Tech Writer Kevin Roose Asks Hackers to Hack Him at DEFCON, and Quickly Regrets It

April 02, 2016

Tech Writer Kevin Roose Asks Hackers to Hack Him at DEFCON, and Quickly Regrets It

We came across this video recently that we absolutely had to share with the security conscious fans of our products. Technology writer and co-host of the TV show "Real Future" recently visited DefCon, which is an annual hacker convention in Las Vegas.

Curious to see just how bad things could get for the average person if they were hacked, he deliberately asked expert hackers to spend two weeks hacking him as thoroughly as they could, using all tools at their disposal. His only condition was that the hackers agree not to steal any personal information or money.

 

What Kevin found was extremely alarming; from a group of hackers called 'Social Engineers" who locked him out of his cell phone account with just a phone call, to a more traditional hacker who was taking pictures of Kevin through his computers camera every two minutes for two weeks, he was instantly shocked at how badly these people could ruin his life.

Of course, it was all in good fun (though probably not for Kevin) and when they were done, the hackers generously helped put Kevin's life back together. But the concept of how many ways a person can be hacked and have their personal information stolen has really reinforced the idea that you must be equipped with some sort of defense. Whether it is warding off intrusion attempts on your computer with Norton, or repelling thieves' RFID scanning attempts with a trusty Flipside RFID Blocking Wallet, every security measure counts.



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