there was a Runecast event in my town. Hopefully, I might be able to meet some fellow gamers over there.
Ooops, it turned out that I was wrong and the event was focused on cyber security. Luckily, besides gaming, cyber security is also one of my interests, and I was happy to attend. The event consisted of two separate talks with a short break in between and a quiz at the end.
The first talk given by Vasile Papp focused on ethical cloning and non-invasive deep scanning of EC2 instances. This interesting approach allows users to scan their machines even while they are running, and it is done by cloning the machines. Besides regular vulnerabilities, the technology allows for checking for misconfigurations and adherence to best practices as well.
Between the talks, there was a short break. And this break was one of the most delicious breaks I had in a long time because it was a pizza break! These days, it is not usual to have some refreshments during the meetup, but the organizers decided to provide us not only with food but with beverages as well.
After a refreshing break, it was time for the second talk. This one was on the topic of penetration testing and was given by Erik Šabík, who took us on an adventurous journey, sharing some of the unforgettable challenges he is dealing with on a daily basis. Some of the stories, Erik shared (especially with the ATMs) stuck with me to this day.
At the end of the program, there was a little quiz for some prizes. I usually do enjoy these activities as they promote healthy competition as well as motivate your audience to be more active. The questions in the quiz revolved around the talks given and tested both memory and reflexes. The winners took home some small gifts, such as a 3D printed bookmark, stickers, and a t-shirt. And guess what? By sheer luck, I was able to win first place. 🙂
RuneTalks was one of the most pleasant meetups I attended recently. Even though the Runecast company was acquired by Dynatrace, I sincerely hope that they continue in the tradition of hosting stunning events.
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