BOISE, Idaho — On the fourth floor of Boise Center East, Hackfort brought together the tech-lovers of Treefort. Hackfort is one of the many events that make Treefort more than just a musical celebration.
- Idaho News 6 spoke to participants at the lock-picking lounge to discuss the link between breaking locks and the importance of cybersecurity.
- The teachers show people how to pick basic locks, to emphasize the importance of multiple layers of security.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
On the Fourth day of Treefort, I decided to dodge Saturday’s rain and spend time inside Hackfort, Treefort’s tech conference.
That’s where I met Cooper Knutson.
“I’m from Lewiston so I actually drove about five hours to get here," Knutson told Idaho News 6.
Knutson is a student studying cybersecurity, and on Saturday, he spent close to an hour learning how to pick locks.
He says it’s in the pursuit of knowledge and not crime.
“That’s exactly what it is, the only thing separating a good security officer and a crook is a sense of ethics," Knutson said.
The people who run the lock-picking lounge, have a similar idea.
“So there’s a close relationship to breaking into physical systems on top of cybersecurity systems," Clark Harshbarar said.
Paul Wilch and Clark Harshbargar teach at the Lock Pick Lounge. Both are cybersecurity professionals and they say understanding how to break into things, gives a better understanding of how to protect them. They teach basic physical and digital locks.
Picking locks is just one of the many things you can find downtown that make Treefort so much bigger than a music festival.
For Knutson, who is a first-time Treefort goer, he says that’s what makes it special.
“It's just the fact that you can come out to a central place where there's so many different people coming together because they want to share it with you and they’re willing to share it with you," Knutson said. "It's just so fun.”
