I listen to a lot of podcasts and (shock horror) have only recently got Netflix which gave me the idea for this blog.
As things are pretty weird in the world currently here’s some ideas to take your mind off the madness!
Podcasts
Little tip on podcasts, I listen to mine at 1.2 x speed, it does get a bit weird when I meet people in real life and they don’t speak that fast, but listening at that speed for me helps get it into my brain easier otherwise some podcasts do sound a little drawn out!
A Whisper in Darkness
Feed link : https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06spb8w/episodes/player
This was a recommendation to me and boy-oh-boy it did not disappoint. This is one of those, big headphones, comfy chair, calm room, blanket and a brew with biscuits. Definitely do not listen to this one when going for a walk in the dark in a remote part of the UK (Stuart never learns!!). This is a HP Lovecraft spooky story told in a fabulous modern way with some great twists and enough leap out of the seat moments that will make you go back for more. Not an infosec one … but is brilliant.
Darknet Diaries
Feed link : https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/
Jack has an amazing voice and he really has some cool interviews. There’s just over 60 episodes to catch up on at about an hour each. Most recent one to listen to – ep. 59 – The Courthouse.
Hackable?
Feed link : https://hackablepodcast.com/episodes
I really love this show from McAfee – although they haven’t produced any in 2020 which I am gutted about. To be fair, the abuse that Geoff has inflicted in his digital life, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t in therapy!
The Human Factor
Feed link : http://hfactor.libsyn.com/rss
Jenny is a good friend anyway, but this is a different kind of podcast in that it doesn’t talk about tech but focuses on the human side of stuff (also I was on one of the episodes!).
Malicious Life
Feed link : https://malicious.life/feed/podcast/
Interesting podcast covering the history of viruses, malicious software, ransomware with some great guest presenters. A very clear and concise podcast – my favourite is the Max Headroom Signal Hijack.
Smashin Security
Feed link : https://www.smashingsecurity.com/rss
With or without the trailing G, Graham Cluley and Carole have a brilliant podcast formula here. From amazing guests, Mutley’s laugh, funny stories and the famous “pick of the week” it really is everything you need from an infosec podcast. Probably my favourite thing about this podcast is how the team and guest bounce off each other – great banter and Carole is always right unless it’s about chess in which case, Graham is always right.
Strong Songs
Feed link : http://strongsongspodcast.com/rss
OK, now this is a good curve ball. Start at episode one. Seriously, don’t just jump in, go back to the beginning. Kirk Hamilton is going to walk you through amazing songs and deconstruct them as to how they work, how the instruments and voices (and occasionally fire extinguishers) interact to create some of the most amazing tunes we all know. If you are a musician, you will love the episodes where he talks about Chords, Rhythm and Harmony.
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Feed link : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snr0w/episodes/downloads.rss
Hilarious scientific podcast based on the BBC Radio 4 comedy show. I love this podcast for some downtime. Generally the panel is Robert Ince, Brian Cox, a couple of scientists and a comedian – what more do you need when you are talking about background radiation of the universe!! There’s a recent episode about conspiracy theories which is really interesting especially if you think about fake news… really makes you think!
The Social-Engineer Podcast
Feed link : http://socialengineer.libsyn.com/rss
For those with even a glib interest in Social Engineering then treat this podcast as your ‘how-to’ lecture series. For those new to it, start back at episode one and go through them all. Take notes (a lot of them) and learn. This is an amazing series and the guests are just amazing. Dreeke, FBI agents, radio DJs – the list seems endless!
You’re dead to me
Feed link : https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07mdbhg/episodes/player
iTunes link
Again, not an infosec one, but one that will really get your brain going. The main podcaster is from Horrible Histories (so expect this to be well researched and rather fun!) and features an expert on the topic and a comedian. Some great ones in here – favourites so far are The Witch Craze and Mary Shelley and I need to go back and listen to the one on Lord Byron. You;ll learn so much more than you ever did in those boring history lessons all in 45 minutes!
TV Series and Films
New one for the list is TV Series and Films! I won’t link to them but here is a list of video content I’d recommend that also has some infosec relation where I can.
Catch Me If You Can
The story of Frank Abagnale is just amazing and what this movie shows to me is how hard it is when you are on a criminal path to actually stop. Great movie about social engineering and the power of persuasion.
Hackers (1, 2 and 3)
This is a binge-watch night in. great series of films, Hackers 2 (Takedown) is loosely based on the attempt to capture Kevin Mitnick and Hackers 3 is just plain bonkers!
Imitation Game
OK, promise me you will do something before you watch this film, you promise? Go to Bletchley Park for a day out and then go to the National Museum of Computing too on the same day. Then you can watch this film. Only then do you get a real understanding as to
Italian Job
Great infosec movie, you see how the bad guys plan it, you see the infrastructure attack on the traffic system, we see the politics involved in crime. Great movie (with some great cars to be fair!!). It’s a classic movie, but with that infosec twist.
Nerve
I came across this one by accident on Netflix and was really pleasantly impressed. There’s an app with dares that you get paid to do … the further in the game you go, the bigger the dares, the bigger the pay-out. You know that this app is probably already out there in the real world.
Scorpion
OK before we start, this show sucks. No, it really does! So why am I recommending it? Well, try watching it and think of it as some parody of the infosec world written as a bad comedy. Like someone is trying to have a joke at the infosec world’s expense and actually it is really very funny.
Sneakers
Wow, awesome movie. This has about every concept in it you can think of, it’s a great demonstration of why in this day and age, lateral thinking is more important than technical skill. Love this movie so much, good storyline, great comedy moment, fabulous acting, tech is just not quite believable enough which makes it even more fun.
War Games
No good movie list is complete without having War Games on there. In this world where everything is connected including the defence computers, this movie is a great example of what happens when the criminal gets in (even if that criminal is a kid). I think my spin on this is the AI – we now line in an AI world and what if the AI doesn’t want to be behind firewalls and security but instead is sentient enough to want to connect outwards even if it is to just play tic-tac-toe? Also remember, there was once a time when all we had was phone-couplers … Movie trivia, there is a War Games 2 out there.
UPDATE:
After posting this, I came across this list : https://cybersecurityventures.com/movies-about-cybersecurity-and-hacking/
Hope that is of use to someone?
And there we have it – hopefully that will keep you entertained for a few weeks ! If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me a line and I’ll take a look or have a listen.
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