Digital Desperados
Episodes
Episode #41 – Revisit of Episode #15 – Beware the Cozy Bear!
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Digital Desperados Podcast explores infamous cybercriminals and attacks with host Jim Brangenberg, story guide Patrick McMurphy, and SaferNet ...
Episode #40 – Billionaire, Investor, Disruptor: Peter Thiel
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has been many things—PayPal co-founder, Silicon Valley kingmaker, libertarian mastermind, and more. In this episod...
Content Details: Episode #39 – Ctrl + Alt + Caught: w0rmer's Story
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, dive into the cautionary tale of hacker-turned-ethical-hacker, Higinio Ochoa, aka w0rmer. What starts as harml...
Episode #38 – Gary Alford Takes Down "The Dread Pirate Roberts"
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, hosts Jim Brangenberg and Patrick McMurphy dive into the heroic story of Gary Alford, the IRS investigator who...
Episode #37 – Antivirus to Anarchy: The John McAfee Story
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this fascinating episode of Digital Desperados, Patrick McMurphy takes us deep into the wild and chaotic life of John McAfee, the tech genius turn...
Episode #36 – Explore the Hacking "Business" with DarkSide
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, host Jim Brangenberg is joined by Patrick McMurphy and SaferNet CEO Brad Hawkins to uncover the chilling world...
Episode #35 – Why You Should Always Update Your Devices: The Story of Udi
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, the spotlight is on Ehud "Udi" Tenenbaum, a hacker whose story of genius and cybercrime shook the digital worl...
Episode #34 – Elizabeth Holmes: Blood, Lies, and A Prison Sentence
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Digital Desperados, where we explore the dark tales of the web! In this episode, Jim Brangenberg and Patrick McMurphy take a deep dive int...
Episode #33 – Kevin Poulsen: The OG Digital Desperado
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, Jim Brangenberg, Patrick McMurphy, and Brad Hawkins (founder of SaferNet) take us on a wild ride through the l...
Episode #32 – Iranian Hacking Group: the Not So "Charming Kitten"
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Jim Brangenberg is joined by cybersecurity expert Patrick McMurphy and SaferNet CEO Brad Hawkins to unravel the dark web world of APT42—...
Episode #31 – Samy Kamkar: A Hacker's Quick Pivot to CyberSecurity
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Digital Desperados takes a lighthearted stroll through the story of Samy Kamkar, a hacker who quickly found out that hacking isn't a game....
Episode #30 – The Cyber Redemption of Hieu PC
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Uncover the riveting story of Hieu Minh Ngo—aka "Hieu PC"—a notorious hacker who (thankfully) turned his life around to fight cybercrime. Hieu's ...
Episode #29 – The Rise and Fall of a Cyber Jihadist
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Junaid Hussain, a quiet British teen with a knack for computers, morphed into a dangerous cyber jihadist. Initially drawn to hacking as a teenager, h...
Episode #28 – Online Security, More Crucial Than Ever
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, you'll learn the story of Mustafa Al-Bassam, a teenage hacker who took on the CIA and lived to tell the tale. ...
Episode #27 – The Rise and Fall of REvil
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this gripping episode of Digital Desperados, Jim Brangenberg, Patrick McMurphy, and Brad Hawkins (CEO of SaferNet) dive into the shadowy world of ...
Episode #26 – The Accidental Hero, Marcus Hutchins
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, Patrick McMurphy dives into the incredible true story of Marcus Hutchins, founder of the MalwareTech Blog. Bor...
Episode #25 – Pavel Durov: Russia's Digital Rebel
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, Jim Brangenberg, Patrick McMurphy, and Brad Hawkins explore the fascinating story of Pavel Durov, known as the...
Episode #24 – Don't Give Drinkman Your Credit Card Information
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the story of Vladimir Drinkman, a notorious Russian hacker. This digital desperado gained expertise in SQL injections and formed a hacking cr...
Episode #23 – The Julian Assange Story, Part 2
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Part 2 in the Julian Assange story! This episode gets into the nitty gritty, discussing key WikiLeaks leaks, ranging from the Peruvia...
Episode #22 – The Julian Assange Story, Part 1
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Digital Desperados, Jim Brangenberg, Patrick McMurphy, and Brad Hawkins (CEO of SaferNet VPN) begin to explore the fascinating and...
Episode #21 – How Some Teens Created a Cyber Atomic Bomb
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine an attack that takes down the internet! Three teenagers in the US created Mirai to try to get established in the cybersecurity world, but it ...
Episode #20 – The Silk Road... to Trouble
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Digital Desperados Podcast, the gang dive into the story of Ross Ulbricht, better known on the dark web as the Dread Pirate Roberts. Bor...
Episode #19 – Preventing the Next Roman Seleznev
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This Digital Desperados episode explores Roman Seleznev, a hacker who amassed a fortune through stolen credit cards. Born in 1984, Roman's life took ...
Episode #18 – Guccifer: Hacking Made Easy
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week's Digital Desperados serves up a side of "accidental hacking" with Guccifer, the hacker who makes social media security questions look like...
Episode #17 – Nasty Nastra, the King of Fraud
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of Digital Desperados exposes Alexander Zhukov, aka "Nastra," the King of Fraud. Nastra wasn't your average hacker. He started young, hu...
Episode #16 – The Treasonous Story of Forb
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dmitry Dukachaev, aka Forb, lived a life stranger than fiction. Starting as a Robin Hood hacker providing free internet, he soon dove into the dark w...
Episode #15 – Beware the Cozy Bear!
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Digital Desperados Podcast explores infamous cybercriminals and attacks with host Jim Brangenberg, story guide Patrick McMurphy, and SaferNet CEO...
Episode #14 – Spam Lord: Genius, Elusivity, and Mystery
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 14 of the Digital Desperados podcast, hosts Jim Brangenberg, Patrick McMurphy, and Brad Hawkins embark on a wild ride into the world of cy...
Episode #13 – I Spy with My Little Eye... SpyEye and the Smiling Hacker
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Digital Desperados podcast, sponsored by SaferNet VPN. In this episode, we delve into the dark tale of Hamza Bendelladj, also known as...
Episode #12 – SEA: The Power of State-Sponsored Hacking
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a whirlwind cybersecurity adventure, hosts Jim Brangenberg, Patrick McMurphy, and Brad Hawkins of SaferNet VPN unravel the intriguing history of t...
Episode #11 – The Gray Legacy of Adrian Lamo
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the riveting 11th episode of the Digital Desperadoes podcast, the gang dive deep into the captivating and tumultuous tale of Adrian Lamo, famously...
Episode #10 – Condor: The Legendary Fugitive
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This Digital Desperados episode introduces Kevin Mitnick, known as The Condor, a legendary figure in the hacking world. Mitnick displayed social engi...
Episode #9 – A Global War: State-Sponsored Hacking
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this lively episode of the Digital Desperados Podcast, hosts Jim Brangenberg and Patrick McMurphy, accompanied by SaferNet VPN's Brad Hawkins, unr...
Episode #8 – Iceman's Cyber Freeze
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This newest episode of the Digital Desperados Podcast recounts the chilling story of Max Butler, aka the Iceman, known for his cool demeanor and free...
Episode #7 – Sabu: Hacktivist, Informant, Cybersecurity Advocate
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode's featured dark tale revolves around Hector Xavier Monsegur, also known as Sabu, a prominent figure in hacking and hacktivism. Born in 1...
Episode #6 – Solo's UFO Odyssey: The NASA Hack Chronicles
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Digital Desperados Podcast, where we embark on an enthralling journey into the life of Gary McKinnon, also known as Solo, the NASA Hac...
Episode #5 – Mafia Boy: A Hacker Prodigy's Redemption Story
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Digital Desperados Podcast, we explore the riveting tale of Mafia Boy, a child prodigy turned hacker extraordinaire. His early...
Episode #4 – Game Over Zeus: Slavik's Cybercrime Dark Tale
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, you'll hear the dark tale of Evgeny Mikhailovich Bogachev, also known as Slavik, a prolific Russian cybercriminal. Slavik's cybercri...
Episode #3 – The Thrill of Cybercrime: Alberto Gonzalez's Digital Desperado Story
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It seems that Alberto Gonzalez has always been a thrill seeker. From hacking into NASA at just 14 years old to eventually working as a government spy...
Episode #2 – Alexsey Belan Could Be Selling Your Information
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode highlights the story and crimes of Alexsey Belan, a Latvian hacker best known for Yahoo data breaches and for stealing the information (l...
Episode #1 – The Life & Criminal Activity of Maksim Yakubets (AKA Aqua)
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This premier episode of the Digital Desperados Podcasts introduces a desperado indeed. Maksim Yakubets, known primarily as "Aqua" is a Ukranian-Russia...