How Hacks Happen

Can you tell if someone is guilty just by looking at them? Let's delve into the infamous case of Amanda Knox, the American exchange student who was wrongfully accused of murdering her roommate in 2007. We'll talk bad cell phone forensics, media sensationalism, and cultural biases, and how they can lead to dire consequences for those who are judged not by evidence, but by how they act differently than society expects them to. Resources * Amanda Knox website [https://www.amandaknox.com/] * Sentence of the Court of Assizes of Perugia in the Murder of Meredith Kercher [https://beforeyoutakethatpill.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Massei_Report.pdf] * Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know [https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Strangers-Should-about-People/dp/0316299227] * Teacher Recorded Laughing During Apalachee School Shooting May Have Been the Bravest Person in the Room [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/teacher-recorded-laughing-during-apalachee-school-shooting-may-have-been-the-bravest-person-in-the-room/ar-AA1q4HDw] * Video of teacher laughing during school shooting [https://x.com/1lilruntz/status/1831400147689075113] * Central Park jogger case [https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/communication-and-mass-media/central-park-jogger-case] . Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson [https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG] Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1798209377]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L9LI7y1rcLVeNEbuUsgCq?si=30O1lE3LSpO8erTD5ov7Xg] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!

Send me a text! No matter who you are or where you are in the world, I'd love to hear from you. This is a call for feedback on what you like about How Hacks Happen, what you don't like, or if you just want to say Hi. Click the "Send us a text" link below, and you'll be sending a text message directly to me, Michele Bousquet. I can't wait to read what you have to say. If I get enough messages, I'll even do an episode just with your feedback. Resources * Just my bad self for this one * The "Send us a text" link is just below! . Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!

In May 2025, Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, got hacked. Or did they? It was more like a near-miss. But while we might wipe our brows in relief over this latest mishap, it doesn't bode well for the future of cryptocurrency, which is currently unregulated, uninsured, and just waiting for the next big catastrophe to leave investors crying in their collective beers over their lost millions. Join us for a tour of some of most disastrous crypto hacks of yesteryear like Mt Gox and Bybit, and what we see coming for the future of crypto. Hint: It's not pretty. Resources * Coinbase: Protecting Our Customers - Standing Up to Extortionists [https://www.coinbase.com/blog/protecting-our-customers-standing-up-to-extortionists] * The Story of Mt. Gox: Explained [https://trustwallet.com/blog/cryptocurrency/mt-gox-explained] * Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) [https://www.occ.treas.gov/topics/supervision-and-examination/bsa/index-bsa.html] * What Is Crypto KYC and Why Do Exchanges Need It in 2025? [https://sumsub.com/blog/crypto-kyc-guide/] * The ByBit Heist and the Future of U.S. Crypto Regulation [https://www.csis.org/analysis/bybit-heist-and-future-us-crypto-regulation] * Top 10 Cryptos to Invest In May 2025 [https://zebpay.com/blog/top-10-cryptos-to-invest-in-2025] . Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson [https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG] Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1798209377]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L9LI7y1rcLVeNEbuUsgCq?si=30O1lE3LSpO8erTD5ov7Xg] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!

In this episode we continue the story of Daniel Rigmaiden, a man arrested for tax fraud in 2008 who reveals the Stingray surveillance device used by the Feds to track his location. Despite being in jail, Rigmaiden tirelessly researches and files numerous motions, arguing that the use of Stingrays violated citizens' Fourth Amendment rights. His determination attracts the attention of the ACLU and the EFF, ultimately influencing government policy on surveillance practices, policies that protect privacy for all of us.  Resources * Rigmaiden court documents [https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4132428/united-states-v-rigmaiden/] * DOJ: Justice Department Announces Enhanced Policy for Use of Cell-Site Simulators [https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-enhanced-policy-use-cell-site-simulators] * The News Tribune: Stingray snared him, now he helps write rules for surveillance  [https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article26270491.html] * ACLU: Fighting for Transparency [https://www.aclu.org/news/national-security/fighting-transparency] * Wall Street Journal: Judge Questions Tools That Grab Cellphone Data on Innocent People [https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-DGB-25212]  * ACLU website [https://www.aclu.org/] * EFF website [https://www.eff.org/] . Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson [https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG] Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1798209377]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L9LI7y1rcLVeNEbuUsgCq?si=30O1lE3LSpO8erTD5ov7Xg] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!

In 2014, the US government chose not to take a massive, rock-solid tax fraud case to trial. But why? This episode kicks off the tale of Daniel Rigmaiden, a hacker who exploited a legal loophole to regain his freedom. Find out how Rigmaiden's method for online connection, his Air Card, was both his downfall and his salvation. Take a deep dive into the data cell providers collect, how they share it with law enforcement, and the Fourth Amendment's role in protecting privacy. And tune in for Part II, where the real drama unfolds. 01:02 The Rise of a Hacker 03:04 The Air Card: A Game Changer 08:17 How Cell Providers Track You 10:46 The Fourth Amendment and Your Privacy 18:33 The Stingray: A Controversial Surveillance Tool Resources * Fourth Amendment Primer [https://pacificlegal.org/fourth-amendment-primer] * United States of America v. Daniel David Rigmaiden, Government’s Response to Defendant’s Motion to Suppress [https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/rigmaiden_-_govt_response_to_motion_to_suppress.pdf] * Video: Daniel Rigmaiden at Aaron Swartz Day 2017 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWgS1Q21SCU] . Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson [https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG] Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1798209377]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L9LI7y1rcLVeNEbuUsgCq?si=30O1lE3LSpO8erTD5ov7Xg] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!