LAS VEGAS — DEF CON, the world’s largest hacker conference, is trying to put its legions of experts to work by creating a volunteer army to help protect America’s vulnerable water systems and schools.

LAS VEGAS — At the largest hacker conference in the world this week, some turned out for a rare overtly partisan event: a fundraiser for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

While the XR industry’s major hubs are concentrated on the West Coast of the US, the MIT Reality Hack hackathon has become a focal point for XR developers and entrepreneurs on the East Coast of the US ...