This yellow sphere contains important clues and components required to complete the DefCon 16 Mystery Challenge.
LAS VEGAS -- Hackers like nothing more than solving complex problems. One of the most difficult contests at DefCon is known as the Mystery Challenge. Teams compete to solve a series of riddles and cryptographic challenges in order to win respect as well as a black badge, granting them DefCon admission for life.
The Mystery Challenge started out months before DefCon with the contest organizer, Lost, leaking hints on the DefCon forums. Once DefCon began, competing teams were given an envelope containing a riddle. After solving the riddle they were presented with a book full of cryptographic challenges. All the solutions equaled "X marks the spot."
In order for the teams to move forward they had to dig underneath the ex libris, the nameplate on the inside front-cover of their crypto book. Hidden under the ex libris was a 1-GB SD card filled with source code and more crypto secrets.
After solving a riddle on the SD card the teams were given a yellow metal sphere. The top of the sphere was adorned with a combination lock. Like many parts of the challenge the lock was just a distraction. The sphere was actually opened by breaking a painted and sealed seam and rotating it clockwise, the direction normally used to tighten threaded items.
Inside the sphere was a collection of items including a pair of playing cards, a breadboard, a power supply, a microcontroller, toy soldiers and further instructions.
The microcontroller was designed to be programmed using the source code on the SD card hidden in the book. The problem was that the code was full of annoying and hard-to-fix bugs.
After deciphering the source code the teams realized they would have to use the microcontroller and breadboard to transmit IR codes to a receiver at Lost's booth. Correctly transmitting the codes would solve the Mystery Challenge.
Most of the teams that competed in the Mystery Challenge got past the crypto-book level. Some of the teams were able to correctly send codes to the receiver and complete the challenge. Of the top three teams, two teams were both declared the winners.
If this sounds somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible, keep in mind that this is a simplified explanation of the Mystery Challenge. Lost spends his free time devising mind-bending puzzles, quandaries and complicated cryptographic conundrums in order push participating hackers to their mental limits. Oddly enough they actually enjoy the intellectual punishment.
Update: Thanks to Super from Team Halibut for pointing out a few errors in this piece, which have been corrected.
Beneath the nameplate of the crypto puzzle-filled book hides an SD card containing a piece of the puzzle needed to solve the Mystery Challenge.
*The solution to each cryptographic puzzle in the handmade Mystery Challenge book is "X marks the spot." The X's are red herrings, planted to confuse participants. *
Tearing a hole under the nameplate reveals a 2-GB SD card. Solving one of the puzzles on the SD card allowed the contestants to advance to the next level of the competition.
*The mystery sphere contains a pair of playing cards, a set of instructions, toy soldiers, a power supply, a microcontroller and a breadboard. *
Lost sits at his booth in front of a collection of mannequin heads and the infrared receivers that contestants are required to send a special series of signals to in order to solve the Mystery Challenge.
Lost holds one of his mystery devices during the DefCon closing ceremony.
Lost begins to open DefCon organizer Dark Tangent's special powered-coated sphere during the event's closing ceremony.
One of the winning team leaders, Grifter, holds up his black badge during the closing ceremony. The black badge grants him free entry to DefCon for life.
*Photos: Dave Bullock (eecue)/Wired.com
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