This week on The Upgrade we talk with Hector Monsegur, Director of Assessment Services at Rhino Labs.
Hector Monsegur is a former black-hat hacker. Under the alias Sabu, Hector hacked corporations, news outlets, and Middle Eastern governments. After he was caught, Hector became an informant for the FBI. He now makes a living on the right side of the law, helping companies discover where their vulnerabilities lie and how they can avoid getting hacked. Hector also appears on the Science Channel show Outlaw Tech, which explores the complex security systems designed to stop hackers, and the high-tech arsenal being employed on both sides of the law.
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This Week’s Discussion
We covered a lot of ground this week, including:
What The Hacker’s Manifesto meant to Hector as a poor kid on the Lower East Side
Why he turned so quickly from hacktivist to FBI informant
Where the newest hackers are coming from
What separates Edward Snowden from Chelsea Manning
The first thing everyone should be doing to protect their personal data
Why everyone has something to hide
How to identify your “attack vectors”
Why the Google Docs phishing scam was good news
The importance of setting up your own VPN
The dangers of oversharing
Our Upgrades of the Week
Every week we like to let you in on the upgrades we’ve made in our own lives. This week we’re talking about an appliance that’s transforming dinner; seeing the world (or your home, anyway) through rose-colored light bulbs; gaining perspective; and something called “turning your phone off.” (Weird.)
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