Three Buddy Problem Hamid Kashfi on the situation in Iran; Did cyber cause Venezuela blackouts?
Jan 9, 2026
Hamid Kashfi, a security researcher focused on Iran's cyber operations, dives into the current tensions in Iran, discussing the economic factors behind the protests and the impact of government surveillance. He unpacks how censorship and information control play a role in shaping public sentiment. Additionally, the conversation shifts to Venezuela, where they explore whether cyber operations contributed to widespread blackouts amid ongoing political turmoil. Kashfi also touches on the implications of leaked data and strategies for undermining regime surveillance.
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Economic Collapse Fueled Organic Protests
- Iran's protests are driven by a sharp economic collapse and long-standing public anger rather than a single trigger.
- Hamid Kashfi warns inflation, currency devaluation, and poverty have primed repeated uprisings across many cities.
Iran's 'Filtered Net' Enables Targeted Outages
- Iran has built a domestic-filtered network allowing internal services to run while cutting cross-border internet routing.
- That architecture lets the government flip gateways to darken external visibility while keeping local systems operational.
Collect Live Internet Artefacts During Outages
- If you track online assets, snapshot Iran's responding IPs and services immediately during outages.
- Hamid urges hourly censuses because rare live responses provide valuable forensic data.