Episode 1209 · Jan 28, 2006 · 2h 29m
January 28, 2006: Pole Shift - Lloyd Stewart Carpenter | Computer-Related Topics - Kevin Mitnick
Key Moments
Open transcriptArt asks listeners not to call with condolencesArt explains he is using the show to get away from grief for four hours and asks the audience to refrain from calling in with condolences for Ramona.
Pole shift could wipe the planet cleanArt frames the Lloyd Stewart Carpenter interview by warning that a pole shift may not just flip north and south - it could wipe all life from the planet.
Carpentera magnetic reversal would kill electronics: Carpenter argues a simultaneous magnetic-field reversal is more dangerous than the pole shift itself, citing Peter Warlow's claim that everything electrical would lose power and run with reversed polarity.
Mitnick defines social engineeringKevin Mitnick explains social engineering as using manipulation, deception, and influence to get a person to release passwords or visit a malicious website that exploits a client-side browser vulnerability.
Mitnick on his own hacker mindsetAsked to profile a hacker, Mitnick speaks for himself: he wasn't after money - he was after the intellectual challenge, the seduction of danger, and being somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.
In the second half, legendary hacker Kevin Mitnick discusses the growing threat of botnets and zombie computer armies. He explains how malicious software turns ordinary computers into drones controlled through IRC channels, enabling spam distribution and denial-of-service attacks. Kevin reveals that social engineering remains the most effective hacking tool, describing scenarios where simple phone calls or planted CDs compromise entire corporate networks.
Kevin and Art debate NSA domestic surveillance, with both admitting they would likely authorize such monitoring if they were president despite constitutional concerns. They also discuss zero-day exploits, the possibility of government operatives embedding vulnerabilities in commercial software, and whether online banking carries acceptable risks for consumers.
Guest Library
Books by These Guests
Selected titles from the guest bibliography. Use them as context for this appearance, not required listening.

Ocean Floor Mysteries: The Amazing Mystery of the Great FACE on the Pacific Ocean Floor
1999

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