One of the top keynote speakers on cybersecurity, Kevin Mitnick, discussed the latest in technology and how we can protect our assets and identity in the sophisticated and evolving world of cybercrime. Mitnick said he began his computer hacking career in high school in the 1980s by writing a program that simulated logging into the actual school network so that his teacher and other students couldn't tell the difference. After that, Mitnick said he "got hooked" and began challenging himself to penetrate more elaborate systems. He was finally caught 14 years later by the FBI. He pointed out that when he started, there were actually no laws against hacking.
Now, Mitnick noted, "not a day goes by where you don't hear of a breach" of some private database. He added that the newest threat to groups and individuals is what is called "ransomware," which scrambles the owner's data and will not unscramble it until a ransom is paid in bitcoin, which the hackers will tell the victim how to buy. If the party doesn't pay, the data is lost forever. Mitnick also warned of developments in quantum computing, which will be so far in advance of the systems now in place that they will be able to crack security in a matter of minutes or seconds. Mitnick cautioned that many hackers will gain access to data by telling the target that they will "lose something" such as money, access, or even prestige, and this forces people to reveal sensitive information.
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In part two, Coast to Coast AM investigative reporter Cheryll Jones presented two interviews. James Anglin described a harrowing saga of his father possibly being used in clandestine medical testing following WWII. After seeing a 1994 US News cover story on "Cold War Guinea Pigs," Anglin recalled that "everything seemed to click" about his father's constant health problems and his early death at age 48. Anglin has found records indicating his father was subjected to massive doses of penicillin and high doses of radiation. He reported that all seven direct descendants of his father had "more than their fair share" of health issues, and he has had prematurely white hair since the age of 13, as well as four corneal transplants. He believes that his father was subjected to this experimentation because the authorities assumed he wouldn't fight back or even realize what had happened to him as he was from a rural area and had little formal education.
Jones' second story concerned reports of a "werewolf" or "Dogman"-type creature sighted near the town of Sharp's Chapel in East Tennessee. She interviewed Jason Davis, who says he encountered the strange and frightening creature while out looking for wandering horses on his property. Davis sensed that "something was following me" and soon observed an apparent animal that was approximately 5 feet tall at the shoulders, and "8-10 feet" when it stood up on its hind legs. Davis shot it with a rifle, and it rolled down an embankment, making "a sound that would make the hair on your neck stand up." Another creature arrived soon afterward and chased him back home. Jones remarked that Davis never thought he'd talk publicly about this, she hopes that others will come forward with their sightings. In the last hour, she answered questions from the listeners and George. Related images.
News segment guests: Peter Breggin, Howard Bloom