<p>In the electric chaos of DEF CON—where dial tones, solder smoke, and hacker legends collide—one figure stands out: <strong>John Aff, aka PANDA</strong>.</p><p>A veteran in the hacker community, he moves effortlessly between challenge design, telephony wizardry, mesh networking experiments, and the culture that surrounds it all.</p><p>Behind the reputation is a journey that started with game hacking, shifted into enterprise security, and evolved into a life built around creativity, community, and technical obsession. It’s also a story of identity—of finding a place where personal expression and professional skill finally intersected.</p><p>This conversation pulls back the curtain on a mind shaped by curiosity, lived experience, and a deep love for the craft.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>CHAPTERS</strong></p><p>00:00 - Introduction to Barcode Podcast</p><p>00:24 - Meet Panda: Cybersecurity Icon</p><p>01:47 - Panda's Journey into Cybersecurity</p><p>10:12 - Creating Interactive Challenges for Conferences</p><p>22:11 - Badge Building: The Art and Science</p><p>28:00 - Lessons from Offensive Security for Defenders</p><p>30:11 - Winning the TeleChallenge: A Team Effort</p><p>35:10 - Nostalgia in Gaming: The Phone Verse Experience</p><p>37:30 - Understanding LoRa and Mesh Networking</p><p>43:20 - Real-World Applications of MeshTastic Technology</p><p>49:14 - The Intersection of Furry Culture and Cybersecurity</p><p>56:54 - Community Building and Future Aspirations in Tech</p><p><br></p><p><strong>LINKS</strong></p><p><strong>TelePhreak</strong> – <a href="https://telephreak.org/" target="_blank">https://telephreak.org</a> An informatione trading post for the computer enthusiast (the hacker), telephony technophiles (the phreak), radio junkies (the HAM).</p><p><strong>DEF CON </strong>– <a href="https://defcon.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://defcon.org/</a> The world’s largest hacker conference and the backdrop for many of Panda’s stories, competitions, and breakthroughs.</p><p><strong>RedSeer Security</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://redseersecurity.com</a> The security practice Panda supports on the defensive and strategic side.</p><p><strong>Assura, Inc.</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://assurainc.com</a> Where Panda leads offensive security operations and continuous testing programs.</p><p><strong>MeshTastic</strong> – <a href="https://meshtastic.org" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://meshtastic.org</a> Open-source long-range mesh communication project central to Panda’s community work.</p><p><strong>Comms For All</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://commsforall.com</a> Panda’s initiative focused on mesh networking, LoRa radios, and community education.</p><p><strong>B-Sides Jax</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://bsidesjax.org</a> Conference where Panda built the interactive phone-based badge challenge.</p><p><strong>HackSpaceCon</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://hackspacecon.com</a> The first conference where you and Panda crossed paths; a major Florida hacker gathering.</p><p><strong>JLCPCB</strong> – <a href="https://jlcpcb.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://jlcpcb.com</a> PCB manufacturing service used for producing custom badge hardware.</p><p><strong>EasyEDA</strong> – <a href="https://easyeda.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://easyeda.com</a> Design tool Panda uses to create the multilayer art and circuitry for badges.</p><p><strong>Vectorizer.AI</strong> – <a href="https://vectorizer.ai" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://vectorizer.ai</a> The AI-powered tool Panda relies on to convert artwork into vector format for PCB badge design.</p><p><strong>KiCad</strong> – <a href="https://kicad.org" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://kicad.org</a> Open-source PCB design suite used for laying out circuits and prototyping badge hardware.</p><p><strong>Adtran</strong> – <a href="https://www.adtran.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.adtran.com</a> Telecom hardware vendor whose legacy gateways were used in the BSides Jax phone challenge.</p><p><strong>QueerCon</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.queercon.org</a> Long-running LGBTQ+ hacker community at DEF CON that collaborated with Panda on early badge projects.</p><p><strong>National Cyber Games (NCA Cyber Games)</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://nationalcybergames.org</a> Competition platform where Panda designed MeshTastic-based CTF challenges.</p><p><strong>UNF Osprey Security</strong> – <a href="https://www.unf.edu" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.unf.edu</a> University of North Florida’s student security group that runs CTFs and collaborated locally with Panda.</p><p><strong>HackRedCon</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://hackredcon.com</a> Security conference where Panda volunteers and participates in community events.</p><p><strong>Jax2600</strong> – <a href="https://2600.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://2600.com</a> Local chapter of the classic 2600 hacker community, part of Panda’s long-term involvement in grassroots infosec groups.</p><p><strong>Backdoors & Breaches</strong> – <a href="" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://blackhillsinfosec.com/projects/backdoors-breaches</a> Incident response card game Panda used for blue team development and tabletop exercises.</p>
