Las Vegas Conferences: Security Experts Join Forces With Hackers

The middle-aged G-men who wear crisp suits and consort with teenage hackers sporting purple hair can make the two conferences that will converge in Las Vegas this week look like a scene from a science-fiction movie. In fact, the gatherings are the most important in the world of computer security, drawing a "who's who" list of leaders from companies such as Microsoft Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc., government agencies including the FBI and underground groups that act as a neighborhood watch for the Internet.

The motley band of researchers, federal agents and cyberhobbyists come to learn how to fortify networks against the latest attacks, share research on new vulnerabilities and recruit people in a field where competition for talent is growing increasingly fierce.