How to Protect Yourself Online, With Former Black-Hat Hacker Hector Monsegur
As part of The Upgrade this week, we’ll talk to Hector Monsegur, Director of Evaluation Services at Rhino Labs.
Hector Monsegur is a former black hat hacker. Under the pseudonym Sabu, Hector hacked corporations, news agencies and governments in the Middle East. After being caught, Hector became an informant for the FBI. He now makes a legitimate living by helping companies discover where their vulnerabilities are and how they can avoid being hacked. Hector also appears on the Science Channel’s Outlaw Tech , which explores the sophisticated security systems designed to defend against hackers and the high-tech arsenal used on both sides of the law.
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Discussion this week
We have covered many questions this week, including:
- What the Hacker Manifesto meant to Hector when he was a poor kid from the Lower East Side
- Why did he go from hacktivist to FBI informant so quickly?
- Where do the latest hackers come from?
- What separates Edward Snowden from Chelsea Manning
- The first thing everyone should do to protect their personal data
- Why does everyone have something to hide
- How to determine your “attack vectors”
- Why the Google Docs phishing scam is good news
- The importance of setting up your own VPN
- The dangers of over-sharing
Our weekly updates
Every week we want to tell you about the improvements we have made to our lives. This week we’re talking about an appliance that transforms dinner; see the world (or at least your home) through pink bulbs; gaining perspective; and something called turning off the phone. (Strange.)
Do you want to ask a question?
There are two ways to ask a question:
- Call (347) 687-8109 and write down the question. We love calls! We could just play yours on the show!
- Send your question to upgrade@lifehacker.com .
Try to keep your questions as short as possible. That means 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions may be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they apply to more people. In any case, we look forward to hearing from you.