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DEF CON added Pablos Holman, Vincenzo Iozzo, and Joichi Ito to its public list of banned individuals after their names appeared in newly released U.S. Department of Justice files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Reporting tied the bans to DOJ-released emails and other documents indicating Epstein’s interest in attending major hacker conferences, including apparent planning around DEF CON and related events; it remains unclear whether Epstein ultimately attended DEF CON or Black Hat.
The disclosures describe interactions including a 2013 effort in which Epstein and associates arranged time around DEF CON where he planned to meet Holman, and 2014 emails in which Ito connected Iozzo with Epstein. TechCrunch reported that DEF CON also pointed to prior media reporting based on the emails, and noted that Black Hat and Code Blue had removed Iozzo from official review board pages amid the same revelations. A spokesperson for Iozzo criticized DEF CON’s decision as “performative” and a “rush to judgment,” while representatives for DEF CON, Holman, and Ito did not immediately provide comment in that reporting.
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DEF CON announced and publicly listed bans on Pablos Holman, Vincenzo Iozzo, and Joichi Ito after their names appeared in the newly released Epstein files and related reporting. Organizers said contact with Epstein was sufficient reason to bar them from future conferences.
A searchable interface, Jmail.world, was created to help users browse the Epstein email dump released by the Justice Department. The tool made the newly disclosed correspondence easier to review and report on.
Following renewed scrutiny over Epstein-related reporting, Black Hat and Code Blue removed Vincenzo Iozzo from their official review board pages. This marked an early conference-industry response before DEF CON announced its own action.
On January 30, the U.S. Justice Department released about 3 million files related to Jeffrey Epstein. The material highlighted Epstein's interest in hacker conferences such as DEF CON and Black Hat and exposed communications involving several cybersecurity figures.
Ito resigned from leadership at the MIT Media Lab after revelations that he had accepted $1.7 million from Epstein to support the lab. The resignation became part of the broader public record around Ito's ties to Epstein.
Records and emails indicate Iozzo was in contact with Epstein from at least 2014 to 2018, including discussions about obtaining DEF CON badges and plans to visit Epstein's New York residence. Jeff Moss said he refused a request for free badges and warned Iozzo not to get involved.
Documents described in reporting say Joichi Ito had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein from 2013 to 2019, including multiple meetings. This connection was later revisited after the Justice Department files were released.
Emails and records cited in the newly released Epstein files indicate Holman had interactions with Jeffrey Epstein dating back to 2010. These historical contacts later became part of the basis for DEF CON's 2026 ban decision.
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**Vincenzo Iozzo**, founder/CEO of identity security startup *SlashID* and a long-time member of the **Black Hat** review board, was removed from Black Hat’s and Japan’s **Code Blue** conference review board listings after newly released U.S. Justice Department materials from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation surfaced extensive references to him. Reporting said Iozzo’s name appeared in **2,300+ mentions** across released documents, including emails describing interactions with Epstein from **2014–2018**, and an FBI informant report that referenced Epstein having a “personal hacker,” with redactions that were reported to strongly suggest Iozzo. Iozzo said he did not resign voluntarily, stated he welcomed a “full investigation,” and denied illegal activity, characterizing his interactions with Epstein as limited to business discussions. **Black Hat** did not comment on the removal, while **Code Blue** confirmed he was removed and attributed it to a planned update to remove inactive members, though the timing coincided with the document release and resulting scrutiny.
Jun 29, 2026
The U.S. Department of Justice released a document from the *Epstein Files* stating that a confidential FBI informant alleged in 2017 that Jeffrey Epstein had a “personal hacker.” The document does not reflect verified FBI findings and is heavily redacted, leaving the accuracy and reliability of the claims unclear; the FBI declined to comment and DOJ did not respond to media requests. According to the informant’s allegations, the hacker was an Italian born in Calabria who specialized in finding vulnerabilities in **iOS**, **BlackBerry** devices, and the **Firefox** browser, and who developed and sold **zero-day exploits** and other offensive cyber tools to multiple governments, including the U.S. and the U.K. The informant also claimed the hacker sold a zero-day to **Hezbollah** in exchange for “a trunk of cash,” and the DOJ document includes additional unverified assertions about the individual’s business ties (including a company reportedly acquired by **CrowdStrike** and a subsequent VP role).
Jun 29, 2026
A newly released trove of U.S. Department of Justice documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein indicates significant **operational security (OPSEC) failures** by prominent individuals, including apparent use of **unencrypted/plaintext email** to transmit sensitive government material. The documents suggest that Prince Andrew (King Charles III’s younger brother) and former UK cabinet minister **Peter Mandelson** separately emailed confidential government documents to Epstein, prompting concerns about potential leaks of state secrets and related law-enforcement scrutiny. Cybercrime expert **Alan Woodward** characterized the behavior as “poor OPSEC,” emphasizing that even if senders trust a recipient, the recipient and their devices may not be trustworthy—an acute risk when sensitive information is shared without encryption. The records also raise questions about why Epstein retained emails and stored them unencrypted; while leverage/blackmail is a possible motive, an FBI memo (July 2025) cited in the reporting states a systematic review found **no incriminating “client list”** and **no credible evidence** that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.
Jun 29, 2026