2600 - 2600: The Hacker Quarterly

NEW 'Off The Hook' ONLINE

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:19:19 +0000

NEW 'Off The Hook' ONLINE

Posted 12 Mar, 2026 1:19:19 UTC

The new edition of Off The Hook from 03/11/2026 has been archived and is now available online.

Pushback against age verification technology, monetization of social media, listener criticism, 1 billion identity records exposed in ID verification data leak, Iranian hacking group targeted Stryker in attack, hackers broke into FBI system, Jello Biafra hospitalized after stroke.

"Off The Hook" - 03/11/2026

Download the torrent here

NEW 'Off The Wall' ONLINE

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:58:21 +0000

NEW 'Off The Wall' ONLINE

Posted 11 Mar, 2026 0:58:21 UTC

The new edition of Off The Wall from 03/10/2026 has been archived and is now available online.

"Off The Wall" - 03/10/2026

Download the torrent here

CALL FOR SPEAKERS FOR HOPE 26

Emmanuel Goldstein — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:37:07 +0000

A message from the folks at HOPE 26:

We've decided to go ahead and open the Call For Speakers for HOPE 26!

We have not yet found a venue for the conference, originally scheduled for St. John's University from August 14-16, 2026. Those plans were thrown into disarray when St. John's decided our content was too edgy for them. We have a number of prospects for a replacement venue in the New York City area and we're working around the clock to find one that works for all of us.

Those of you who definitely want to give a presentation at this year's HOPE are welcome to go ahead and submit your proposals to [email protected]">[email protected]. These submissions should be no longer than three paragraphs and should summarize what your talk will be about. As always, we're looking for all types of interesting and diverse subject matter pertaining to technology, hacking, privacy, and more. Speakers get free admission to the conference and a chance to share ideas with a unique and enthusiastic audience. Formats include solo presentations as well as panel discussions. Please include a brief bio for each participant.

HOPE is a welcoming and inclusive space for speaker sessions on virtually any topic likely to be of interest to the audience. Speakers are chosen based on their ideas, rather than formal credentials. HOPE is filled with diverse thought, opinion, and experience. Your ideas are welcome.

Again, we do not yet have a venue, but we expect to find something soon. We're still open to ideas that may be better than what we're currently working on, so please email us if you have specific information or connections we can pursue. While HOPE is currently scheduled for August 14-16, 2026, it's entirely possible a suitable venue may only have availability on other dates. Please don't make travel arrangements until we're able to confirm the date. Naturally, if you need to cancel your talk for this reason, we will completely understand.

As recently announced, HOPE is now a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Donations at www.hope.net are tax-deductible and will help us build the conference and find a permanent home. These last few years have been a real adventure, but the spirit of the hacker community has given us the motivation to keep pushing through. We need HOPE now more than ever. We look forward to seeing you there.

Please stay tuned for info on date and location. Tickets will go on sale once that's been finalized.

HOPE IS NOW A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

Emmanuel Goldstein — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 19:52:14 +0000

It's been over two months since news broke of the loss of the HOPE conference's venue over free speech issues. Since then, the HOPE team has been hard at work looking for alternatives and planning for the future. There is some exciting news to share.

Effective immediately, HOPE On Planet Earth is now a 501(c)(3) educational organization. This is a project that HOPE's late coordinator Greg Newby was passionate about. His dream creates a world of new possibilities designed to make HOPE into something better and stronger than ever.

The HOPE mission is to help change the dialogue and spread the positivity that comes out of HOPE conferences. This is what the hacker community is truly all about, not the headline-grabbing crime sprees that you read about in the mass media. At 2600, we have always sought to help show the world what hackers are really all about. By being an organization dedicated to this, HOPE can become more stable and consistent instead of constantly facing one crisis after another. Many of you have asked for ways to get more involved. HOPE needs you to do just that. There have been many inquiries over the years from individuals and companies wanting to make tax-deductible contributions. This is now possible and a great way to help ensure HOPE's future.

The hard part is done, thanks to everyone who has been involved in building HOPE conferences over the past 32 years. We have all played a part in creating something truly unique and precious. More recently, HOPE conferences were converted to an annual format after decades of being biennial. The HOPE message is clear and the talks presented at the conferences are priceless. We owe it to everyone to make this last.

So what now? We encourage you to join HOPE. We believe this is the beginning of something amazing. HOPE will be a forum for the hacker community more than it's ever been, providing seminars, workshops, and opportunities that could only be dreamed about in years past. Your support will help make it possible to reach more people, provide scholarships so that those who might otherwise be shut out can be included, and find a permanent home for the HOPE conference.

Getting this much done in such a short period of time is testament to the hard work of so many who are involved in HOPE. Honoring Greg by following his dream and never giving up is the right thing to do. Please write to [email protected]">[email protected] if you want to get involved and visit www.hope.net to see what everyone has been so busy putting together.

There will be updates on plans for this year's HOPE conference shortly. Every email sent in over the past couple of months containing suggestions and ideas on new venues has been read. They've really made a difference. Some very promising leads are being pursued. With every tax-deductible donation, matching fund, or grant, there are more possibilities. We look forward to a new future where HOPE truly lives up to its name.

WINTER ISSUE OF 2600 RELEASED

Emmanuel Goldstein — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:47:55 +0000

As winter takes over the landscape, you can take comfort in the knowledge that the Winter issue of 2600 is now officially out!

Digital subscribers have already received an email with links to the issue in both PDF and EPUB formats, both totally unrestricted - they can be copied to as many devices as desired.

Click here to become a digital subscriber (you can start with either this issue or the next one). If you're a digital subscriber and haven't gotten an email, check your spam filter or email [email protected]">[email protected].

If you only want the Winter issue, simply visit this link. You will receive the current issue in both PDF and EPUB formats.

If you want the actual printed edition of the magazine, there are also many options. You can subscribe here. If you only want the printed edition of the Winter issue, just click here. If you're already a subscriber, you should either already have the Winter issue or can expect it very soon.

You can also find 2600 in bookstores and at magazine stands. Here's a partial list.

There's more! As this is the last issue of the year, we have put together the entire year of 2025 in a single PDF collection. It includes all 272 pages of 2600 from 2025 with their original layout.

The cover art for the Winter issue will be available on a t-shirt very soon. Keep checking here for updates.

For those wanting still more, we've got all of our back issues available at this link. Click on the dropdown to narrow your search as there are quite a few. Full sets are also available. And if you're interested in obtaining a comprehensive digital collection of all of our previous material, becoming a lifetime subscriber to The Hacker Digest ought to satisfy that craving.

THE 2600 VOICE BBS ARCHIVES, HOPE_16 VIDEOS, AND A SHOWER CURTAIN

Emmanuel Goldstein — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:23:22 +0000

The HOPE_16 videos are finally available on flash drives! (We’re sorry it took so long, but there’s been a lot going on.) Nearly 100 talks and performances are included on a massive 256GB flash drive.

Another long-awaited release is the 2600 Voice BBS Archive. For those who don’t know, the 2600 Voice BBS was a unique hacker bulletin board system run by 2600 in the late 1990s. Its purpose was to act like a regular BBS, only with voice instead of text. We’ve been putting this archive together for years and it’s a real time capsule of the hacker world. There are literally thousands of recordings to be entertained by, as well as the system prompts which we had a bit of fun with. Some of today's tech titans no doubt called into the system as children; see if you can identify them!

Finally, we thought it would be fun to put together something none of us ever thought of before: a hacker shower curtain. Yes, you can now shower behind the images of our last 12 covers! The perfect gift to completely confuse your relatives.

HOPE CONFERENCE BANNED BY ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY

Emmanuel Goldstein — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 18:20:07 +0000

We've received some disturbing news from the venue of our Hackers On Planet Earth conference. We have been told that "materials and messaging" at our most recent conference "were not in alignment with the mission, values, and reputation of St. John's University" and that we would no longer be able to host our events there. Considering the universal praise from St. John's staff and the smooth handling of HOPE_16 last August, this naturally caught us by surprise. Our content has always been somewhat edgy and we take pride in challenging policies we see as unfair, exposing security weaknesses, standing up for individual privacy rights, and defending freedom of speech. Until now, that has never run afoul of St. John's values - or so we thought.

What we're told - and what we find rather hard to believe - is that all of this came about because a single person thought we were promoting an anti-police agenda. They had spotted pamphlets on a table which an attendee had apparently brought to HOPE that espoused that view. Instead of bringing this to our attention, they went to the president's office at St. John's after the conference had ended. That office held an investigation which we had no knowledge of and reached its decision earlier this month. The lack of due process on its own is extremely disturbing.

The intent of the person behind this appears clear: shut down events like ours and make no attempt to actually communicate or resolve the issue. If it wasn't this pamphlet, it would have been something else. In this day and age where academic institutions live in fear of offending the same authorities we've been challenging for decades, this isn't entirely surprising. It is, however, greatly disappointing, as we truly believed St. John's valued the freedom that we have always stood for. We know the people there who we've worked with understand this and it's unfortunate that those in charge see fit to cut off that invaluable connection.

Where does this leave us? Well, obviously in an awkward position. We had already made plans for HOPE 26 to take place at St. John's next August. Our most recent conference was the first in our 31-year history to take place a single year after the previous one. That's how well things were going. So we now have several scenarios. We can scramble to find a new place for next year. We can take a year off and try to build something bigger. We can do something virtual. Or we can work on a combination of these things. As always, your feedback will help guide us. Write to [email protected]">[email protected] with your thoughts.

There will be many people who will say this is what we get for being too outspoken and for giving a platform to controversial people and ideas. But it's this spirit that defines who we are; it's driven all 16 of our past conferences. There are also those who thought it was foolish to ever expect a religious institution to understand and work with us. But we will never regret trying and we are proud of our accomplishments in the three conferences we held at St. John's. We reached a lot of people and opened quite a few minds. And we don't intend to allow this unfortunate event to darken our optimism for the opportunities that lie ahead.

We are not changing who we are and what we stand for any more than we'd expect others to. We have high standards for our speakers, presenters, and staff. We value inclusivity and we have never tolerated hate, abuse, or harassment towards anyone. This should not be news, as HOPE has been around for a while and is well known for its uniqueness, spirit, and positivity.

We don't know exactly how we'll get through this latest challenge. But we know we will. Thanks as always for your interest and support.

YOUR "HACKER PERSPECTIVE" WANTED

Emmanuel Goldstein — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 20:37:01 +0000

For many years, 2600 has been printing a quarterly column from members of the hacker community called "The Hacker Perspective." It's written by a different member of the hacker community each issue and runs around 2500 words (some insist on 2600 words). The result has been a unique and valuable insight into what makes us as hackers tick, as well as a great way to share our stories and inspire others.

We've often gone a long time between when an accepted column is submitted and when it's printed, as we only come out four times a year and we've sometimes had as many as a dozen columns in the queue. Well, right now the queue has emptied out and we're looking for more submissions. So this is your chance to tell your story and become immortalized in the pages of 2600.

What are we looking for? It's quite simple. Tell us why you're a hacker. What is it that defines a hacker to you? Tell us about your start in life and your early years that led you to how you developed your hacker tendencies and abilities. Did you get in trouble or face other challenges? What is your philosophy about hacking and technology today? And what advice can you give to hackers of the future?

These are just suggestions to help you put together your story. Remember to meet the word length - we can't consider submissions that are too short or that never stop. Please be sure to submit your column to [email protected]">[email protected] from an address that you're not going to give up in the months or years ahead. (It could take that long for your column submission to be processed if we get another backlog.) You will receive an auto-reply when you send in your column. And, if accepted, you will receive $500 for your efforts.

Submissions will close if we get a lot of entries, so please send yours in soon if you have a story to tell. We look forward to some good reading material ahead.

SAD NEWS

Emmanuel Goldstein — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:58:10 +0000

Our dear friend and one of the main organizers of the HOPE conferences, Greg Newby, has passed away after a seven-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Greg had been involved with HOPE since 2000 and helped make the conference grow and get past some phenomenal challenges. He also was an everpresent figure at the events, often serving as stage manager while decked out in anything from a zoot suit to a graduation gown. He was the one who found our new location at St. John's University, right when it seemed like there was no way we could continue after the closure of the Hotel Pennsylvania. He designed 2600's digital delivery system and helped find a way around Amazon's domination of material for Kindles and other readers. In short, Greg never shied away from a challenge - and he never gave up.

In addition, Greg was an expert in supercomputing who was in demand all over the world, from Canada to Saudi Arabia to all parts of the United States. We were far from the only ones who recognized his genius. He also devoted a great deal of time to the development of Project Gutenberg, the world's oldest digital library. And, of course, he had a particular passion for raising and training sled dogs in the far north. There are so many amazing people in our community. Greg was truly one of them and we are honored to have been a part of his world, albeit for far too brief a time.

His loved ones request that donations to Project Gutenberg be made in Greg's honor. We will never forget him.

AUTUMN ISSUE OF 2600 RELEASED

Emmanuel Goldstein — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:50:13 +0000

Autumn has arrived which means it's the perfect time for the Autumn issue of 2600 to be released!

If you're a digital subscriber, you should have gotten an email with links for your issue in both PDF and EPUB formats, each completely unrestricted and able to be copied to as many devices as you want. Click here to become a digital subscriber (you can start with either this issue or the next one). If you're a digital subscriber and haven't gotten an email, check your spam filter or email [email protected]">[email protected].

If you just want to try out the current issue, just go to this link. You will get the current issue in both PDF and EPUB formats.

The PDF version will work on virtually any computer, tablet, or phone and the EPUB version will work on ereaders like Kindles, Nooks, and Kobos - all without copy restriction or any reliance on third parties like Amazon. (While you can still get 2600 via Amazon, you won't have complete control over what you download.)

For those who want the traditional paper version of 2600, we've got you covered. Our printed edition can be subscribed to here. And if you just want to check out the Autumn issue, you can easily get it sent by clicking here. (Subscribers should either have recently received this issue or can expect it any day now.)

And as long as there are still bookstores and magazine stands, there's a decent chance you'll find us there as well. A listing of some in the United States and Canada can be found here.

The cover art for the Autumn issue will be available on a t-shirt very soon. Keep checking here for updates.

Finally, we also have a whole lot of back issues available at this link. Click on the dropdown to narrow your search as there are quite a few. Full sets are also available. And if you're interested in obtaining a comprehensive digital collection of all of our previous material, becoming a lifetime subscriber to The Hacker Digest ought to satisfy that craving.