We’ve just returned from Insomni’hack, a must-attend hacking conference in Europe, with our conviction further strengthened:
cybersecurity remains a field where hands-on practice, experimentation and direct dialogue play a vital role.

We would like to thank EPFL once again for their invitation and for allowing us to participate in the event with a stand.

Over the course of these few days, we had the opportunity to attend several talks, engage with numerous stakeholders in the ecosystem and discover some particularly interesting technical approaches.

Here are a few key takeaways.

A stark reminder of the reality of cyberattacks

The principal highlight was the screening of the documentary “Don’t go to the police”, presented by Orange Cyberdefense.

This type of content offers a different perspective:
less technical in form, but extremely concrete in substance.

It highlights:

• the actual timeline of a cyberattack
• decisions made under pressure
• interactions between victims, attackers and external actors
• and the operational and human impacts

This kind of feedback serves as a reminder that behind the vulnerabilities and exploits, there are above all organisations facing complex situations, often in a state of emergency.

Demonstrations that reflect the reality on the ground

Among the technical demonstrations, some focused on specific attack scenarios, particularly those involving embedded systems.

A striking example:
a demonstration showing how a vehicle, such as a Tesla, can be targeted via a vector as simple as a USB port.

Without going into technical details, this type of demonstration highlights several key points:

These examples clearly illustrate the difficulty of securing modern systems, where hardware, software and user interfaces are deeply intertwined.

A community as active as ever

Beyond the talks, Insomni’hack remains first and foremost a place for exchange.

We were able to speak with:

• researchers
• reverse engineers
• tool developers
• students
• and many enthusiasts

These exchanges, often informal, allow us to compare approaches, discover new ideas and better understand the challenges encountered in the field.

This is also what makes this type of event so valuable:
the opportunity to step outside the usual framework to discuss technical matters directly and openly.

What we take away from it

This type of conference highlights several key points:

• cybersecurity remains a deeply practical field
• understanding systems often requires hands-on analysis
• purely theoretical approaches are insufficient when faced with the complexity of the real world
• and peer-to-peer exchange remains a vital driver of innovation

Insomni’hack confirms, once again, the importance of technical events within the cybersecurity ecosystem.

They not only enable us to keep pace with developments in the field, but also to compare ideas, share feedback and fuel technical discussions.

We leave with numerous avenues to explore, fresh ideas, and a desire to continue delving into these topics.