Easy Prey

What NOT to Do When Wiretapping the Government with Bryan Seely


Listen Later

Today's guest is Bryan Seely, a world famous cyber security expert, ethical hacker, author, keynote speaker, and former US Marine. He is known for intercepting calls to the US Secret Service and FBI. We chat about why and how he did it and surprisingly why he didn't go to jail.

Show Notes:
  • [0:48] - Bryan shares his background, what he does now, and what he is famous for.

  • [2:10] - To show how easily hacked and manipulated Google Maps was, Bryan changed the names of locations which didn't get their attention.

  • [4:03] - At the time, the FBI didn't know that Bryan wiretapped them. Bryan explains how this was an issue and how he let them know.

  • [6:14] - They didn't believe him and he explains how he proved it and what the major problems with their communications were.

  • [8:03] - At no point was Bryan arrested, but he had to show how he managed to wiretap them.

  • [10:00] - Bryan managed to record 40 calls.

  • [11:26] - Because he had no ill intent, he told them what he was doing and how he did it to help prevent it happening by others, Bryan was not charged.

  • [13:24] - Technically, Bryan didn't do anything that wasn't possible for anyone else to do. He didn't hack a system, but rather saw a logic flaw.

  • [15:51] - There wasn't technically anything wrong. It was just designed in a way that could easily be exploited.

  • [18:50] - The cost of just letting people know about a breach is high.

  • [20:44] - Bryan believes that companies should be honest about breaches and what they will do to fix the problem.

  • [23:41] - We don't intentionally broadcast our information or location, but it is easy to guess in many cases.

  • [24:57] - There are little things that we do that we think are protecting us but are actually giving out more information than we should.

  • [27:26] - Bryan shares some tips in keeping you protected, like turning off Bluetooth and wifi on your phone.

  • [28:36] - Anyone can create a wifi network and name it anything, like Starbucks Wifi or Free Airport Wifi to make it easy to have people connect.

  • [30:47] - Teach your kids how to be safe.

  • [31:42] - Bryan primarily uses authenticator apps for MFA, but any kind is helpful.

  • [35:20] - Bryan is currently writing another book and loves meeting people who have done great things for cyber security education.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

Links and Resources:
  • Podcast Web Page

  • Facebook Page

  • whatismyipaddress.com

  • Easy Prey on Instagram

  • Easy Prey on Twitter

  • Easy Prey on LinkedIn

  • Easy Prey on YouTube

  • Easy Prey on Pinterest

  • Bryan Seely Home Page

  • Bryan Seely LinkedIn

  • Bryan Seely on Twitter

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Easy PreyBy Chris Parker

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

30 ratings


More shows like Easy Prey

View all
Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network

Criminal

37,607 Listeners

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,843 Listeners

Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast by Cryptic County

Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast

8,774 Listeners

Darknet Diaries by Jack Rhysider

Darknet Diaries

8,119 Listeners

The Intelligence from The Economist by The Economist

The Intelligence from The Economist

2,549 Listeners

Dateline NBC by NBC News

Dateline NBC

47,707 Listeners

The Shawn Ryan Show by Shawn Ryan

The Shawn Ryan Show

46,160 Listeners

Watchman Privacy by Gabriel Custodiet

Watchman Privacy

74 Listeners

Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan by CrimeOnline and iHeartPodcasts

Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan

2,181 Listeners

The Rest Is Classified by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Classified

1,277 Listeners