The Market for Bugs

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Nicol Lik: I've been hearing about siber attacks and ransmere attacks for a while, but it wasn't until i really, like, hit paws on your podcasts and listen, that i realize these aren't actually siber attacks. It creates explosions in the physical world. And every time we say the word siber, it's obfiscating the impact. An i'm just curious to hear you react to that. Is that like a frustration that you have? And then are there other better ways that we could talk about this that elevates its importance?"

When you hear the word cyber-attack, what comes to mind? Someone hacking into your email, or stealing your Facebook password?

As it turns out, our most critical infrastructure can be hacked. Our banks, water treatment facilities, and nuclear power plants can be deactivated and even controlled simply by finding bugs in the software used to operate them. Suddenly, cyber-attack takes on a different meaning.

This week on Your Undivided Attention, we're talking with cyber-security expert Nicole Perlroth. Nicole spent a decade as the lead cyber-security reporter at The New York Times, and is now a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee. She recently published “This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends” — an in-depth exploration of the global cyber arms race.

CORRECTIONS: In the episode, Nicole says that "the United States could have only afforded 2 to 3 more days of Colonial Pipeline being down before it ground the country — our economy — to a halt." The correct number is actually 3 to 5 days. She also refers to a 2015 study researching why some countries have significantly fewer successful cyber-attacks relative to cyber-attack attempts. That study was actually published in 2016.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends

Nicole Perlroth’s 2021 book investigating the global cyber-weapons arms race

Reporter Page at the New York Times

Nicole’s articles while the lead cyber-security reporter at the New York Times

The Global Cyber-Vulnerability Report (in brief)

Brief of a 2015 study by the Center for Digital International Government, Virginia Tech, and the University of Maryland that researched why some countries have significantly fewer successful cyber-attacks relative to cyber-attack attempts

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Is World War III Already Here? Guest: Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/45-is-world-war-iii-already-here

A Problem Well-Stated Is Half-Solved with Daniel Schmachtenberger:

https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/a-problem-well-stated-is-half-solved

Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_