The history of cybersecurity & the Internet, and lessons for the Web 3.0 generation :: with Tony Sager and Sol Cates

In this episode of Ventures, my guests Tony Sager (https://www.cisecurity.org/), Sol Cates (https://twitter.com/solcates), and I discuss Tony’s journey through the National Security Agency during the cold war and dawn of the Internet. We talk about how Sol and Tony crossed paths, and how cybersecurity has evolved over the past 50 years, and how the Web 3.0 generation can (and should) learn from the Web 1.0 generation. 

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-31 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned. 

You can watch this episode via video here. 

In this episode we cover the following:  

2:07 - Sol introduction of Tony

2:41 - Tony intro, & background, including a history lesson of the Internet and his work with the NSA.

8:53 - Sol background and intro for him and how his story intersects with Tony’s. 

13:22 - A different mindset; “offense” and “defense” in cybersecurity.

15:13 - Independence Day vs. Groundhog Day in cyber defense.  (it’s more like Groundhog Day) 

16:50 - Reformed Government Monopolist

19:00 - Public service in the DNA of the decision makers in the NSA

21:17 - Tony’s story where his boss was the mainstay of the math program. “When we put this stuff out there…. Suppose somebody finds a mistake in it? What are we going to do?” 

25:09 - Parallel in the outside world where entrepreneurs want to “do go” as well. “Crypto vs. OG Crypto”. More here about Will’s story. 

30:19 - Education on cyber and security on the Internet.  Why is cybersecurity 101 more like “Groundhog Day” vs. “Independence Day”? 

34:47 - Common Command and Control: Never go to war without your friends, you never know who your friends are until right before war, and many of your friends can’t stand each other. 

37:45 - Why the internet was originally designed.  Remembering the cold ware. Web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. Are the Web 3.0 folks on to something real? 

44:43 - Self-sovereign identity and security. How do we weed out the negative part of the system? 

51:01 - Analogy of teeth getting pulled by barbers back in the day when there weren't dentists. It takes awhile to codify the knowledge and build the mechanisms around particular areas (like the Internet).  

52:53 - Where can people find Tony and Sol online? Cisecurity.org & sagercyber.org // and @solcates on Twitter.   

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