Summary
Eric Escobar (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss compromising networks and information security. He has a coveted DEFCON Black Badge.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
-What keeps Eric up at night
-Thinking like an ethical hacker (aka a “penetration tester)
-Protecting your information (i.e., “Hardening the attack surface”)
-Plain English explanations of key cyber concepts like “Kill Chains” and “Zero Days”
Reflections
-Having a cool job
-The information revolution and life in the modern world
And much, much more…
Episode Notes
Eric Escobar commits several thousand felonies on any given day, if he didn’t have permission to do what he was doing.
A Principal Security Consultant with SecureWorks, Eric has compromised pretty much everything out there: from healthcare and banking to technology and critical infrastructure, through to amusement parks and next generation military aircraft.
“From my perspective, it’s the coolest job in the entire world.”
His team consecutively won first place in the Wireless CTF category at DEF CON 23, 24, and 25, snagging a Black Badge along the way. He has a BS and MS in Civil Engineering.
And…
The links between computing, hacking and the 60’s counterculture are FASCINATING. Learn more by dipping your toes here and here, or dive deeper with What the Dormouse Said (2005) by John Markoff and From Counterculture to Cyberculture (2006) by Fred Turner.
Quote of the Week
"Watching any critical infrastructure get compromised is really the thing that keeps me up at night because lives are in the balance…and we do a lot of testing for critical infrastructure, and I've seen computers and machines that have been online and not been taken offline, longer than I've been alive…So really interesting to see those types of things because they interact with really big, expensive hardware…there's a catch 22 that happens where you can't really take the machine offline to do maintenance on it because it's critical infrastructure. So then how do you test it to make sure that a hacker can't take it offline, or maintenance can't be done on it? " – Eric Escobar.
Resources
*Andrew’s Recommendation*
-Word Notes
From beginner thru advanced, you’ll find some helpful definitions of things like “Web 3.0,” “NFT’s” and “Digital Transformation” on this Cyberwire audio glossary.
*SpyCasts*
-Inside Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) – with John Lambert and Cristin Goodwin (2021)
-The Cyber Zeitgeist – with Dave Bittner (2021)
-Securing Cyberspace – with Charlie Mitchell (2016)
*Beginner Resources*
-What is Hacking? The Economic Times (n.d.) [web]
-Ethical Hacking in 8 Minutes, Simplilearn (2020) [8 min video]
-Cybersecurity in 7 minutes, Simplilearn (2020) [7 min video]
Books
-The Cyberweapons Arms Race, N. Perloth (Bloomsbury, 2021)
-Cult of the Dead Cow, J. Menn (PublicAffairs, 2020)
-Breaking & Entering, J. Smith (Mariner Books, 2019)
-The Art of Invisibility, K. Mitnick (L, B & C, 2017)
-Ghost in the Wires, K. Mitnick (Back Bay Books, 2012)
-Kingpin, K. Poulson (Crown, 2012)
-The Cuckoo’s Egg, C. Stoll (Doubleday, 1989)
-Neuromancer, W. Gibson (Ace, 1984)
Articles
-2022 State of the Threat: A Year in Review, Secureworks (2022)
-The Anthropology of Hackers, The Atlantic (2010)
-Timeline Since 2006: Significant Cyber Incidents, CSIS (n.d.)
Documentary
-DEFCON, The Documentary Network (2013)
Resources
-Government Hacking Bibliography, S. Quinlan, New America Foundation (2016)
*Wildcard Resource*
-“The Aurora Shard”
Come to the International Spy Museum to see an ugly chunk of metal. Why? Well, it speaks to a revolution in the relationship between the material world and the non-material world. Broken down? 30 lines of code blew up a 27-ton generator. Zeros and ones can cause violent explosions!
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2
I worked at SHAPE at the time and I worked quite a Lot with ACE CI. But this guy is full of shit. The bullshit of his story is seething out of my speaker. Laughable!
this was great, please have more Australians on!
really getting tired of all the woke BS on every damm episode. Used to be a good podcast, but is tiresome now. Could get back to spycraft instead of social justice?
Absolutely amazing. What a wonderful woman. Thank you Marthe for your dedication and bravery ensuring our freedom. Sending much love your way for a wonderful life in your twighlight years. 💕
yay finally an episode on Australia! I would suggest you do more on other countrys' intelligence starting with Five Eyes
is there a part 2, this seems to just cut out
very interesting podcast
Lost me when he started on limiting "hate speech." More boilerplate leftism. Fine and well if you just announce that this is his perspective, but to pretend that it's just obvious for combating counterterrorism is disingenuous. I'm starting to worry about this podcast. The previous host was carefully apolitical, this guy just doesn't seem to care that much about being balanced.
Would've been better to leave personal political beliefs out of the discussion.
surely Spycast can do better than Vince Houghton.....his liberal bias is a turn off and a big reason why I don't listen to Spycast anymore. I can get the leftist agenda on another channel.
This is pathetic. Liz wahl. Lol
love the show I've been listening 4 about half a year now, I've started with the old shows and throw a few new ones in here and there. 5 out of 5 stars one of my favorite podcast. however this episode I cannot hear your guests at all they sound very whisper ear quiet. using voice to text at work. keep up the good work, again love the show thanks for doing what you do
This cuts off at the end! You'd think that after years of this podcast, the quality would get better...
more Dangerous than Chicago. LA and Newyork?.
Bore score 100%. Enough callow youths!
Campbell's hasty speech is that of a nervous gabbler, and his Trump-like massacring of English syntax and grammar suggests incoherency of thought. God help USA if its safety depends upon jittery minds such as Campbell's.
Worst episode ever. Total circle-jerk among desktop spooks. No wonder taxes are high.
Dylan Thomas was Welsh, not Irish you ignoramus.