Image from Science Channel

This week on The Upgrade we talk with Hector Monsegur, Director of Assessment Services at Rhino Labs.




Hector Monsegur is a former black-hat hacker. Under the alias Sabu, Hector hacked corporations, news outlets, and Middle Eastern governments. After he was caught, Hector became an informant for the FBI. He now makes a living on the right side of the law, helping companies discover where their vulnerabilities lie and how they can avoid getting hacked. Hector also appears on the Science Channel show Outlaw Tech, which explores the complex security systems designed to stop hackers, and the high-tech arsenal being employed on both sides of the law.

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This Week’s Discussion

We covered a lot of ground this week, including:

What The Hacker’s Manifesto



Why he turned so quickly from hacktivist to FBI informant

Where the newest hackers are coming from

What separates Edward Snowden from Chelsea Manning

The first thing everyone should be doing to protect their personal data

Why everyone has something to hide

How to identify your “attack vectors”

Why the Google Docs phishing scam

The importance of setting up your own VPN

The dangers of oversharing

Our Upgrades of the Week

Every week we like to let you in on the upgrades we’ve made in our own lives. This week we’re talking about an appliance that’s transforming dinner; seeing the world (or your home, anyway) through rose-colored light bulbs; gaining perspective; and something called “turning your phone off.” (Weird.)


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Please keep your questions as brief as possible. This means about 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions can be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they’ll apply to more people. Either way, we look forward to hearing from you.