January 23, 2026

Governments, Hackers, and Government Hackers (feat. Emily Crose)

49 minutes

Welcome back to The FAIK Files!

In this week's episode, we sit down with Emily Crose, a former US Intelligence Officer and expert in offensive and defensive cyber security.

We discuss her book, "Hack to the Future," and the history of how governments pursue and domesticate hackers.

The evolution of the relationship between the hacking community and the US government, from the "Kevin Mitnick era" to modern recruitment.

How the culture of early BBS systems morphed into modern social media influence and disinformation.

Hidden history: The "Eligible Receiver" exercise and the mysterious "Evidence Surprise."

The resilience of Critical Infrastructure (SCADA) and the role of regulation in cybersecurity.

Want to leave us a voicemail? Here's the magic link to do just that: ⁠⁠⁠https://sayhi.chat/FAIK⁠⁠⁠

You can also join our Discord server here: ⁠⁠⁠https://faik.to/discord⁠⁠⁠

*** NOTES AND REFERENCES ***

The Guest & The Book:

Emily Crose is a security researcher specializing in Linux behavioral threat research and development.

Get the Book: "Hack to the Future: How World Governments Relentlessly Pursue and Domesticate Hackers": https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Hack+to+The+Future%3A+How+World+Governments+Relentlessly+Pursue+and+Domesticate+Hackers-p-9781394169825

History of Government & Hacker Relations:

The shift from viewing hackers solely as suspects to pursuing them for technical talent.

The "Massive Fiasco" involving the French government's approach to hackers in the early 90s.

The impact of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and the arrest of Kevin Mitnick.

Recruitment, Trust, and Culture:

How the 2013 Snowden revelations fractured trust between the government and the hacker community.

Modern recruitment leverages: NSA Centers of Academic Excellence and student loan repayment vs. patriotism.

Influence Operations & Social Engineering:

Tracing the lineage of online culture from BBS flame wars to modern algorithmic radicalization.

The intersection of Anonymous, LulzSec, WikiLeaks, and the Syrian Civil War.

Rolling Stone article on LulzSec and the FBI: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/the-rise-and-fall-of-jeremy-hammond-enemy-of-the-state-185363/

Future Threats & Hidden History:

The issue of ransomware and the lack of legislative solutions.

Eligible Receiver (1997): A famous government exercise testing US response to cyber threats.

Evidence Surprise: A little-known offensive exercise that took place shortly before Eligible Receiver.

Why the electrical grid (NERC regulations) is often more resilient than other industrial sectors (like oil/gas).

Book recommendation: "Dark Territory" by Fred Kaplan.

*** THE BOILERPLATE ***

About The FAIK Files:

The FAIK Files is an offshoot project from Perry Carpenter's most recent book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions.

Get the Book: ⁠FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions⁠ (Amazon Associates link)

Check out the website for more info: ⁠https://thisbookisfaik.com⁠

Check out Perry & Mason's other show, the Digital Folklore Podcast:

Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-folklore/id1657374458⁠

Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2v1BelkrbSRSkHEP4cYffj?si=u4XTTY4pR4qEqh5zMNSVQA⁠

Want to connect with us? Here's how:

Connect with Perry:

Perry on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrycarpenter⁠

Perry on X: ⁠https://x.com/perrycarpenter⁠

Perry on BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/perrycarpenter.bsky.social⁠

Connect with Mason:

Mason on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-amadeus-a853a7242/⁠

Mason on BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/wickedinterest.ing

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By Perry Carpenter | N2K Networks

4.6

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