logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
3h 53m

#272 – Brett Johnson: US Most Wanted Cyb...

LEX FRIDMAN
About this episode

Brett Johnson was a US Most Wanted cybercriminal, called the Original Internet Godfather by US Secret Service for building the the first organized cybercrime community called ShadowCrew, which was the precursor to today’s darknet and darknet markets. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
Public Goods: https://publicgoods.com/lex and use code LEX to get $15 off
NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour
Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium
MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex to get 15% off
Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off

EPISODE LINKS:
Brett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/GOllumfun
Brett’s Website: https://anglerphish.com

PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman
YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips

SUPPORT & CONNECT:
– Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast
– Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman
– Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(08:47) – Early years
(43:05) – Phishing and social engineering
(1:01:09) – SolarWinds cyberattack
(1:06:56) – Future social engineering fears
(1:09:37) – Early cybercrimes
(1:22:10) – Cybercrime entrepreneurship
(1:25:39) – ShadowCrew
(1:56:42) – Dark web
(2:05:29) – ShadowCrew arrested
(2:17:28) – Cybercrime
(2:22:34) – Love
(2:54:39) – Prison
(3:22:50) – Life after prison
(3:44:39) – Advice for young people
(3:46:03) – Hope for the future
(3:49:32) – Meaning of life

Up next
Oct 1
#482 – Pavel Durov: Telegram, Freedom, Censorship, Money, Power & Human Nature
Pavel Durov is the founder and CEO of Telegram. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep482-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/pavel-duro ... Show More
4h 42m
Sep 19
#481 – Norman Ohler: Hitler, Nazis, Drugs, WW2, Blitzkrieg, LSD, MKUltra & CIA
Norman Ohler is a historian and author of "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich," a book that investigates the role of psychoactive drugs, particularly stimulants such as methamphetamine, in the military history of World War II. It is a book that two legendary historians Ian Kershaw ... Show More
4h 31m
Sep 4
#480 – Dave Hone: T-Rex, Dinosaurs, Extinction, Evolution, and Jurassic Park
Dave Hone is a paleontologist, expert on dinosaurs, co-host of the Terrible Lizards podcast, and author of numerous scientific papers and books on the behavior and ecology of dinosaurs. He lectures at Queen Mary University of London on topics of Ecology, Zoology, Biology, and Evo ... Show More
3h 41m
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
#503 - Brett Johnson - The United States' Most Wanted Hacker
Brett Johnson is referred to by the United States Secret Service as "The Original Internet Godfather", he was the Founder and Leader of Counterfeit Library and Shadow Crew and has been a central figure in the cybercrime world for almost 20 years.Brett has been a lifelong criminal ... Show More
1h 15m
Dec 2023
406. The Man Behind the Dark Web | Brett Johnson
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down in-person with Brett Johnson, formerly the United States’ most wanted cyber criminal, now a public speaker and expert on cyber security. They discuss the nurturing of a child into a criminal, the compartmentalization of guilt, the psychology of ex ... Show More
2h 8m
Mar 2020
60: dawgyg
This is a story about the hacker named “dawgyg” and how he made over $100,000 in a single day, from hacking.Thanks to our guest dawgyg for telling his story.SponsorsThis episode is sponsored by SentinelOne - to learn more about their endpoint security solutions and get a 30-day f ... Show More
43m 9s
Aug 2019
Ep 45: XBox Underground (Part 1)
This is the story about the XBox hacking scene and how a group of guys pushed the hacking a little too far.This is part 1 of a 2 part series.SponsorsThis episode was sponsored by Nord VPN. Visit https://nordvpn.com/darknet and use promo code "DARKNET".This episode was sponsored b ... Show More
1h 19m
Aug 2023
TWiT 942: Dark Brandon's Twitch - Right to Repair, Tesla wins in Texas, Instagram drug ads, Baldur's Gate
Most of My Instagram Ads Are for Drugs, Stolen Credit Cards, Hacked Accounts, Counterfeit Money, and Weapons Following Elon Musk's lead, Big Tech is surrendering to disinformation Elon Musk's Shadow Rule Exclusive: Tesla wins as Texas requires state-backed charging stations to in ... Show More
2h 46m
Apr 2024
Twitter’s former Head of Product opens up: being fired, meeting Elon, changing stagnant culture, building consumer product, more | Kayvon Beykpour
Kayvon Beykpour was the longest-serving head of product at Twitter and was GM of Twitter’s consumer division until the platform was acquired by Elon Musk. He originally joined Twitter in 2015 through the acquisition of his company, Periscope, the largest live video streaming plat ... Show More
1h 35m
Mar 2020
62: Cam
Cam’s story is both a cautionary tale and inspirational at the same time. He’s been both an attacker and defender. And not the legal kind of attacker. He has caused half a million dollars in damages with his attacks. Attacks that arose from a feeling of seeing injustices in the w ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2024
How clicking a single link can cost millions | Ryan Pullen
Is cybercrime getting easier? Cybersecurity expert Ryan Pullen dives into his work investigating massive digital breaches and testing security blindspots — which led to him gaining access to the software controls of a well-known building in London. Learn more about how cybercrimi ... Show More
14m 46s
Feb 2024
#748 - Rob Henderson - How Privileged Thinking Drives Our Entire Culture
Rob Henderson is a PhD graduate from the University of Cambridge, a US Air Force Veteran and an author.The people who make the rules are not the ones impacted by the rules. Luxury beliefs are ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class, while often inflicting costs o ... Show More
1h 48m
Feb 2024
Nationwide Cyber Attack? Cell Service Outages Reported Across U.S | PBD Podcast | Ep. 369
Patrick Bet-David, Adam Sosnick, Tom Ellsworth, and Vincent Oshana discuss whether nationwide cell outages in the U.S are the result of tech failure or a cyber attack, non-U.S. citizen Kelly Wong being appointed by the San Francisco's Board of Supervisors to city's Electi ... Show More
2h 22m