| website | https://bsideschicago.org |
🦩 It begins...
Two layers guard the truth.
One key hides in plain sight.
Decode this, and claim 50% off BSidesChicago workshops —
but only the first 5 clever flamingos will succeed.
SFdHIFFCSEcgRFZSTS1UUkVWVlJWVS0yNTUwTCBTU1QgNTAlIENTSiBDQkwgRlVXUUlVUVVNRU9UUyBZQ0VPVVZCVC4gTldaTVYgMSBEUlYgUlNFV1FCLiBTTVRHRyA1IFdRWklJVEcgSk1QLg==
Let the game begin!!
-Sasha & Kat
https://events.humanitix.com/bsideschicago-2025
#BSidesChicago #cybersecurity #infosec @sashatheflamingo
🦩 Oh, you thought my last code was easy? How adorable.
Let’s see who’s really got the feathers to fly this weekend.
A new cipher challenge lands soon — and the prize?
Half-price workshops for the cleverest flock!
Get your decoding goggles ready, lovelies… We're going to have fun @bsideschicago
-Sasha
🚨 SECURITY BREACH ALERT 🚨
[This post has been intercepted by TheUnfrostedFiles.com]
Apologies for the interruption, BSidesChicago followers. Emily here. I may have... let's call it "ethically borrowed" access to this page. Don't worry, @rnbwkat I'll return control after I file this urgent report. Consider it a live penetration test.
The Case of the Dancing Flamingo 🦩
Filed by: Emily | TheUnfrostedFiles.com
Case #: BSIDES-2025-FLAMINGO
Status: UNAUTHORIZED POST (but totally worth it)
Listen up, cyber sleuths. I've stumbled onto something suspicious happening at the Hilton Chicago this October 31 - November 1st, and I couldn't wait for permission to share it.
The Evidence
They call it "The Great Flamingo Hunt" at BSidesChicago, but this is no ordinary scavenger hunt. We're talking:
- Robot flamingos with possible surveillance capabilities
- Tech challenges that separate the real hackers from the wannabes
- 600+ security professionals chasing pink birds through a hotel
- Perfect 5/5 ratings and comments like "10/10 would flamingo again"
The mastermind? A marionette named Sasha who has more conference badges than most CISOs and travels internationally spreading... what exactly? Joy? Chaos? Encrypted messages?
The PopTart Connection
Here's where my detective instincts kicked in. PopTarts are:
- Frosted (layered security ✓)
- Portable (perfect for mobile hacking ✓)
- Full of surprises (like a good CTF ✓)
- Suspiciously rectangular (coincidence? 🤔)
Your Mission
Whether you're hunting flamingos, picking locks at the Lockpick Village, getting career advice that attendees called "life-changing," or just trying to understand why there are dancing birds at a security conference—BSidesChicago 2025 needs you.
The Facts: 📍 Hilton Chicago
- Oct 31 (Workshops) + Nov 1 (Conference)
- 600+ attendees | 4 talk tracks | CTF | Career Village
🦩 One very suspicious flamingo operation
Pack your lockpicks. Load your scripts. Grab emergency Pop-Tarts.
Because the best mysteries make you smile while they make you think.
Case Status: ACTIVE
Suspects: Everyone (in the best way possible)
More intel: BSidesChicago.org | info@bsideschicago.org
Emily | TheUnfrostedFiles.com
"Where every case gets the investigation it deserves—frosted or not."
P.S. - Kat, I'll patch this vulnerability right after posting. Also, Sasha and I need to talk. That flamingo knows something.
P.P.S. - If you see a flamingo carrying PopTarts on Nov 1st, that's definitely me. Let's solve this mystery together.
[Normal BSidesChicago programming will resume shortly. Probably. Unless Emily finds more clues.]
#BSidesChicago #Cybersecurity #InfoSec #Chicago #TheUnfrostedFiles #SecurityBreach #CTF #SashaKnowsSomething #SorryNotSorry
Okay… I promised @rnbwkat I wouldn’t cry when she posted this. But who are we kidding? I’m a flamingo with a soft heart, and the tears are already coming.
This will be my last @bsideschicago as your official hacking flamingo. My last time leading a Flamingo Hunt. My last time strutting across the Hilton stage in full pink glory. 🦩
I’ve loved every moment of it — watching you solve puzzles, cheering on first-time speakers, sneaking stickers into your hands, and reminding you that security can be fun, inclusive, and full of joy!!
So yes, I’ll cry. But they’ll be flamingo tears of gratitude. Because you gave me a family here.
Join Kat and me for one last Flamingo Uprising:
- Oct 31 workshops
- Nov 1 conference
Let’s cry together, laugh together, and make this flock fly higher than ever before.
Because after this year, I may fly off on world adventures… but a piece of my heart will always stay right here in Chicago. https://bsideschicago.org
#bsideschicago #FlamingoUprising #infosec #farewell #CyberSecurity
I’ve been putting this off because it makes me cry every time I think about it.
BSidesChicago has been one of the greatest joys of my life — building something bigger than myself, watching first-time speakers shine, seeing careers launched in the Career Village, and feeling this community come together year after year. Sasha and I have poured our hearts into this conference, and you’ve given us back so much more than we ever imagined.🦩
But it’s time. 2025 will be the last #BSidesChicago for me and for @sashatheflamingo 😔
I already know I’ll cry when the day comes. Probably during the welcome remarks, definitely during the locknote, maybe even during the Flamingo Hunt. But they’ll be tears of gratitude — for the speakers who’ve trusted us with their voices, the volunteers who’ve given everything, the sponsors who believed in us, and every single one of you who showed up to learn, connect, and be part of this flock.
And if we’re going out, we’re going out BIG:
- Workshops on Oct 31 — a whole day to roll up your sleeves and learn.
- Conference on Nov 1 — Tarah Wheeler, John Hammond, villages, hunts, lockpicking, CTFs, and more flamingo energy than ever.
If you’ve been waiting for the right year to come to @bsideschicago this is it. Come laugh, come learn, come cry with me. Let’s make this last one unforgettable!!!
Because this isn’t just a conference. It’s family!!
🦩 Pssst… @sashatheflamingo , your fave hacking flamingo’s got tea! Our early sponsor Aikido just dropped a killer blog on the S1ngularity NX supply chain attack + CrowdStrike. 🔥 Worth the read, flock.
👉 https://www.aikido.dev/blog/s1ngularity-nx-attackers-strike-again
🦩✨ Fresh feathers, fresh look, fresh schedule! ✨🦩
BSidesChicago 2025 is strutting in with a brand-new website look and a freshly announced schedule. From workshops to lightning talks to deep technical dives — it’s all there, and it’s all flamingo-approved.
Take a peek, explore the new vibe, and get ready to join us Oct 31–Nov 1 for the Flamingo Uprising.
https://bsideschicago.org/schedule/
#BSidesChicago #FlamingoUprising #Cybersecurity @sashatheflamingo
🚀 We’re officially at the 50-day mark until BSidesChicago 2025 — and the excitement is in full swing!
This year, we’re taking over Halloween weekend:
🎃 Oct 31 → Workshops Day
🦩 Nov 1 → Main Conference, Villages, CTFs, Flamingo Hunt, and so much more
Expect 🔥 talks, hands-on workshops, TWO Capture the Flag competitions, lockpicking, career village, and plenty of surprises woven into our Flamingo Uprising theme.
Tickets are moving fast, sponsors are flocking in, and Sasha is already sharpening her feathers. Don’t wait too long — 50 days will fly by quicker than a flamingo on a sugar rush!
👉 Join us: bsideschicago.org
🚨 CFP ACCEPTED SPEAKERS: ACTION REQUIRED 🚨
If you were accepted to speak at BSidesChicago 2025, you must confirm your talk by EOD today. 🕛
If not confirmed, your slot will be released and replaced.
We had a record number of amazing submissions this year, and we want to make sure every spot is filled with speakers ready to bring the 🔥.
👉 Check your inbox (and spam, just in case). Confirm before the deadline. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the Flamingo Uprising 🦩✨
🚨 Workshop Pricing Goes Up Tomorrow! 🚨
If you’ve been eyeing one of the BSidesChicago 2025 workshops, now’s the time to lock it in. 🦩
👉 All workshop prices increase tomorrow at noon CDT.
👉 Don’t wait — secure your spot today and save your future self from paying more.
Seats are limited, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Don’t let Sasha the Flamingo snag your spot first. 💃
✨ Not sure which workshop? Check out https://bsideschicago.org/workshops
Workshops = Friday, Oct 31
Main Conference = Saturday, Nov 1
Sign up now ➡️ https://events.humanitix.com/bsideschicago-2025
#BSidesChicago #FlamingoUprising #CyberSecurity @sashatheflamingo
Sasha the Flamingo
ʇɐʞlᴉʌƎ 🇺🇦🌈 is rnbwkat