While still working on my doctorate, I haven’t had much time for updating the blog. However, I have decided I need to add something new to this site if I’m going to keep it at all. One thing I have had time for is listening to podcasts on my daily commute which comes to an hour for the round trip. I don’t manage my podcast descriptions on an app that allows for reviews, but there are a few great podcasts that I thought I’d share, with the hopes of bringing more listeners to these great shows.
Darknet Diaries is one of the better podcasts I’ve been listening to lately. The podcast is developed by Jack Rhysider, whose narration is very pleasing to listen to. Jack speaks with a pleasant soft voice, and also an excitement about the stories. Jack manages to slowly weave out a story about a hack or a penetration test while explaining the more interesting details, and why they are interesting. Often, Jack will have the voices of the hackers injecting their side of the story into the narrative, turning what could be simple interviews into interesting stories.
As an introduction, I would recommend Episode 40: No Parking, where a group of penetration testers manage to hack their way into several different buildings owned by the same company. One of my favorite parts of this podcast is where the red team finds an unlocked garage with the key box unlocked as well. They drive a dozen company vehicles down the street to an empty parking lot. This episode is full of laughs and excitement, but a few are a bit darker. Episode 54: NotPetya is the story about a massive cryptovirus that managed to take down most of the country of Ukraine. Not just the government’s IT infrastructure, but banks and hospitals as well. Imagine a whole country not being able to use debit cards, nor access ATMs.
Jack also has a loyal following on Reddit with his own subreddit for Darknet Diaries. Here, listeners discuss different episodes of the podcast. Occasionally, Jack even responds to comments, which isn’t something that I see often for podcasts. His fans are appreciative of Jack’s attention to his audience.
If you are looking for that mixture of interesting stories combined with technical detail, Darknet Diaries is the podcast you should download.