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PODCAST

What the Hack?

"What the Hack?" is the award-winning true cybercrime podcast--the place to hear memorable stories and get good advice.

true crime

All Episodes

43:37

Episode 185: Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal Join...

What the Hack? ·

2025/01/21

From cyberbullying to harmful algorithms, the risks are real. This week, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal join us to discuss their bipartisan bill—the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Together, they’re taking on Big Tech to ensure the safety of children online. Tune in to hear how KOSA could change the digital world for the better.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

55:38

Episode 184: Kristin Bride Lost Her Son and Now She’s...

What the Hack? ·

2025/01/14

Kristen Bride’s 16-year-old son died by suicide after being cyberbullied on Snapchat. Setting her sites on anonymous messaging apps that intentionally traumatize children, Bride heads to Washington DC to fight for change.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

42:20

Episode 183: Ava Smithing Battles Big Tech and the...

What the Hack? ·

2025/01/07

Ava Smithing was eleven when she saw a swimsuit on Pinterest that she liked. That innocent click turned into an eating disorder. How? This episode explores the most dangerous thing children face today: Algorithms. On a mission to hold Big Tech accountable, Ava shares her journey as an activist with us, including her recent role providing Congressional testimony in support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

52:08

Episode 182: The Most Scary, Interesting, and...

What the Hack? ·

2024/12/31

We look back at the internet’s scariest moments, the boldest defenders, and the most surprising tech twists of 2024—groundbreaking legislation, international scam-rings, and the growing fight to make the internet a safer place for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

42:36

Episode 181: Bob Sullivan Discovers a Scam That...

What the Hack? ·

2024/12/24

Chester Frilich lost everything to scammers, and he didn’t just lose his money—he lost hope, too. Bob Sullivan joins us to recount this devastating case, revealing the IRS’s unintentional role in punishing victims, and how advocacy and legislation could turn things around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

45:08

Episode 180: Amy Neville Fights Snapchat’s Drug...

What the Hack? ·

2024/12/17

What happens when social media platforms prioritize engagement over safety? How do drug dealers exploit apps like Snapchat to target teens? Amy Neville lost her son Alex to counterfeit Oxycodone pills that were laced with Fentanyl. He bought them from a Snapchat user. She talked with us about this hidden crisis and her mission to reform social media and protect future generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

37:39

Episode 179: Tarah Wheeler and Deviant Ollam Reveal...

What the Hack? ·

2024/12/10

Tarah Wheeler lost her security badge. Deviant Ollam picked his way into "secure" spaces. Together, they show how humans make or break security and why layering defenses is key to surviving inevitable mistakes. What happens when security fails because of us? Two experts dive into the blind spots in physical, digital, and human security—and why fixing them starts with being honest about our mistakes.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

44:30

Episode 178: Jack Rhysider Exposes Our Digital Secrets

What the Hack? ·

2024/12/03

What if your digital footprint made you a target? Jack Rhysider, host of "Darknet Diaries," shares how a fan turned his online presence into a personal puzzle—revealing just how easily your privacy can be pieced together and exploited.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

46:33

Episode 176: Jen Caltrider Unwraps this Season's...

What the Hack? ·

2024/11/26

This holiday season, privacy expert Jen Caltrider reveals how those shiny new AI gadgets under your tree with their mind-bending tech—not to mention the social media apps capturing every moment—are a privacy nightmare. Is going analog the only safe option? Learn how to protect your data, and your holidays, from the prying eyes of Big Tech.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

50:00

Episode 175: FBI Operative Eric O’Neill:...

What the Hack? ·

2024/11/19

What if the biggest threat to your privacy wasn’t some hacker in a hoodie—but a spy trained to infiltrate your life? Former FBI operative Eric O’Neill, the man who took down spy Robert Hanssen, explains how digital spies target us, offering along the way real-world tips to protect ourselves in a world where everyone’s a potential target. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

43:35

Episode 174: Dick Gephardt Wants a Safer Internet

What the Hack? ·

2024/11/12

Former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt is on a mission to kill Section 230, the legal shield that lets social media giants profit from chaos. If engagement-driven algorithms are fueling harmful content for the sake of profit, is it time for the U.S. to take bold action to rein in the Internet? (You know the answer, but this is a must listen!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

48:41

Episode 173: CISA Director Jen Easterly Stands Watch...

What the Hack? ·

2024/11/05

From elections to ransomware, CISA Director Jen Easterly breaks down the threats to America’s critical infrastructure and what’s being done to stop them, sharing along the way her journey from the real-life battlefield to the frontlines of cybersecurity. This is a rare glimpse into the most pressing threats America faces—and a compelling story about Director Easterly’s own experience being targeted.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

51:23

Episode 172: Our Spookiest Episode Ever: Smart...

What the Hack? ·

2024/10/29

Adam, Beau, and Travis are joined by Mozilla’s Jen Caltrider to uncover the hidden dangers of the Internet of Things (IoT), showing how everyday devices—like smart glasses, baby monitors, and even toasters—have become a gateway for hackers, companies, and even stalkers to exploit your personal data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

51:54

Episode 171: Gretchen Peters Fights the Digital...

What the Hack? ·

2024/10/22

Gretchen Peters, co-founder and executive director of the Alliance to Counter Crime Online, knows better than most how criminal networks flourish on social media platforms. From drug trafficking to child exploitation, we focus on something from 1996 called Section 230 that makes many crimes possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

49:43

Episode 170: Max Lebow Battles a Cyber PsyOps Nightmare

What the Hack? ·

2024/10/15

When Max Lebow received a chilling Instagram message detailing intimate information about him, he found himself pulled into a cyber nightmare. In this episode, Max shares his battle with a mysterious hacker who knew enough about him to coerce him into a terrifying journey of digital manipulation, paranoia, and, finally, survival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

42:20

Episode 169: Ava Smithing Battles Big Tech and the...

What the Hack? ·

2024/10/08

Ava Smithing was eleven when she saw a swimsuit on Pinterest that she liked. That innocent click turned into an eating disorder. How? This episode explores the most dangerous thing children face today: Algorithms. On a mission to hold Big Tech accountable, Ava shares her journey as an activist with us, including her recent role providing Congressional testimony in support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

43:37

Episode 168: Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal Join...

What the Hack? ·

2024/10/01

From cyberbullying to harmful algorithms, the risks are real. This week, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal join us to discuss their bipartisan bill—the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Together, they’re taking on Big Tech to ensure the safety of children online. Tune in to hear how KOSA could change the digital world for the better.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

44:51

Episode 167: CISA Director Jen Easterly Stands Watch...

What the Hack? ·

2024/09/24

From elections to ransomware, CISA Director Jen Easterly breaks down the threats to America’s critical infrastructure and what’s being done to stop them, sharing along the way her journey from the real-life battlefield to the frontlines of cybersecurity. This is a rare glimpse into the most pressing threats America faces—and a compelling story about Director Easterly’s own experience being targeted.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

42:38

Episode 166: Ken’s Duplicate Driver’s License Cost...

What the Hack? ·

2024/09/17

By the time Ken understood what happened, his similar-looking identity thief had walked off with $8,000. In this episode, we learn about a vulnerability courtesy the DMV and what an enterprising identity thief was able to do with it. Eva Velasquez from the Identity Theft Resource Center offers tips on safeguarding yourself. Plus: the pros and cons of password managers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

42:41

Episode 165: Shannon Edwards Reveals the Student Data...

What the Hack? ·

2024/09/10

As technology is integrated deeper into classrooms, the lines between education and data privacy have been destroyed by for-profit data miners. This week, privacy advocate Shannon Edwards reveals how educational apps harvest sensitive information from children, commodify their data, and what parents can do to fight it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

227 results

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