Best of Black Hat 2019 — A special series of episodes on the Malicious Life podcast
This year’s Black Hat wasn’t very much fun for me. The problem wasn’t the convention, which was engaging and full of interesting people as usual. The problem was me. More specifically, it was the nasty bug that I caught on the flight to Las Vegas. I was quite sick and miserable for most of the three-day conference. Fortunately, I had just enough strength left in me to interview some of the conference’s best speakers. I’ve used those interviews to create a special series of episodes for the Malicious Life podcast.
For those who aren’t familiar with our show, Malicious Life tells the lesser-known stories of cyber security. It’s hosted by me, Ran Levi, and includes commentary from real hackers, security experts, journalists, and politicians.
So far, Malicious Life has recorded more than 50 episodes. We’ve covered some of the most interesting hacks and malware in the history of cyber security. Our favorites cover events like Stuxnet, the Ashley Madison hack, and the Equifax data breach. With the Black Hat 2019 series, we continue to report on some of the most exciting work in our field.
Episode 1: Responding to a Cyber Attack with Missiles
Guests: Mikko Hypponen and Prof. Gen. (Ret.) Isaac Ben Israel
Is the use of deadly force a legitimate — and practical — response to cyber-attacks? I interviewed Mikko Hypponen, a well-known veteran of cyber security, to hear his thoughts on the future of kinetic and cyber warfare. This episode includes his thoughts and those of Prof. Ben Israel, the “founding father” of Israel’s cyber forces. Tune in to hear his answers to questions like:
· What lessons did Israel learn from the Yom Kippur War of 1973 about the best way to manage its offensive cyber units?
· How can governments ‘signal’ to their opponents their cyber power, without actually deploying cyber weapons?
Episode 2: Detecting Deep Fakes With Mice (Airs Nov. 24th)
Guests: George Williams & Alex Comerford (Data Science), Jonathan Saunders (Univ. of Oregon)
In the last few years, we’ve seen more and more Deep Fakes, those AI-generated videos and images that are breathtakingly and even eerily realistic. Many of those Deep Fakes feature human-like speech, and that’s what I discuss with my three guests in this episode. We cover some of the most exciting methods of Deep Fake detection, including — believe it or not — using mice to tell human and artificial voices apart. You don’t want to miss this one.
Episode 3: Cyber Insurance (Airs, Nov. 14th)
Guest: Jeffrey Smith (Cyber Risk Underwriters)
Cyber insurance has always had a shaky reputation among security professionals. Even Black Hat used to blacklist talks about cyber insurance. When I learned about that shady part of the conference’s history, I had to make an episode about it.
The episode features expert Jeffrey Smith and his frank discussion of why insuring against hacks and breaches can be challenging. Tune in to find out:
· Why the cyber insurance industry has grown out of its early hardships
· Why small and medium-sized businesses need the services that the industry has to offer
Episode 4: Human Side Channels (Airs Dec. 14)
Guest: Matt Wixey (PwC)
Cybersecurity has always used ‘side channels’ for gathering important information. For example, most professionals in the industry know that your browser and screen resolution can identify you among thousands of other anonymous users.
Matt Wixey, my guest for this episode, suggests a different set of such metadata: a human side channel. Through his research, he’s learned that the speed and style of a hacker’s typing can reveal a lot about an attacker. Even the exact BASH switches an attacker uses, such as set -o vs. set -O, can help a defender identify an attack as it happens. Join us as we explore the intersection of computer science, psychology, and old-school police detective work.
This is a series that you don’t want to miss. Subscribe today and join us on the cutting edge.
