logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2018
28m 29s

Ep 19: Operation Aurora

Jack Rhysider
About this episode
In 2009, around Christmas time, something terrible was lurking in the network at Google. Google is the most popular website on the Internet. It’s so popular many people just think Google is the Internet. Google hires many of the most talented minds and has been online since the 90s. Hacking into Google is no easy task. There’s a team of security engineers who test and check all the configurations on the site before they go live. And Google has teams of security analysts and technicians watching the network 24/7 for attacks, intrusions, and suspicious activity. Security plays a very vital role at Google, and everything has to have the best protections. But this attack slipped past all that. Hackers had found their way into the network. They compromised numerous systems, burrowed their way into Google’s servers, and were trying to get to data they shouldn’t be allowed to have. Google detected this activity. And realized pretty quickly they were dealing with an attack more sophisticated than anything they’ve ever seen. Podcast recommendation: Twenty Thousand Hertz
Up next
Nov 4
165: Tanya
<p>Tanya Janca is a globally recognized AppSec (application security) expert and founder of We Hack Purple. In this episode, she shares wild stories from the front lines of cybersecurity. She shares stories of when she was a penetration tester to an incident responder.</p><p>You ... Show More
47m 43s
Oct 7
164: Oak Cliff Swipers
<p>He started small, swiping cards, buying gift cards, and cashing out. It spiraled into a full‑blown criminal enterprise. Dozens of co‑conspirators, stacks of stolen plastic, and a lifestyle built on chaos.</p><p>Meet Nathan Michael, leader of Oak Cliff Swipers.</p><h3>Sponsors< ... Show More
1h 28m
Sep 2
163: Ola
<p>In 2019, Ola Bini, a Swedish programmer and privacy advocate, was arrested in Ecuador for being a Russian hacker.</p><p>Find Ola on X: <a href="https://x.com/olabini"><strong>https://x.com/olabini</strong></a>. Or visit his website <a href="https://olabini.se/blog/"><strong>ht ... Show More
1h 22m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
Google's not being ghosted from vulnerabilities. [Research Saturday]
Tal Skverer from Astrix Security joins to discuss their work on "GhostToken – Exploiting GCP application infrastructure to create invisible, unremovable trojan app on Google accounts." Astrix’s Security Research Group revealed a 0-day flaw in Google’s Cloud Platform (GCP) on June ... Show More
17m 7s
Sep 2023
Malicious ads in a chatbot. A vulnerability gets some clarification. Cl0p switches from Tor to torrents. Influence operations as an adjunct to WMD. And NSA’s new AI Security Center.
Malicious ads in a chatbot. Google provides clarification on a recent vulnerability. Cl0p switches from Tor to torrents. Influence operations as an adjunct to weapons of mass destruction. Our guest Jeffrey Wells, former Maryland cyber czar and partner at Sigma7 shares his thought ... Show More
26m 46s
May 2024
AI Is Breaking Google
<p>On May 14th 2024, Google introduced their Search Generative Experience, a service that uses hallucination-prone artificial intelligence to generate answers to queries rather than just presenting links, all so that they could Wall Street that they're innovative and future-forwa ... Show More
48m 42s
Mar 2022
Cryptography vs. Cybercrime
The business of cybercrime is booming, and the people who protect our data are seemingly locked in step with the people who hack it. So today we’re covering historical efforts to safeguard – or steal – our most valuable information online. From ancient cryptographers inspiring ea ... Show More
46m 9s
Sep 2023
U.S. v. Google
<p>For years, the government has been trying to rein in Big Tech, pursuing some of the largest and most powerful companies on the internet. This week, the government takes on Google in the first monopoly trial of the modern internet era.</p><p>David McCabe, who covers technology ... Show More
24m 18s
Jun 2021
Hacking Humans
The days of robbing banks at gunpoint are gone. It's much more profitable to hijack networks. To better protect themselves companies hire people to test their security, but no firewall is going to stop a social engineer. Especially not one like Chris Hadnagy. Learn more about you ... Show More
43m 15s
Feb 2021
The War with Algorithms: Why Your Next Security Strategy Includes A.I. and Machine Learning
<p>The image of a hooded individual illuminated by the glare of a computer screen hacking into a company’s network is the classic picture of what a cyber attack looks like. The reality, though, is these attackers are almost never a one-man band, but rather a sophisticated team ar ... Show More
40m 57s
Oct 2021
Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things
Nobody wants to be hacked through their toaster. Or even worse, their toaster joining an army of toasters that attack critical infrastructure and send me 50 spam emails a day. The Internet of Things is the idea that any device connected to electricity will eventually be connected ... Show More
39 m