Villages

Official Villages are dedicated community spaces where attendees can learn, explore, and get hands-on with focused areas of security research. Each village brings together talks, demos, presentations, and challenges led by practitioners and community organizers throughout ROOTCON 20.

Bug Bounty Village

Bug Bounty Village Philippines is a community-driven space dedicated to promoting ethical hacking through bug bounty programs and responsible vulnerability disclosure. Designed for both aspiring and experienced security researchers, the village provides a platform to learn the methodologies, tools, and mindset required to identify security vulnerabilities in real-world applications. Participants will gain valuable insights into the bug bounty ecosystem, from reconnaissance and vulnerability discovery to writing effective reports and engaging with disclosure programs.

Participants will engage in technical talks, hands-on workshops, live demonstrations, and collaborative discussions designed to strengthen offensive security skills and encourage knowledge sharing within the bug bounty community. Whether you are taking your first steps into bug hunting or looking to refine your techniques, Bug Bounty Village Philippines fosters a culture of continuous learning, responsible research, and community collaboration, helping participants become more effective security researchers while contributing to a safer digital ecosystem.

Staff
h4nt3rx
Francisco
Christopher
Jayson

Activities

Car Hacking Village

The Car Hacking Village is a dedicated space for exploring the rapidly growing field of automotive cybersecurity. As modern vehicles become increasingly connected through wireless technologies, onboard computers, and internet-enabled services, understanding their security has become more important than ever. This village provides participants with the opportunity to learn how automotive systems function, where potential security weaknesses exist, and how security researchers help improve the resilience of today’s vehicles.

Attendees can expect a mix of technical talks, interactive workshops, hands-on labs, and Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges built around real automotive security concepts. The village introduces participants to automotive protocols, electronic control units (ECUs), in-vehicle networks such as CAN Bus, and common attack and defense techniques used in vehicle security research. All activities are conducted in a controlled environment, with a strong focus on responsible disclosure, ethical hacking, and safe testing practices.

Staff
@shipcod3
Rolando
Aaron

Activities

Cellular Assault Village

This village focuses on one of the most specialized and rapidly evolving areas of information security: the security of cellular communications. As mobile devices have become an essential part of both personal and enterprise environments, cellular networks have also become attractive targets for attackers seeking to intercept communications, track devices, or exploit weaknesses in mobile technologies. The village aims to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the risks associated with modern cellular infrastructure and the technologies that power it.

The village combines demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on activities to help attendees understand the foundations of cellular security. Participants will explore how mobile networks operate, where common attack vectors appear, and how researchers assess and analyze cellular communications. Sessions will cover signal analysis, mobile network reconnaissance, protocol security, and defensive measures, while also emphasizing the legal and ethical boundaries of cellular security research.

Staff
hncaga
JGL

Activities

Doomsday Prepping Village

Doomsday & Emergency Preparedness Village is a hands-on learning space dedicated to building resilience before, during, and after emergencies. From natural disasters and infrastructure failures to large-scale crises, the village explores the practical skills, planning, and decision-making needed to prepare for unexpected events. Participants will learn the fundamentals of emergency readiness, including survival planning, communication strategies, emergency kits, situational awareness, and resource management, with an emphasis on realistic and practical applications.

Interactive demonstrations, expert-led discussions, and practical activities will show attendees how preparation can improve personal, family, and community resilience during emergencies. Whether the focus is disaster preparedness, emergency response, outdoor survival, or self-reliance, this village gives participants a place to develop useful skills, exchange field-tested knowledge, and build a preparedness mindset that applies beyond doomsday scenarios and into everyday life.

Staff
Tally Bong
King Darius
Lone Ghost

Activities

Hardware Hacking Village

The Hardware Hacking Village is a hands-on learning space focused on electronics, embedded systems, and maker culture. Participants will learn the basics of electronics, soldering, Arduino programming, and hardware prototyping through interactive workshops and challenges. The village also introduces practical hardware hacking concepts using affordable and accessible tools such as Arduino, ESP32, and other devices.

Beyond technical skills, the goal of the village is to show that building hacking tools, automation projects, and security research platforms does not require expensive equipment. With creativity, curiosity, and low-cost hardware, anyone can start exploring cybersecurity, hardware development, and innovation.

Staff
@m0gul
st3llar8
lidivye

Activities

Lockpick Village

The Lock Picking Village shines a light on one of the most overlooked aspects of security: the physical layer. You can invest in the best firewalls, endpoint protection, and network defenses available, but they become far less effective if an attacker can simply unlock a door, open a rack, or gain direct access to the hardware. Physical security is cybersecurity, and every security professional should understand where the two intersect.

Step into a hands-on environment where you’ll learn how locks work, how they can be bypassed, and what makes a locking system truly resilient. Explore the tools, techniques, and tradecraft used in physical security assessments, while gaining a deeper appreciation for the real-world risks that exist beyond the network. Because sometimes, all it takes is a lock pick and a reset pin to undo months of careful hardening.

Staff
d3rp

Activities

Red Team Village

The Red Teaming Village is designed to expose cybersecurity practitioners to various adversarial techniques and contribute to the growth and development of the red team community in the Philippines. A series of presentations and live challenges are prepared that will immerse its attendees with the mindset of an attacker. Led by seasoned security professionals, the village provides a valuable opportunity for red teamers to practice and further improve their techniques as well as equip blue teamers the understanding and capability to prevent and mitigate such threats.

This year's revamped exhibits offer an enhanced experience for all participants. Jump into the Red Teaming Village OSINT Challenge and test your skills in uncovering hidden information with real-world scenarios. Plus, the Infamous Live Privilege Escalation Challenge is back with a twist, providing heart-pounding excitement as you practice privilege escalation in a controlled, competitive environment. Prepare for an exciting red-teaming experience!

Staff
@ar33zy

Activities

Recon Village PH

Recon Village is a cybersecurity village focused on the reconnaissance phase of offensive and defensive operations, where intelligence gathering lays the foundation for informed decision-making. Through the disciplines of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), social engineering, and Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI), participants will learn how publicly available information can be collected, validated, and analyzed to build meaningful insights into people, organizations, and digital infrastructure.

The village provides a practical environment where attendees can explore how attackers and defenders alike leverage reconnaissance to understand targets before any technical engagement takes place. Participants will gain exposure to techniques used in digital footprinting, infrastructure discovery, online investigations, adversary profiling, and the psychology behind social engineering, while also learning how threat intelligence can be used to anticipate and respond to emerging cyber threats.

Staff
w4rh4mm3r.05
langd0n

Activities