In a world of cybersecurity and online privacy, anonymity seems to be the key. VPNs are often promoted as the cure-all to our internet needs. Let’s talk about some of those misconceptions.

Today’s guest is Lance Cottrell. Lance founded Anonymizer in 1995 and is an internationally recognized expert in cryptography, online privacy, and internet security. He is the principal author on multiple internet privacy and security technology patents. Lance stayed on as Chief Scientist as Anonymizer was acquired by Intrepid, and now advises start-ups through his platform.

• [1:09] - Lance shares his background and how he spent the start of his career and into founding Anonymizer.
• [3:03] - To continue destigmatizing being a victim of a scam, Lance shares his own experience as a victim himself.
• [5:38] - In-person scammers are very believable. They learn through building a relationship the things that you want.
• [9:47] - There are two reasons why people commit treason - revenge and justice.
• [10:42] - Prior to founding Anonymizer, Lance had fantastic access to the internet in the early 90s and became involved in the open-source community.
• [13:58] - Lance describes how Anonymizer did business-wise and where it capped.
• [17:40] - There are different types of customers for Anonymizer, general consumers as well as government entities.
• [20:30] - There were certainly times where someone would come to Anonymizer and they had done something that was really pretty dire.
• [23:28] - Anonymizer was able to develop some new technologies that Lance describes.
• [25:35] - If you need to trust someone, research who that someone is and understand if you can.
• [27:11] - The biggest mistake is thinking your IP address is the important thing.
• [29:19] - Actually achieving anonymity or pseudonymity and maintaining overtime is incredibly challenging.
• [31:09] - Human behavior tends to give away anonymity.
• [33:47] - People don’t think anywhere near enough on the threat model.
• [34:58] - When are VPNs actually beneficial?
• [37:32] - Be very specific about what you want to protect.
• [40:05] - Obsession and trying to run your life around trying to be anonymous is not helpful.
• [41:41] - Lance discusses some of the interesting aspects of the psychology of criminals.
• [43:10] - Lance shares some parting advice and the basic things to do to stay protected.

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• Feel the Boot - The Science of Startups

Cybersecurity is more crucial than ever. It’s essential that we proactively safeguard our data and recognize that no one is immune to attacks. We are all vulnerable. As malicious actors continually enhance their tactics, we must stay one step ahead by consistently improving our defenses.

Today’s guest is Vincent LaRocca. Vincent is the CEO of CyberSecOp with the commitment to protecting sensitive data and mitigating cyber threats. With over two decades of experience, Vincent has successfully steered CyberSecOp to become one of the world’s fastest growing managed security providers, specializing in cybersecurity assessments, breach management, and risk management consulting.

• [1:15] - Vincent shares his background and how he found himself working in cybersecurity.
• [2:40] - Even the experts are vulnerable. Vincent shares an experience he had with fraud at his bank.
• [4:16] - Cyber threat trends are moving to AI.
• [6:19] - As consumers, we need to be aware of how AI is using our data and what we give it permission to have access to.
• [8:19] - AI isn’t going anywhere. It will continue to grow and develop.
• [9:16] - Threat actors are unfortunately usually one step ahead of defenses. They are using AI to exploit vulnerabilities.
• [11:54] - AI gives threat actors even more reach. The number of incidents and scams are extremely high and will multiply.
• [13:59] - Small organizations and business owners are hit pretty hard by breaches since they often do not have a cybersecurity team.
• [16:09] - Vincent shares some of the traits and qualifications that are good to look for in cybersecurity professionals for small businesses.
• [19:07] - Defenses are built against things that we know about, not things we don’t know about.
• [21:27] - There are things that can be done that are free or more cost-effective.
• [23:40] - There’s no point in putting a fancy lock on the front door if there’s nothing protecting the back door.
• [27:06] - Even if an organization has invested in cybersecurity and knows how to keep data safe, if their partners or vendors do not, it means very little.
• [28:31] - There are so many breaches that have happened that we don’t even know about and our data is out there mixed in with so much more.
• [30:31] - We are a part of an AI revolution currently and the landscape of AI will be completely different in just a few years.
• [33:58] - The tools for cybersecurity, including machine learning, are improving every day as well.
• [37:09] - Don’t turn a blind eye and assume you can’t afford protection.

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As consumers, we may realize the need to be vigilant by using two-factor authentication and password managers, but there are so many scams out there that can impersonate legitimate organizations, websites, and people. We really can’t let our guard down.

Today’s guest is Soups Ranjan. Soups has over 18 years of experience in software engineering, data science, and risk management. He is the co-founder and CEO of Sardine. This behavior-infused platform offers fraud prevention, compliance, and payment solutions for various industries including banking, online marketplaces, FinTech, crypto, online gaming, and gift card exchanges. Previously, Soups led the Risk and Data Science teams at CoinBase, where he scaled the platform and enabled millions of users to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrency securely and efficiently.

• [1:15] - Soups shares his background and information about his company, Sardine.
• [4:30] - He has not been a victim of a scam online but did experience an in-person scam.
• [6:57] - Sardine works with a diverse set of clients. Trends differ based on the industry. One major trend is an increase in triangulation fraud.
• [9:07] - Once they have card details, they can pretty much do whatever they want with it.
• [11:40] - Even on a contactless card, using tap-to-pay, be careful. Don’t hand over your device.
• [12:43] - It is becoming increasingly difficult to verify the identities of merchants.
• [15:21] - There is a big rise in scams as a result of the demand for real-time money transfers and exchanges.
• [17:45] - Some scammers are instructing victims to install screen viewers and recording tools.
• [19:50] - Machine learning is used to help protect clients.
• [21:41] - There are intrinsic behaviors that Sardine monitors to watch for unusual activity.
• [24:41] - Soups describes some of the other types of data that is observed in addition to behavior.
• [27:08] - Soups explains 3D Secure and what the benefits of this system are.
• [30:41] - Dollars lost to scams have far surpassed the dollars lost to fraud.
• [33:37] - The United States is behind in regulatory measures.
• [35:59] - It is best to work with banks that take fraud and scams very seriously.
• [37:15] - Soups lists some of the red flags and be on the lookout for.
• [39:44] - It is extremely important to protect your email address in the same way you protect your bank account.

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

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