Darknet Diaries cover image

Darknet Diaries

127: Maddie

Nov 1, 2022
Maddie Stone, a security researcher at Google Project Zero known for her work on zero-day vulnerabilities, dives into the complexities of cybersecurity. She shares her journey from studying computer science and Russian to battling sophisticated malware. The conversation highlights her investigation into the Chamois malware family and discusses the ethical challenges in addressing vulnerabilities, such as those discovered in Apple's WebKit. Maddie also emphasizes the urgency of tackling zero-day vulnerabilities and the role of transparency in cybersecurity.
54:12

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The incident of a spaceship being destroyed due to a bug in the code led to the development of software engineering as a discipline focused on designing reliable software.
  • Maddie Stone's work at Google Project Zero involves analyzing and patching actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities to improve security measures and safeguard users.

Deep dives

The Emergence of Software Engineering

Software engineering came into existence in the 1950s during NASA's space missions. Initially, there were no software engineers, but as technology advanced, the need for software engineering became apparent. An incident in the 1960s, where a spaceship was destroyed due to a bug in the code, led to the realization that reliable software was essential. This incident sparked the development of software engineering as a discipline, with a focus on designing, developing, and testing computer software.

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