From Hacktivist to White Hat Hacker. A Chat with LulzSec’s Sabu.

Catch this episode on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or Google. You can read the show notes here. PS, we're giving away a Flipper Zero on our site as a little season finale gift. Check out details on our site.

You know what they say, you save the best for last. As we wrap season two of Adopting Zero Trust, we take a shift from our standard conversations about modern cybersecurity strategies and look back at some of the history that got us to where we are today.

This week we chat with Hector Monsegur, Co-Founder of LulzSec, and current Director of Research for Alacrinet, who discusses his journey from hacktivism to white hat pen testing.

In May of 2011, a series of cyber attacks swept the globe. Starting with Fox News, after a broadcaster called rapper Common ‘vile’, then an attack on X Factor (yes, the show Joe Rogan used to host) leaking contestant data, and through to taking down the Sony Playstation network. A, at the time, black hat hacking group was founded and picked off targets for laughs (lulz) rather than financial gain. Among the group was co-founder Hector Monsegur, better known by his alias Sabu, who shaped the movement into cause-based cyber attacks or hacktivism.

But the story starts well before the formation of Lulzsec, and before the FBI knocked on Hector’s door. It stretches back to a time when there weren’t resources for people to learn how to hack, pen test, and become cybersecurity practitioners didn’t exist, unlike the endless amount of certs and higher education programs that exist today.

Key Takeaways

• The evolution of one's ethical stance: Hector's journey highlights the importance of questioning and reassessing one's actions and beliefs.
• Collaboration and collective impact: Working together can amplify efforts and create positive change, even in the realm of cybersecurity.
• Balancing curiosity and responsibility: Exploring technology and hacking skills should be accompanied by a sense of responsibility and ethical considerations.

Editor’s Note

The season finale of AZT is here, and we couldn’t have found a more interesting way to wrap things up. Hector has such a unique and storied past, and we can’t recommend his own series enough. The very agent who knocked on his door joins him as the cohost on Hacker and the Fed.

We also can’t thank you, our listeners, enough for another year of the show. Neal and I do this as a passion project first and foremost, but as we seek to attract harder-to-reach guests, we are also building in some ad opportunities. We are ensuring that doesn't impact how we highlight the practitioner's perspective on modern cybersecurity strategies, too.

Speaking of growing, that other podcast I mentioned last episode? Mastering the Art of Failing can now be found at failingpod.com or on your favorite podcast app. The pilot series will highlight people who have found success in their lives, but not without some challenges along the way. Our first guest, Glen Hellman, was part of several successful exits… and quite a few not-so-successful flops. As the series progresses we’ll expand beyond just career-oriented stories and dig into physical, mental, and other states of pushing boundaries and levels of success.

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