January 28, 2006: Computer-Related Topics - Kevin Mitnick #124; Pole Shift - Lloyd Carpenter

Kevin Mitnick , the world's most famous former hacker, explores the dark side of cyberspace with Art. What invisible armies of compromised computers threaten our digital civilization? Mitnick reveals the shocking reality of botnets, massive networks of hijacked computers controlled by cyber-criminals who profit from digital chaos. He explains how unsuspecting victims become unwilling soldiers in virtual armies, their machines transformed into weapons for distributed attacks, spam campaigns, and identity theft. The conversation exposes the vulnerability of our computerized infrastructure, from power grids to nuclear facilities, and examines whether our critical systems are truly protected from sophisticated attackers. Mitnick discusses social engineering techniques, the psychology of hackers, and the cat-and-mouse game between security researchers and malicious actors. They explore zero-day vulnerabilities, government cyber-warfare capabilities, and the disturbing ease with which critical systems can be compromised. The first hour also features Lloyd Carpenter discussing catastrophic pole shift scenarios and biblical end times prophecy. Art and his guests examine whether humanity faces existential threats from both natural disasters and our own technological creations. This sobering episode reveals how our increasing dependence on vulnerable computer systems may have created the tools of our own potential destruction.