The Cyber Weapons Arms Race
Science & Technology
•
52m
Zero day: a software bug that allows a hacker to break into your devices and move around undetected. One of the most coveted tools in a spy's arsenal, a zero day has the power to silently spy on your iPhone, dismantle the safety controls at a chemical plant, alter an election, and shut down the electric grid (just ask the Ukraine).
For decades, under cover of classification levels and non-disclosure agreements, the United States government became the world's dominant hoarder of zero days. U.S. government agents paid top dollar-first thousands, and later millions of dollars- to hackers willing to sell their lock-picking code and their silence.
Then the United States lost control of its hoard and the market. In this week's episode Nicole Perlroth of The New York Times speaks with Josh Glancy about her new book on the dangers and risks of the new world of cyber weapons and the potential catastrophic consequences.
To find out more about the book click here: https://amzn.to/3rbatKu
Up Next in Science & Technology
-
Calling Out Bad Science and Junk Data
Politicians are unconstrained by facts. Science is conducted by press release. Start-up culture elevates hype to high art. The world is awash in bullshit, and we're drowning in it.
Based on their popular course at the University of Washington, Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West give us the tools to s...
-
Break Up The Tech Giants
It is time to call the tech companies to account. In the space of just ten years, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft have become the biggest companies on the planet and have accrued a level of power that threatens us all. They control our data, warp our democratic discourse, and exert ...
-
The Hidden Language of Trees with Suz...
In May 2021 world renowned scientist Suzanne Simard came to Intelligence Squared to share the secrets of a lifetime spent uncovering startling truths about trees. As she explains in her new book, Finding the Mother Tree, Simard did not set out to be a scientist. She was working in the forest serv...