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 EndsNicole Perlroth’s 2021 book investigating the global cyber-weapons arms raceReporter Page at the New York TimesNicole’s articles while the lead cyber-security reporter at the New York TimesThe 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 attemptsRECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES The Dark Side Of Decentralization with Audrey Kurth Cronin: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/49-the-dark-side-of-decentralizationIs World War III Already Here? Guest: Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/45-is-world-war-iii-already-hereA Problem Well-Stated Is Half-Solved with Daniel Schmachtenberger: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/a-problem-well-stated-is-half-solvedYour Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_

Nicole Perlroth is a cybersecurity journalist and author. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Linode: https://linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit – InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex and use code Lex25 to get 25% off – Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off – ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit EPISODE LINKS: Nicole’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicoleperlroth Nicole’s Website: https://nytimes.com/by/nicole-perlroth Nicole’s Book: https://amzn.to/3sOQjrs PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:54) – Zero-day vulnerability (12:55) – History of hackers (27:47) – Interviewing hackers (31:49) – Ransomware attack (44:33) – Cyberwar (57:41) – Cybersecurity (1:06:48) – Social engineering (1:23:41) – Snowden and whistleblowers (1:33:11) – NSA (1:42:58) – Fear for cyberattacks (1:50:29) – Self-censorship (1:54:50) – Advice for young people (2:00:07) – Hope for the future

Zero day brokers are people who make or sell malware that’s sold to people who will use that malware to exploit people. It’s a strange and mysterious world that not many people know a lot about. Nicole Perlroth, who is a cybersecurity reporter for the NY Times, dove in head first which resulted in her writing a whole book on it.Affiliate link for book: This is How They Tell Me The World Ends (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1635576059/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1635576059&linkCode=as2&tag=tunn01-20&linkId=0aa8c966d98b49a7927bfc29aac76bbe)Audiobook deal: Try Audible Premium Plus and Get Up to Two Free Audiobooks (https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00NB86OYE/?ref_=assoc_tag_ph_1485906643682&_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=pf4&tag=tunn01-20&linkId=31042b955d5e6d639488dc084711d033)SponsorsSupport for this show comes from IT Pro TV. Get 65 hours of free training by visiting ITPro.tv/darknet. And use promo code DARKNET.Support for this show comes from Privacy.com. Privacy allows you to create anonymous debit cards instantly to use for online shopping. Visit privacy.com/darknet to get a special offer.View all active sponsors.Sources Nicole’s Book: This is How They Tell Me the World Ends https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/technology/chinese-hackers-infiltrate-new-york-times-computers.html

Hosted by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Cyber Initiative and Aspen Digital, Verify 2023 brings together journalists and cyber and tech policy experts to discuss critical issues in cybersecurity. For this live recording of the Lawfare Podcast, Benjamin Wittes sat down at Verify 2023 with Alex Stamos of the Stanford Internet Observatory; Nicole Perlroth, formerly of the New York Times and the author of a recent book on zero days; and Dave Willner, the Head of Trust & Safety at OpenAI, the company that produces ChatGPT. They talked about cybersecurity and AI, the threats to AI algorithms, the threats from AI algorithms, and the threats from humans misusing large language models. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kara and Scott are back with Pivot’s Quarterly Review series. They take a look at Scott’s past predictions on Alibaba, Meme Stocks, and record entrepreneurship to see how they’ve held up. Then, they get some predictions from Friends of Pivot, including Ina Fried of Axios, journalist Nicole Perlroth, Rani Molla of Recode, and Matt Belloni of Puck.You can find Ina on Twitter at @inafried, Nicole at @nicoleperlroth, Rani at @ranimolla, and Matt at @MattBelloni.Send us your Listener Mail questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or via Yappa, at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From March 19, 2021: Jack Goldsmith spoke with New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth about her new book, "This is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race." They discussed the dark world of markets for zero-day vulnerabilities that are so vital in offensive cyber operations, the history of the markets, how they work, who the players are and why the United States doesn't control as much as it used to. They also discussed broader issues of U.S. cybersecurity policy, including the recent SolarWinds hack.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine causes trouble for Big Tech players. Kara and Scott discuss its effects on moderation, monetization, and cybersecurity with journalist Nicole Perlroth. Plus, the CDC says most of the country can go maskless, and Elon Musk has more trouble with the SEC.And big news for Pivot fans: You can WATCH video clips from Pivot on Salesforce+.Find Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleperlroth.Send us your Listener Mail questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or via Yappa, at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nicole Perlroth (@nicoleperlroth) is an award-winning cybersecurity journalist for The New York Times and bestselling author of This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race. What We Discuss with Nicole Perlroth: The startlingly simple reasons why most nation-states now resort to using cyberwarfare tactics before conventional weaponry in acts of aggression -- to increasingly devastating effect. How industries are so interconnected that there's almost no way for a cyberattack to target one victim without endangering countless others on all sides of a conflict (which is why you may have Putin to blame if there's a Cadbury chocolate egg shortage next Easter). Why leaving the security of 85 percent of its critical infrastructure up to privatization makes the United States especially vulnerable to cyberwarfare attacks. The massive amount of intellectual property that's been lost to hackers -- from the formula for Coca-Cola to information that would allow China and other rival nations to catch up with the United States in the nuclear arms race. What Nicole believes the US should do to push back against these threats and the governments that perpetrate them -- and ensure that it's not inadvertently one of them. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/542 Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Author Nicole Perlroth discusses NSA surveillance, cyber espionage tactics, election security concerns, SISA challenges, cyber warfare threats, and the dangers of unchecked technology integration in critical infrastructure.

In the past few weeks, some of the biggest industries in the U.S. have been held up by cyberattacks.The first big infiltration was at Colonial Pipeline, a major conduit of gas, jet fuel and diesel to the East Coast. Then, J.B.S., one of the world’s largest beef suppliers, was hit.The so-called ransomware attacks have long been a worry. But who are the hackers and how can they be stopped?Guest: Nicole Perlroth, a reporter covering cybersecurity and digital espionage for The New York Times. Sign up here to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. The Daily is doing a live online event: We follow up with students and faculty from our series Odessa. And we hear from the team who made the documentary. Times subscribers can join us June 10.Background reading: The Biden administration has taken steps to counter the growing threat of cyberattacks on U.S. businesses. The F.B.I. director compares the danger of ransomware to the 9/11 terror threat.As the ransomware industry exploded, a Russian-speaking outfit called DarkSide offered would-be computer criminals not just the tools, but also customer support. Here’s how the group became a hacking powerhouse.It’s been almost a decade since Leon Panetta, then the secretary of defense, warned of an impending “Cyber Pearl Harbor.” He didn’t want to be right.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.