Upcoming Events
Patch in every 4th Saturday at 11AM CST. Location: Downtown Library, 202 Cedar St, Abilene, TX 79601. Bring your gear, your questions, and your grit. Topics rotate—check Discord for the latest buzz.
April 25, 2026
April Meetup: Hacking Your Pentesting Career – From Zero to Pro
Speaker: Phillip Wylie (LinkedIn)
Phillip Wylie is a penetration tester, instructor, keynote speaker, podcast host of The Phillip Wylie Show, and co-author of The Pentester Blueprint. With 28+ years in IT/cybersecurity, he founded The Pwn School Project and volunteers with DEF CON Group 940. Based in Texas, he mentors aspiring pentesters and teaches real-world offensive security skills.
Level: Beginner to intermediate. Hands-on roadmap to building a pentesting career: essential skills, free/affordable labs, tools setup, attack methodologies, and career strategies. Bring a laptop or VM to follow along.
May 23, 2026
May Meetup: OSINT Techniques – Tracking Digital Footprints
Level: All. Tools and methods for open-source intelligence gathering—ethical uses only.
RSVP via Discord. Doors open at 10:30AM—don't miss the pre-dial chatter. More dates/topics coming—stay tuned!
Past Events Archive
Relive the lines we seized. Recordings, slides, and war stories from previous sessions. (Pro tip: Search 'em in Discord for the full static.)
February 28, 2026
Basic WordPress Security – Common Vulnerabilities & Burp Suite FundamentalsSpeaker: Scott Blaydes (LinkedIn)
System Administrator and IT professional with 30+ years of experience. Active in the Old West Texas Linux Users Group; covered WordPress hardening, Burp Suite fundamentals, and practical penetration testing first steps.
January 24, 2026
Introduction to Kali Linux: Essentials, Tools Overview, and Installation Across ArchitecturesSpeaker: Nate Walker (LinkedIn)
Abilene-based IT and cybersecurity enthusiast from TSTC West Texas. Active in PWN Abilene; covered Kali setup across architectures and core tools walkthrough.
End-of-year exploits roundup + mini-CTF. Attendees: 22. Highlights: Eggnog-fueled jeopardy board, group win on crypto challenge.
Physical security and rural challenges. Attendees: 16. Highlights: Lockpicking village, drone demo for perimeter recon.
Guest speaker Todd Dole (HSU Computer Science Prof) on algorithmic vulnerabilities and secure coding. Attendees: 19. Highlights: Live code review, Q&A deep dive.
Intro to ethical hacking for students. Attendees: 15. Highlights: Custom blue-box demo, CTF win by @abilene_phantom.
Reverse engineering old modems. Attendees: 12. Highlights: Live wardial sim, group-built phreak box.
Wireless wardriving in West Texas. Attendees: 18. Highlights: Kismet walkthrough, local WiFi vuln hunt.
Got stories from older meets? Ping us to add to the archive.
Event Guidelines
- Code of Conduct: Inclusive, no hierarchies. Respect the lines—harassment gets you disconnected.
- What to Bring: Laptop, curiosity, maybe a 2600Hz generator (kidding… mostly).
- Accessibility: Library venue is ADA-friendly. Virtual dial-in via Discord for remote phreaks.
- Costs: Free as a seized trunk line. Donations fuel future hacks.
Questions? Shoot us a packet.