Adventures of Alice & Bob

• 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

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• Ep. 83 - The Bug Bounty That Bought a Mini Donkey // Tommy DeVoss (dawgyg)

  Tommy DeVoss—aka "dawgyg"—is back for round two, and it’s even wilder. A former black hat who faced prison four times, Tommy turned his life around and became a legend in the bug bounty world. From max-sec prison cells to flexing a championship belt on stage at HackerOne Live, his story is pure hacker folklore. In this episode, he shares how bug bounties bought him mini donkeys, why he still hunts old-school (no tools, no scripts), and how federal judges, rogue AIs, and childhood IRC wars shaped his chaotic path. Expect redemption arcs, sketchy bets, and a surprise detour into Icelandic youth basketball.

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• Ep. 80 - Vampire Satellites, Stolen Wine, and Why Your Boat is a Giant IoT Nightmare // Chris Kubecka

  In today's episode, James Maude dives into the world of cyber warfare, espionage, and hacked satellites with the legendary Chris Kubecka—aka the "Chief Hacktress." From grounding overconfident pilots as one of the first female C-5 loadmasters, to investigating mysterious “vampire satellites” that silently disable spacecraft, Chris has lived a life straight out of a cyber-thriller. She recounts her front-line role in the aftermath of the Shamoon cyberattack, one of the most destructive digital assaults in history, which wiped 35,000 systems at Saudi Aramco and sent shockwaves across global security circles. Plus: embassy cyber drama, Turkish spies posing as English students, Yemeni drones with a grudge, and how AI is now a tool in her mission to expose and disrupt digital authoritarianism. And yes, we also talk about why your boat is a terrifying floating IoT vulnerability.

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• Ep.78 - Champagne at 2AM: The International Zotob Takedown // Kymberlee Price

  In this episode, cybersecurity veteran, Kymberlee Price joins James and Marc for a riveting conversation that traces her unconventional path from public health to becoming a pioneering force at Microsoft Security. Kymberlee opens up about her classified work tracking down the creators of the infamous Zotob worm, and how that experience helped reshape how companies collaborate with security researchers. With clarity and candor, she tackles the pitfalls of the vulnerability “whack-a-mole” approach, the art of communicating real risk, and why the best cybersecurity minds don’t always come from traditional backgrounds. It’s a must-listen for anyone curious about the human side of threat hunting—and the hidden strengths in forging your own path.

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• Ep. 77 - Bugs in the System: When Moths Hack Power Plants // Lesley Carhart

  In this episode, James Maude chats with industrial cybersecurity expert Lesley Carhart (aka "Hacks for Pancakes"), whose journey from programming on her family farm to protecting critical infrastructure was shaped by curiosity and determination. Lesley reveals how moths accidentally activating a power plant touchscreen led to a late-night "Chinese hackers" investigation, explains why she carries a "marriage counseling" sign when mediating between feuding IT and OT teams, and delivers a passionate wake-up call about the industry's mentorship crisis and the brutal reality facing cybersecurity newcomers today.

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