David Jacoby (aka “pewp”) is a pioneering Swedish hacker with over 30 years of influence in cybersecurity and hacker culture. From the early days of BBS systems, war dialing, and underground groups like Hack.se to connections with the Pirate Bay founders and the infamous CIA website hack, his journey shaped how hacking is viewed worldwide. He has been a technical advisor for the Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), starred in mainstream TV series like “Hacked”, founded Unreached AB, and now drives innovation as Chief Strategy Officer at Syndis in Iceland. Known for blending technical brilliance with cultural impact, Jacoby’s career reflects the evolution of hacking from underground curiosity to a force that redefined modern cybersecurity.

Before he taught murderers how to play Dungeons & Dragons in Rikers, Jason Snitker, aka Parmaster, was one of the most prolific hackers on the planet. Trading exploits with groups across four continents, slipping into Citibank, and landing in Underground, the book co-written by Julian Assange before vanishing from the Secret Service for over two years.

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:05 Parmaster’s Origin Story

04:40 First Exposure to Computing

08:15 Learning Through Hacking

12:30 Meeting the Jedi Hackers

17:20 Mentorship from Gary Kildall

22:10 Early Hacker Communities

28:00 Hacking Techniques: Pad-to-Pad Exploit

34:45 Citibank Debit Card Breach

41:00 TRW and Killer Satellite Programs

47:25 Chaos, Soviets, and Hacker Wars

53:15 Life on the Run

01:01:00 Near Misses with the Secret Service

01:09:30 Arrest in New York

01:15:20 The Tombs and Rikers Island

01:21:45 Trial and Technicality

01:27:50 Transition to Cybersecurity Career

01:33:30 Reflections on Legacy

01:36:10 Closing

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From being the first to infiltrate hacking groups to going undercover in an Al Qaeda cell, Terry Rankhorn’s career shaped some of the FBI’s most critical moments in modern history. As a Supervisory Special Agent, he led covert entry teams across cyber, physical, and electronic access on some of the government’s most classified missions.

In this episode, part 2 of a two-part episode, Terry discusses the complexities of navigating the hacker community and the impact of undercover operations on trust within that community. This conversation delves into the experiences of an undercover agent who transitioned from investigating cybercrime to infiltrating Al-Qaeda operations. Terry also discusses the challenges and psychological aspects of undercover work, the importance of mentorship, and the evolution of cybercrime from curiosity-driven hacking to organized scams.

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Chapters:

00:00 The Evolution of Cybercrime and Undercover Operations

03:13 Navigating the FBI: From Training to Field Assignments

06:03 The Landscape of Domestic Terrorism in the 90s

08:53 Transitioning to Cybercrime: The Rise of Computer Intrusions

12:08 Building a Career in Cybercrime Investigations

15:01 The Undercover Experience: Infiltrating Hacker Groups

17:52 The Challenges of Attribution in Cybercrime

21:12 The First Major Cybercrime Case: A Learning Experience

23:50 The MagicFX Case: Legal Precedents in Cybercrime

27:13 The Aftermath of Undercover Operations: Trust Issues in the Hacker Community

01:03:59 The Prolific Hacker and His Malicious Streak

01:05:36 Transitioning to Al-Qaeda Investigations

01:07:11 Undercover Operations: Peeling the Onion

01:09:00 The Stress of Undercover Work

01:11:18 Building Trust in Dangerous Environments

01:12:29 Psychological Profiles and Undercover Success

01:14:07 Mentorship and Learning the Art of Undercover

01:16:33 The Complexity of Undercover Operations

01:18:27 Conversion to Islam: A Strategic Move

01:20:10 The Beauty and Perversion of Religion

01:22:30 The Impact of the Al-Qaeda Operation

01:23:06 Post-Al-Qaeda Operations and Safety Moves

01:25:02 The Tactical Operations Center

01:29:39 Training for Modern Undercover Operations

01:32:22 Operational Amnesia in the FBI

01:35:08 The Black Bag Program: Breaking In

01:39:09 Prioritizing Major Cases

01:42:29 The Thrill of Covert Operations

01:43:11 Transitioning to Supervisory Roles

01:49:12 Leaving the Bureau: A Personal Decision

01:50:46 Consulting and New Ventures

01:53:04 Virtual Safe House: A Community Initiative

01:56:44 The Evolution of Cybercrime

01:58:11 The Motivation Behind Sharing Experiences

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From being the first to infiltrate hacking groups to going undercover in an Al Qaeda cell, Terry Rankhorn’s career shaped some of the FBI’s most critical moments in modern history. As a Supervisory Special Agent, he led covert entry teams across cyber, physical, and electronic access on some of the government’s most classified missions.

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Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro, Undercover Ops & High-Stakes Hacking

00:06:00 From Rural Tennessee to FBI Legend

00:12:00 Tales from a Misfit Childhood

00:18:00 Mischief, Pranks, and Ethical Awakening

00:24:00 Why He Chose the Navy

00:30:00 Boot Camp Culture Shock & Mental Reset

00:36:00 Submarine School and Life Underwater

00:42:00 USS Honolulu: Elite Culture & Leadership

00:48:00 Commander's Intent & Periscope Pride

00:54:00 Deployments, Sacrifices & Camaraderie

01:00:00 Transition to Civilian Life & Reverse Engineering

01:06:00 Rediscovering the FBI Dream

01:12:00 FBI Application, Testing & Getting In

01:18:00 New Agent Training: Pain, Tests & Brotherhood

01:24:00 Injuries, Graduation & Swearing In

01:30:00 Meeting Amanda & Shared Military Background

01:36:00 Military Veterans in the FBI Today

01:42:00 Quantico's Legacy & FBI Academy History

01:48:00 Culture Clash in Training Styles

01:54:00 Reflections on Achievement & Fulfillment

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The History of Cybersecurity Told by Those Who Hacked It

Skyper, aka Eduart Steiner (not his real name), was the editor of Phrack Magazine between 2001 - 2006 (#57-#63), is a member of TESO and THC, and runs Segfault.net: free disposable root shells to fellow ‘activists.

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Chapters

00:00 Cold Open

2:42 A Cold War Household

10:45 No Toy Survives Curiosity

14:57 A Whole New World

20:18 One Box, Two Box, Red Box, Blue Box

29:38 Point of View

37:13 EFnet-ville

42:01 TESO

45:54 The OpenSSH Exploit

53:16 Criminals vs Criminals

56:21 Hacker Consortium

01:00:36 Script Kiddie Wars

01:03:55 THC & Phrack

01:08:51 Cannibalism

01:11:54 Scanning the Internet

01:15:54 From Nothing to Something

01:18:47 Cracking A/51

01:22:33 Detained at Heathrow Airport

01:28:17 IT Security, Revisited

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Where Warlocks Stay Up Late is an interview series dedicated to documenting the history of cybersecurity. Inspired by the seminal book “Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet”, this interview series aims to capture the stories, insights, and legacies of the pioneering figures who shaped the field of cybersecurity from its inception to the present day.

#hacking #cybersecurity

The History of Cybersecurity Told by Those Who Hacked It

Kingpin, aka Joe Grand, was the youngest member of the world's most well-known benevolent hacker group (L0pht Heavy Industries) who testified before the United States Congress, changed the hardware hacking landscape, brought electronics to #badgelife, and achieved mainstream popularity on national television.

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Chapters

0:00 Intro

02:41 Kingpin's Origin Story

10:30 George Happy W. Bush

15:57 Spring Break Woes at Dr. Death's

26:25 Turning the Corner...

31:43 L0pht Heavy Industries

46:58 L0pht Version 2

59:43 The United States Senate Testimony

01:15:25 atstake and Corporate America

01:24:38 Grand Idea Studio

01:28:22 Training and Evangelism

01:34:26 DefCon Badges

01:39:52 Prototype This!

01:46:12 Trezor Wallet Hacking

01:52:28 Cold Wallet

01:56:40 Neurodiversity and Mental Health

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Where Warlocks Stay Up Late is an interview series dedicated to documenting the history of cybersecurity. Inspired by the seminal book “Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet”, this interview series aims to capture the stories, insights, and legacies of the pioneering figures who shaped the field of cybersecurity from its inception to the present day.

#hacking #cybersecurity

The History of Cybersecurity Told by Those Who Hacked It

sangfroid, aka Ralph Logan, stumbled across the cDc, crossed paths with L0pht Industries, joined the emerging w00w00 group, and helped jockey The Honeynet Project before springboarding into a formidable cybersecurity career.

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Chapters

0:00 Cold Open

02:45 Texas Roots

07:12 Critical Care Burn Out

13:55 cDc on BBS

16:50 The Command & Conquer Job

21:30 2600

24:00 Shell Offshore

28:00 L0pht Introductions

31:59 Setting the Career Path

36:00 Boston

40:30 w00w00

47:00 Guardent, @stake, and Foundstone

56:30 The Business of Cybersecurity

01:03:05 Honeynet Project

01:06:45 Entrepreneurship

01:11:00 [redacted]

01:13:50 The Fake Music Festival

01:20:30 Warlocks Love

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Where Warlocks Stay Up Late is an interview series dedicated to documenting the history of cybersecurity. Inspired by the seminal book “Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet”, this interview series aims to capture the stories, insights, and legacies of the pioneering figures who shaped the field of cybersecurity from its inception to the present day.

The History of Cybersecurity Told by Those Who Hacked It

The long-awaited debut of WWSUL Episode 1 is live. In this episode, we interview Digital Jesus , a member of Phonemasters, a hacking group hunted by the FBI across Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, California, Oregon, New York, Florida, Canada, Switzerland, and Italy.

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Chapters:

0:00 Intro

02:48 Matt's Beginnings

10:47 The First Computer

18:00 Discovering Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

27:21 The First Disclosure

31:54 Early Days of Phonemasters

36:56 Pre-releasing CallerID

42:46 FBI vs Phonemasters

58:46 Phone Taps

01:02:09 Consulting

01:06:23 MaxVision

01:16:52 Western Integrated Networks

01:21:16 Growing the Family

01:24:03 Owning Up to Mistakes

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Where Warlocks Stay Up Late is an interview series dedicated to documenting the history of cybersecurity. Inspired by the seminal book “Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet”, this interview series aims to capture the stories, insights, and legacies of the pioneering figures who shaped the field of cybersecurity from its inception to the present day.