Where Warlocks Stay Up Late

Cris Thomas, also known as Space Rogue, was a founding member of the legendary L0pht Heavy Industries — the hacker collective that famously told the U.S. Senate they could take down the internet in 30 minutes. He would go on to found the Hacker News Network, giving the underground a voice and warning the world how vulnerable it was. He told the full story in his award-winning book, Space Rogue. Ch...

Rob Knake's fingerprints are all over modern cyber policy. As White House Director for Cybersecurity Policy, he helped craft the nation’s most significant cybersecurity strategy in nearly two decades and guided the response to major national cyber incidents. He’s advised presidents, shaped global cyber norms, co-authored two influential books on cyber conflict, and served as a senior fellow at Har...

Mohammed Bagha—who keeps his hacker handles anonymous and goes simply by ‘MB’—was one of the most feared hackers of the 1990s. With a larger-than-life online persona and the skills to back it up, he infiltrated corporate systems, telecom networks, and even the machines of other well-known hackers. He exposed their flaws, mocked their code, and dropped their secrets in public forums. But narrow mis...

David Jacoby (aka “pewp”) is a pioneering Swedish hacker with over 30 years of influence in cybersecurity and hacker culture. From the early days of BBS systems, war dialing, and underground groups like Hack.se to connections with the Pirate Bay founders and the infamous CIA website hack, his journey shaped how hacking is viewed worldwide. He has been a technical advisor for the Millennium Trilogy...

Before he taught murderers how to play Dungeons & Dragons in Rikers, Jason Snitker, aka Parmaster, was one of the most prolific hackers on the planet. Trading exploits with groups across four continents, slipping into Citibank, and landing in Underground, the book co-written by Julian Assange before vanishing from the Secret Service for over two years. --------- Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:05 Par...

From being the first to infiltrate hacking groups to going undercover in an Al Qaeda cell, Terry Rankhorn’s career shaped some of the FBI’s most critical moments in modern history. As a Supervisory Special Agent, he led covert entry teams across cyber, physical, and electronic access on some of the government’s most classified missions. In this episode, part 2 of a two-part episode, Terry discusse...

From being the first to infiltrate hacking groups to going undercover in an Al Qaeda cell, Terry Rankhorn’s career shaped some of the FBI’s most critical moments in modern history. As a Supervisory Special Agent, he led covert entry teams across cyber, physical, and electronic access on some of the government’s most classified missions. _____________________________________________________ Chapter...

The History of Cybersecurity Told by Those Who Hacked It Skyper, aka Eduart Steiner (not his real name), was the editor of Phrack Magazine between 2001 - 2006 (#57-#63), is a member of TESO and THC, and runs Segfault.net: free disposable root shells to fellow ‘activists. -------------------- Chapters 00:00 Cold Open 2:42 A Cold War Household 10:45 No Toy Survives Curiosity 14:57 A Whole New World...

The History of Cybersecurity Told by Those Who Hacked It Kingpin, aka Joe Grand, was the youngest member of the world's most well-known benevolent hacker group (L0pht Heavy Industries) who testified before the United States Congress, changed the hardware hacking landscape, brought electronics to #badgelife, and achieved mainstream popularity on national television. -------------------- Chapters 0:...

The History of Cybersecurity Told by Those Who Hacked It sangfroid, aka Ralph Logan, stumbled across the cDc, crossed paths with L0pht Industries, joined the emerging w00w00 group, and helped jockey The Honeynet Project before springboarding into a formidable cybersecurity career. -------------------- Chapters 0:00 Cold Open 02:45 Texas Roots 07:12 Critical Care Burn Out 13:55 cDc on BBS 16:50 The...

The History of Cybersecurity Told by Those Who Hacked It The long-awaited debut of WWSUL Episode 1 is live. In this episode, we interview Digital Jesus , a member of Phonemasters, a hacking group hunted by the FBI across Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, California, Oregon, New York, Florida, Canada, Switzerland, and Italy. ----------------- Chapters: 0:00 Intro 02:48 Matt's Beginnings 10:47 Th...

Where Warlocks Stay Up Late is an interview series dedicated to documenting the history of cybersecurity. Inspired by the seminal book “Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet”, this interview series aims to capture the stories, insights, and legacies of the pioneering figures who shaped the field of cybersecurity from its inception to the present day.