2026-10-29 –, Main Hall
Jacques Derrida’s philosophy of hauntology shows that the ghosts of the past always return to life. We explore this concept through FORTH, an ancient programming language from the 1970s. By injecting a minimalist FORTH compiler into just 5KB of shellcode, attackers can operate on the lowest architectural floor. This talk serves as a spooky reminder that our most advanced systems are still governed by the very ghosts we thought we buried.
Today, most security tools only look at the top layers of our computers; AI security tools, monitoring Windows APIs, and checking operating system logs. But what happens when an attacker entirely bypasses this framework by diving straight to the bottom floor (the machine code)?
No deep prior knowledge of low-level programming is required for this talk. We will break down the research step-by-step, explaining basic concepts like compilers and shells, making this session completely beginner-friendly. The technical foundation of this presentation is based on the fascinating offensive research by security researcher Josh Stone.
Together, we will analyze this unique technique: injecting a fully functional compiler into just 5KB of shellcode. Instead of using modern languages, this technique resurrects FORTH, a minimalist language from the 1970s.
A traditional compiler like GCC is a massive software system that needs to parse code into complex trees and link external libraries. FORTH does none of this. It functions simply as a command shell. Because the execution logic is so small, the entire compiler easily fits into a tiny piece of shellcode.
This is where philosophy meets reality. Derrida’s concept of 'hauntology' describes how ghosts of the past return to life to disrupt the present. By bringing back this "dead" language, hackers create temporary tools that modern endpoint scanners cannot see. When a hacker sends basic commands to this injected compiler, it talks directly to the CPU.
Join this session to see how digging up ancient code can completely blindside modern security tools. And remember: next time your SIEM dashboard stays quiet but you hear a strange noise coming from your computer, it might just be the ghost of 1970 compiling inside your machine.
Marijke Moolenaar is a Security Expert at DTX with an unconventional path into cybersecurity. With her roots deeply embedded in literature and philosophy, she brings a unique, analytical perspective to the tech world. Before diving into security, she spent time in the ring as a competitive boxer. Today, she combines her philosophical mindset, tech skills, and fighting spirit to dissect complex security challenges and protect digital infrastructures from the ghosts in the machine.