If there was one thing you think society should talk more about, what would it be? 

”I want to talk about how you can be safer online and how parents can prevent their kids from getting arrested.”

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My guest today is unlike anyone I’ve ever had on the show before. When he was very young, he was a criminal hacker. Now he protects companies from people just like him.

Many years ago, in the NSW coastal town of Eden, Bastien Treptel was a curious kid and had a fascination for computers and technology. He would disassemble any technology he could get his hands on, including his father’s old telescope and his mother’s washing machine. After his grandfather gave him an old Pentium 486 computer when he was 14, Bastien began reading about famous hackers around the world and they became a source of inspiration for him.

By 16, he captured national attention and the Australian Federal Police were at his door. Bastien had hacked into a major Australian bank, accessing 40,000 credit card numbers and sensitive data. It was his love of pizza that led to the police tracking him down and ultimately reforming his ways.

Years later, Bastien put his skills to good use and founded CTRL Group with the aim of combating cybercrime, and in 2021, he sold the company for a serious sum that he now doesn’t need to work. Today, he uses his time to spread the word on how dangerous and creative cyber criminals are and how you can protect your business and personal life. Bastien is dedicated to inspiring everyone to appreciate security as it becomes an essential part of our lives as we move into a hyper-digitized world.

I saw Bastien speak at SXSW last year and have been following him on Insta ever since - finding his content so helpful and insightful, if not at times, quite terrifying at how exposed we are these days - I just had to get him on the show. Let's dive in to learn more about the fascinating and sometimes scary world of cybercrime… 

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For more information about Bastien, check out these places;-

Linkedin: Bastien Treptel

Instagram: Bastien Treptel

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