Hacker History

It’s time once again for Hacker Summer Camp! This is the name given to a serious for three, world-renowned cybersecurity conferences in Las Vegas, Nevada, that are always held during the same week every year in early August: Security BSides Las Vegas, Black Hat and DEF CON. I came late to this party, but I’ve been hooked since my first pilgrimage in 2021. These conferences also sparked a strong interest in hacker history.

The term “hacker” is often used as a pejorative. But in reality, a hacker is just someone who loves to figure out exactly how something works – and then find new and interesting ways to make it do something else. Hackers are tinkerers… experimenters… intensely curious people who want to understand what makes things tick. Hackers loved to learn – and hackers also love to teach. In my admittedly limited experience, the hacker community is one of the most open, accepting and welcoming communities you’ll ever find.

I’m on a mission to interview as many hackers as I can, bringing the hacker ethos and history to my podcast audience. I thought I’d use this opportunity to create a single article with a listing of all my cybersecurity podcasts, one that I can update as I add more over the years. So, bookmark this page and check back every so often. (Note that this is really just a partial list – I’ve interviewed many people from the cybersecurity arena over the years.)

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Jeff Moss (aka Dark Tangent) – Founder of DEF CON, Black Hat

• The Night the Lights Went Out in Vegas (DEF CON 30)
• On a Dark Tangent (DEF CON 29)

Heidi & Bruce Potter (Founders of ShmooCon)

• ShmooCon: Moose You Already

Jack Daniel (Co-Founder of Security BSides)

• Catch You on the BSide

Cult of the Dead Cow (Hacker group)

• Deth Veggie & Omega

L0pht Heavy Industries (Hacker group)

• Cris Thomas (Space Rogue)
• Chris Wysopal (Weld Pond)

Patrick Wardle (Mac security expert)

• Securing Your Mac
• Security Tips from a Professional Hacker

Deviant Ollam (Physical Security Specialist)

• Passport, Lawyer, Locksmith

Bruce Schneier (Cybersecurity guru, author)

• 400th Podcast
• 300th Podcast
• 200th Podcast & New Years 2021
• 100th Podcast: Data Privacy Day Pod-Centennial

Josh Corman (Founder of I Am the Cavalry)

• Shelter from the Storm
• National Cybersecurity Strategy
• We Are the Cavalry

Harri Hursti (Election security expert)

• Restoring Trust in Our Elections

Phil Zimmermann (Creator of PGP)

• Through the Past, Privately: PGP Turns 30
• Social Media is Ruining Society
• We Now Live in the Golden Age of Surveillance