DeepSummary
Brett Johnson, a former cybercriminal known as the 'Original Internet Godfather' by the US Secret Service, shares his life story of building the first organized cybercrime community called ShadowCrew, which was the precursor to today's darknet and darknet markets. He discusses his traumatic childhood, being raised by a mother who was a criminal, and how he fell into a life of cybercrime, including phishing, credit card fraud, and tax return identity theft schemes.
Johnson describes the operations of ShadowCrew, the trust mechanisms established among cybercriminals, and the eventual arrest and dismantling of the community by the Secret Service. He also talks about his time in prison, the challenges he faced upon release, and his eventual redemption through the help of law enforcement, his wife, and companies that gave him a chance to work legally.
Johnson provides insights into the mindset of cybercriminals, the importance of trust and networking in their communities, and the role of social engineering in their attacks. He also offers advice on how companies and individuals can better defend against cybercrime, emphasizing the need for information sharing, addressing known vulnerabilities, and understanding the motivations and attack vectors of criminals.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Brett Johnson's life story highlights the importance of trust and networking among cybercriminals, as well as the role of social engineering in their attacks.
- Companies and individuals need to prioritize addressing known vulnerabilities and share information more effectively to defend against cybercrime.
- Understanding the motivations and attack vectors of cybercriminals is crucial for developing effective defense strategies.
- Johnson's redemption journey emphasizes the importance of second chances and the potential for personal growth and transformation.
- Cybercrime can have a dehumanizing effect, but finding purpose in helping others can provide a path towards redemption.
- Effective cybersecurity requires a diverse set of tools and making it cost-prohibitive for criminals to target a particular company.
- While technical vulnerabilities are important, social engineering and human factors play a significant role in successful cyberattacks.
- Cooperation and concern for others are essential for addressing complex issues like cybersecurity and promoting a more hopeful future.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I'll tell you what. I'm sitting here. I appreciate you talking to me. I do. Because, you know, I'm talking about. About that relationship and everything. It's really been this kind of realization for me on a lot of things. So I really appreciate you asking those questions and everything, maybe able to talk about that.“ by Brett Johnson
- “What gives me hope is you see people working together. Covid's have been a little bit different because I think too many people wanted to play politics with it.“ by Brett Johnson
- “Biggest lesson I've learned, you want your life to be one where you're helping people and not hurting people. And that really hit me the first time I walked into Quantico. You know, you see the. The brightest minds in the United States who give up a lot of money, the opportunities of a lot of money, because they believe in helping people. Where I spent a career just hurting and harming individuals, that's. That's a hell of a lesson, and I'm glad I'm there, but I would tell people out there, you know, it's fine to want money. It's fine to do that. It's fine to test systems. It's fine to circumvent the rules. If you're not breaking the law, it's fine to do all that. I like doing that. All right? But if you can just adhere to the mindset of helping people and not hurting people, I think you'll be all right.“ by Brett Johnson
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Episode Information
Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman
3/27/22
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EPISODE LINKS:
Brett's Twitter: https://twitter.com/GOllumfun
Brett's Website: https://anglerphish.com
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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
(08:47) - Early years
(43:05) - Phishing and social engineering
(1:01:09) - SolarWinds cyberattack
(1:06:56) - Future social engineering fears
(1:09:37) - Early cybercrimes
(1:22:10) - Cybercrime entrepreneurship
(1:25:39) - ShadowCrew
(1:56:42) - Dark web
(2:05:29) - ShadowCrew arrested
(2:17:28) - Cybercrime
(2:22:34) - Love
(2:54:39) - Prison
(3:22:50) - Life after prison
(3:44:39) - Advice for young people
(3:46:03) - Hope for the future
(3:49:32) - Meaning of life