Ep. 84 - Catching the Csaba Richter Hacker // Miguel Clarke

Former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Miguel Clarke joins hosts James Maude and Marc Maiffret to reflect on 25 years at the front lines of cybersecurity. From coding in BASIC on his Commodore 64 to helping uncover the digital trail behind 9/11, Miguel shares raw, behind-the-scenes stories of how real cyber investigations unfold.

In this episode, you'll hear how a casual beer in Nebraska sparked a career in federal law enforcement, why psychology plays a critical role in executing search warrants, and how early cyber sleuths tracked international hackers with nothing but screen scrapes and UUencoded files. Miguel also takes us deep inside the Swedish secret police operation that caught the infamous Csaba Richter hacker, explores the rise of Eastern Europe’s cybercrime economy, and breaks down the forensic breakthroughs that helped investigators piece together one of the most pivotal events in modern history.

00:00 - Introduction and Welcome

01:32 - Early Technology Interest with Commodore Computers

03:24 - System Shock and the $2,100 Computer Upgrade Nightmare

05:22 - Gaming Influence on Career Path and FBI Power Dynamics

06:42 - The Beer That Started an FBI Career

10:03 - FBI Training and Imposter Syndrome at Quantico

14:11 - Sales Skills Meet FBI Investigation Work

18:04 - Search Warrant Psychology and Family Dynamics

24:08 - The Chaba Richter International Cyber Case

27:38 - Eastern European Cybercrime Economy Theory

31:51 - Evolution from Website Defacements to Nation-State Attacks

36:24 - Digital Aspects of 9/11 Investigation

42:25 - 9/11 Digital Forensics and HTML Tag Discovery

47:56 - Transition from FBI to Private Sector

51:32 - Leadership Philosophy and Closing Thoughts