How Hacks Happen
40 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 6 ratingsHacks, cyber crimes, and other shenanigans explored and explained. Presented by cyber security teacher and digital forensics specialist Michele Bousquet. howhackshappen.net
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Social Media Part 1: Dude, Where's My Data?
April 17, 2024 15:00 - 8 minutes - 5.57 MBHow do you find out what social media platforms know about you? Bet you didn't know you can grab your data anytime, all of it. In this episode, we talk about how to get all your data from a social media platform so you can see what they've stored. Get your data from Facebook Get your data from Instagram Get your data from LinkedIn Get your data from Snapchat Get all your Google emails, photos, YouTube videos For any other social media platforms, search for "download my data from [plat...
NFTs, Fraud, and Crazy Cats
April 03, 2024 15:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBWhat is an NFT, and why would anyone want to buy one? There are lots of reasons why someone might buy a certified JPG or other NFT, but there's no guarantee your NFT will increase in value or even retain the value you paid for it. In this episode, host Michele Bousquet talks about different kinds of NFTs on the market, how they compare to physical art items, and how fraudsters have found a rich source of free funds in NFT theft. Sources: Joey Mars website Investors sue Sotheby's, Justin ...
Silk Road, the Illegal Drug Website
November 14, 2023 16:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBThe story of Silk Road, the underground website where you could buy and sell anything, is now part of internet lore. Customers could order everything from pot to meth and have it delivered to their door. Then came fake IDs, unregistered guns, poisons, and murder-for-hire. But wherever there's illegal activity and lots of money, violence isn't far behind. This episode takes you on a very quick tour of the rise and fall of Silk Road, which met its demise in 2013 when founder Ross Ulbricht got ...
I Got Scammed! The White Van Scam
September 27, 2023 15:00 - 9 minutes - 6.37 MBWell, it finally happened: I got scammed! I bought a high-end projector at a price that was too good to be true, because it wasn't true. Don't fall for the White Van scam! White van speaker scam on Wikipedia The Art and Math of Cryptography at Amazon.com Support the show Visit us on Patreon for bonus content and special offers! But only if you hate scams too.
F12 is not a crime! Except in Missouri.
May 24, 2023 01:00 - 9 minutes - 6.69 MBIn October 21, 2021, Josh Renaud, a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper, privately alerted a government authority that their website had vulnerabilities. In response, the governor of Missouri, Michael L. Parson, brought charges against the journalist for "hacking." This story would be hilarious if it wasn't true. Update: In July 2022, Josh Renaud was awarded The National Press Club press freedom award for his work. Get the "F12 IS NOT A CRIME" T-shirt Original St. Louis Post...
The Refund Scam: How it Works
December 16, 2022 04:00 - 9 minutes - 6.75 MBYou get an email telling you you've been billed for a product you never ordered, and when you call for a refund, you somehow you get an excess refund and have to send back the difference. Find out how scammers manipulate people into sending them "excess refund money" from a nonexistent refund, and what you can do to keep it from happening to others. Shout-out to YouTuber Kitboga for showing me how this scam works. Support the show Visit us on Patreon for bonus content and special offers! ...
Tor Browser and the Dark Web
October 26, 2022 14:00 - 18 minutes - 13.1 MBWhat is Tor? In this episode, we demystify the Tor browser and how it relates to the Surface Web, the Deep Web, and the Dark Web. Maybe you want to use Tor, and maybe you don't. But in any case you'll know what it is, and will be able to decide if it's right for you. Download the Tor browser at the official site A great read about the dark web at Wired.com Get the T-shirt! Fly your Tor flag. Support the show Visit us on Patreon for bonus content and special offers! But only if you hate sc...
Season 2 is coming!
September 15, 2022 15:00 - 52 seconds - 680 KBAfter a little hiatus, we're back! Season 2 has so many great episodes coming up. We're going to explain how the refund scam works and what NFTs are, and we're going to talk about the notorious hacking case in Missouri, where the governor was convinced that pressing the F12 key is a crime. We'll also have a very special episode that discusses some of the things you can do right now, for free, in your own home, to keep yourself safe. So Like and Follow so you get a heads-up when the episodes ...
TVU: Staying Safe Through Entertainment
March 04, 2022 15:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBWhat we can we learn about hacks, scams, and fraud from TV shows and movies? Plenty, as it turns out. Fictional shows, documentaries, podcasts, and other types of entertainment are a treasure trove of knowledge. Don't discount the education you can get about scams, con games, legal proceedings, police procedure, and other aspects of safety, all while being thoroughly entertained. Support the show Visit us on Patreon for bonus content and special offers! But only if you hate scams too.
The Tinder Swindler: 7 Red Flags
February 20, 2022 16:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBThe Tinder Swindler is a fascinating Netflix documentary about a serial romance scammer who took each of his "girlfriends" for more than $100,000 each. In this episode, we look at what we can learn from The Tinder Swindler, going beyond the easy "blame the victim" mentality to show how effective such scams can be, and to point out the individual red flags you should watch out for in any new romance. Resources for this episode: The Tinder Swindler documentary on Netflix Tinder Dating Saf...
Sony Hack
February 01, 2022 15:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBThe hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014 was one of the most bizarre crimes of the decade. Instead of demanding money, the hackers threatened a terrorist attack on the USA if Sony didn't cancel the release of the film 'The Interview,' a comedy about two bumbling journalists who travel to North Korea and attempt to assassinate the country's Supreme Leader. The release went forward anyway, and thankfully, the threats came to nothing. Enjoy the terrible English in the hackers' written t...
Technology Peak: Why the Elderly Fall for Scams
January 15, 2022 12:00 - 11 minutes - 8.2 MBWhy are older people so susceptible to scams? There could be a relationship to the music you loved in your teen years. Just as most of us have a Musical Peak in our teens, I propose that we also have a Technology Peak in our 20s-40s. Nudging our elderly relatives out of their Technology Peak, and into the present, is the only way to break this pattern. And the only way to do it is by showing them. References: Study of link between adolescent age and music preference: https://journals.sag...
Identity Theft: Three Stories
January 01, 2022 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MBWhat would you do if you found out someone was using your identity to take out credit cards, steal your tax refund, or even raid your bank account? Meet Tiffany, Pete, and Astrid, three victims of identity theft. Find out how each of them discovered the fraud, what they did to reverse the damage, and what they do now to prevent it from happening again. Support the show Visit us on Patreon for bonus content and special offers! But only if you hate scams too.
Quick Tip: Bike Thieves and Hackers
December 15, 2021 16:00 - 3 minutes - 2.66 MBHow are bike thieves like hackers? Both look for the same kinds of vulnerabilities, including easy-to-crack passwords. Would you leave your bike's combination at the default of 0000? Of course not. In the same way, you should change default passwords and use something that a hacker won't find easy to crack. Be safe out there! Support the show Visit us on Patreon for bonus content and special offers! But only if you hate scams too.
Quick Tip: Black Friday Shopping
November 24, 2021 23:00 - 1 minute - 1.43 MBBlack Friday, the day after American Thanksgiving, is traditionally one of the biggest holiday shopping days of the year. But hackers aren't going to take a holiday--they'll use Black Friday as an opportunity to try and scam you. If you get a text about an order or a gift card, don't tap the link! Instead, go to the retailer's site and see if there's a message for you. Let's all have a holly jolly holiday season with no scams! Support the show Visit us on Patreon for bonus content and spec...
Blockchain and Bitcoin
November 15, 2021 15:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBYou've heard of Bitcoin, but how does it work, and why are so many people talking about it? Let's talk about blockchain--the tech behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency--in plain English, including hashing, a key part of blockchain technology. We'll also talk about why people invest in cryptocurrency. Resources for this episode Development of blockchain: "A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" by Satoshi Nakamoto: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf Rising Bitcoin value: https://www.businessi...
Quick Tip: Don't Scratch! Gift Card Scams
November 01, 2021 15:00 - 1 minute - 1.21 MBIf anyone--the IRS, the electric company, the police--calls you and asks you to buy a prepaid Visa card or a gift card to pay your bill over the phone, it's not who you think it is. They'll tell you to scratch the numbers off the back and read them the numbers. This is a ploy by scammers to get money from you. Don't fall for it! This tip was inspired by a recent real-life story of a phone scam that terrified a woman in the San Francisco area: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/pho...
Quick Tip: Alarming Phone Calls
October 15, 2021 15:00 - 59 seconds - 750 KBHackers operate off of fear. They'll call you with an urgent problem: Your bill is overdue! Pay now! But if they don't know your name, social security number, or anything else about you, it's a scam. Hang up and be satisfied that you thwarted yet another hack. Support the show Visit us on Patreon for bonus content and special offers! But only if you hate scams too.
Ashley Madison breach
October 01, 2021 15:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBIn July 2015, a very polite group of hackers called The Impact Team stole the data of over 30 million users from Ashley Madison, a website for cheating spouses, and threatened to dump it all over the dark web if the site wasn't shut down. The site stayed up, and the data went out. Learn about how hackers worldwide have used the data to blackmail users, the denials (and eventual resignations) of Ashley Madison executives, and the many clues, including the hackers' unusual level of politeness,...
Ashley Madison Breach
October 01, 2021 15:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBIn July 2015, a very polite group of hackers called The Impact Team stole the data of over 30 million users from Ashley Madison, a website for cheating spouses, and threatened to dump it all over the dark web if the site wasn't shut down. The site stayed up, and the data went out. Learn about how hackers worldwide have used the data to blackmail users, the denials (and eventual resignations) of Ashley Madison executives, and the many clues, including the hackers' unusual level of politeness,...
Credit card fraud
August 15, 2021 15:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBLet's look at the impact of credit card fraud, and talk about how they're stolen, and what you can do to keep your data safe. Jiggle that cover, man! Resources for this episode: Credit card safety: 8 tips to help keep you safe: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-hackers-stole-millions-of-credit-card-records-from-target/ Verizon 2020 Payment Security Report, available from https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/payment-security-report/ History of credit cards: https://www.credi...
Credit Card Fraud
August 15, 2021 15:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBLet's look at the impact of credit card fraud, and talk about how they're stolen, and what you can do to keep your credit safe. Jiggle that cover, man! Resources for this episode: Credit card safety: 8 tips to help keep you safe: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-hackers-stole-millions-of-credit-card-records-from-target/ Verizon 2020 Payment Security Report, available from https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/payment-security-report/ History of credit cards: https://www.cre...
Crypto Wars
July 01, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 45.6 MBSay No to the NSA! Until the mid-1970s, the National Security Agency held an iron grip on all research into computer-based cryptography in the USA. In this episode, we talk about how the NSA squashed all public research into cryptography in the 1950s and 1960s, but loosened its grip to work to develop the Digital Encryption Standard (DES) with IBM. Then, in the 1970s, mathematicians Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, and others went head-to-head with the NSA to make cryptography available to ...
Equifax breach
May 15, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 48.2 MBWhen consumer reporting agency Equifax was breached in 2017, the records of over 140 million people (more than half the adults in the USA!) were stolen. Three years later, we take a closer look at the mistakes Equifax's security team made, how hackers leveraged a compromised Equifax web page to gain access to logins, passwords, and dozens of additional databases, and how they got the stolen data out of Equifax's network through a flawed router setup. We wrap up what you can do to keep yourse...
Equifax Breach
May 15, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 48.2 MBWhen consumer reporting agency Equifax was breached in 2017, the records of over 140 million people (more than half the adults in the USA!) were stolen. Three years later, we take a closer look at the mistakes Equifax's security team made, how hackers leveraged a compromised Equifax web page to gain access to logins, passwords, and dozens of additional databases, and how they got the stolen data out of Equifax's network through a flawed router setup. We wrap up what you can do to keep yourse...
Credit card fraud, Part 1: The things we wish were true
February 16, 2021 16:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBIn this first episode, we look at the impact of credit card fraud, and talk about the most obvious ways cards are stolen: through skimming and shimming. Jiggle that cover! Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Credit card fraud, Part 2: Risk and reward
February 15, 2021 15:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBLet's look at how credit cards evolved from a single card for occasional use to a convenience that everybody uses multiple times per day, and how this increased usage has multiplied risk for consumers. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Credit card fraud, Part 3: Track and monitor
February 14, 2021 14:00 - 11 minutes - 8.14 MBIn this final episode on credit card fraud, we look at how you can protect yourself. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Crypto Wars, Part 1: NSA and crimes of cryptography
November 08, 2020 17:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBSay No to the NSA! Until the mid-1970s, the National Security Agency held an iron grip on all research into computer-based cryptography in the USA. In this episode, we discuss how cryptography developed, why President Truman started the NSA in 1952, and how they quietly squashed all public research into cryptography for decades. Part 1 of 4. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Crypto Wars, Part 2: The NSA is listening
November 07, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBWhen IBM spoke up about a need for encryption of financial transactions, the NSA balked at first, but then worked with the company to develop the first-ever commercially available algorithm for computers, the Digital Encryption Standard (DES). The NSA tested and approved IBM's algorithm, but at what price to our privacy? Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Crypto Wars, Part 3: The adventures of Whitfield Diffie
November 06, 2020 15:00 - 19 minutes - 13.4 MBWhen mathematician Whit Diffie went searching for existing research on cryptography, he found that all of it had been gobbled up by the NSA, so he did his own. Together with Martin Hellman, he wrote a paper that would forever change the face of public cryptography. Part 3 of 4. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Crypto Wars, Part 4: Standing up to the NSA
November 05, 2020 14:00 - 14 minutes - 9.79 MBIn this final episode of Crypto Wars, we find out what happened when cryptography researchers went head-to-head with the NSA in the 1970s, and how it changed the face of modern cybersecurity. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Equifax, Part 1: The legacy of the 1980s
October 15, 2020 06:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBWhen consumer reporting agency Equifax was breached in 2017, the records of over 140 million people (more than half the adults in the USA!) were stolen. Three years later, we take a closer look at how it happened, and why personal diligence is more important now than ever to keep your identity from being stolen. Part 1 of 4. Resources for this episode: Website where you can check if your identity was compromised in the Equifax breach Business Insider: Literally everyone should be thinking...
Equifax, Part 2: The 146 days of blissful ignorance
October 14, 2020 20:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBIn the Equifax breach of 2017, a critical system update was ignored for 146 days, giving hackers plenty of time to get into one of the Equifax servers and roam around undetected. Part 2 of 4. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Equifax, Part 3: The hack
October 13, 2020 16:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBIn this episode, we take an in-depth look at how hackers leveraged a compromised Equifax web page to gain access to logins, passwords, and dozens of additional databases, and how they got the stolen data out of Equifax's network through a flawed router setup. Part 3 of 4. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Equifax, Part 4: Pointing the finger
October 12, 2020 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.4 MBHere we do a wrap-up of the mistakes Equifax made, who they discovered was responsible, and what you can do to keep yourself safe. Part 4 of 4. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Equifax - Part 4
October 09, 2020 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.4 MBHere we do a wrap-up of the mistakes Equifax made, who they discovered was responsible, and what you can do to keep yourself safe. Part 4 of 4. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Equifax - Part 3
October 05, 2020 16:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBIn this episode, we take an in-depth look at how hackers leveraged a compromised Equifax web page to gain access to logins, passwords, and dozens of additional databases, and how they got the stolen data out of Equifax's network through a flawed router setup. Part 3 of 4. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Equifax - Part 2
October 01, 2020 20:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBHere we dive into the first errors Equifax made, the ones the hackers took advantage of, in the Equifax breach of 2017. Part 2 of 4. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/cybergeeks)
Equifax - Part 1
September 29, 2020 06:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBWhen consumer reporting agency Equifax was breached in 2017, the records of over 140 million people (more than half the adults in the USA!) were stolen. Three years later, we take a closer look at how it happened, and why personal diligence is more important now than ever to keep your identity from being stolen. Part 1 of 4. Resources for this episode: Website where you can check if your identity was compromised in the Equifax breach Business Insider: Literally everyone should be thinking...