Easy Prey

Identity theft is usually framed as an external threat. Hackers, data breaches, anonymous criminals operating somewhere far away. This episode looks at a much harder reality to face: identity theft that happens inside families, often quietly, over many years, and without immediate detection. The damage isn't just financial. It reshapes trust, relationships, and a person's sense of stability long before anyone realizes what's happening.
My guest is Axton Betz-Hamilton, an associate professor of financial counseling and planning whose research focuses on familial and child identity theft. Her work is deeply personal. As a teenager, Axton discovered her own credit had been destroyed before she ever had a chance to build it, the result of identity theft that began when she was a child. Years later, she uncovered the truth behind who was responsible and how multiple generations were affected.
We talk about how familial identity theft works, why it's so difficult to detect, and what recovery really looks like when the person who caused the harm was someone you trusted. The conversation covers the long road to rebuilding credit, the emotional fallout that often gets overlooked, and the practical steps people can take to protect themselves and their children before damage is done.
Show Notes:
[02:15] Axton Betz-Hamilton explains how her parents' identities were stolen in the early 1990s, before consumers had legal protections.
[03:50] Discovering a 10-page credit report at age 19 and realizing her financial life was damaged before it began.
[05:45] What it's like to learn your credit score is in the second percentile nationwide and why that realization changes everything.
[07:10] How early frustration with identity theft shaped Axton's academic path and research focus.
[09:05] The moment evidence surfaced pointing to a family member as the source of the identity theft.
[10:45] Uncovering decades of fraudulent accounts affecting multiple generations within one family.
[12:50] How grief abruptly shifted into investigation after learning the truth about who caused the harm.
[15:20] The long, two-track process of disputing fraudulent credit while slowly rebuilding legitimate credit history.
[17:40] Why some fraudulent accounts had to age off credit reports instead of being removed.
[19:05] How isolation and manipulation can allow familial identity theft to continue undetected for years.
[21:55] Exploring possible motivations behind the theft and how financial behaviors can repeat across generations.
[23:10] The simplest way to detect identity theft is by regularly checking all three credit reports.
[24:30] Why freezing your credit is one of the most effective and underused protection tools.
[26:05] The importance of freezing children's credit to prevent damage that may not surface until adulthood.
[28:00] How modern tools like IRS identity PINs reduce the risk of tax-related identity theft.
[30:15] Using E-Verify freezes to prevent identity theft tied to employment and income.
[33:10] The emotional impact of familial identity theft and why boundaries are often necessary for healing.
[35:00] How family systems fracture when some members believe the victim and others defend the offender.
[36:40] Why mental health support is a critical part of recovery, not an optional one.
[38:00] The Identity Theft Resource Center as a comprehensive support option for victims navigating recovery.
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Axton Betz-Hamilton - South Dakota State University
Axton Betz-Hamilton - LinkedIn
Axton Betz-Hamiliton - Facebook
Identity Theft Resource Center
Annual Credit Report
IRS - Identity Pin
E-Verify

Security failures rarely come from cutting-edge attacks or sophisticated tools. They happen in ordinary moments when someone holds a door, follows an instruction without questioning it, or finds a workaround that makes their day easier. Those small, human decisions are often the real entry points, and they tend to compound over time. This episode picks up the second half of our conversation on exploiting trust with FC Barker, a veteran ethical hacker and physical security expert known for legally breaking into banks, government buildings, and high-security facilities around the world.
With more than 30 years of experience, FC explains why human behavior, not technology, is consistently the weakest link in security, and how his success in physical breaches almost always depends on people trying to be helpful rather than malicious. The stories he shares range from quietly unsettling to darkly funny, but they all point to the same pattern: security controls fail when they don't account for how people actually work.
The discussion goes deeper into why trust, politeness, and unquestioned compliance undermine defenses, how workplace culture encourages risky shortcuts, and what actually helps reduce risk without fear, blame, or expensive overengineering.
Show Notes:
[00:00] FC explains why most physical security breaches succeed because someone is trying to be helpful, not because of technical skill.
[02:07] His background in cybersecurity and how physical security testing grew out of traditional penetration testing work.
[04:26] Why trauma and hypervigilance can sharpen situational awareness in security professionals.
[08:55] Early physical security failures are discussed, including poorly placed cameras and people casually sharing sensitive information.
[11:06] FC explains how security controls that interfere with work often lead employees to find unsafe workarounds.
[13:24] A story illustrates how even air-gapped systems fail when people move data for convenience.
[15:32] Trust and rule-following culture are explored as major contributors to physical access failures.
[16:40] FC shares how his near-perfect success rate comes from people helping him gain access without questioning authority.
[17:08] He recounts an incident where employees helped him remove multiple computers from a secure building.
[19:40] A failed engagement is described where internal resistance led to police being called unnecessarily.
[24:00] FC tells the story of accessing a vault and removing a gold bar during a test unknown to senior executives.
[26:53] The preparation required for high-risk physical tests, including staged kidnappings, is explained.
[31:50] Practical advice begins with learning to think like an attacker when assessing your own home or workplace.
[34:02] Situational awareness is discussed as a key deterrent against both physical crime and social engineering.
[36:13] FC explains why security cameras are more useful for investigation than prevention, especially in offices.
[37:41] Camera placement mistakes are covered, including mounting cameras within easy reach.
[39:06] The importance of not advertising valuables or security measures is emphasized.
[41:30] FC discusses personal vigilance and why monitoring finances and subscriptions matters.
[44:00] His book How I Rob Banks is discussed, including the real stories and lessons it contains.
[46:06] FC explains how his company chooses clients and why culture change is a major part of their work.
[50:29] Security improves when systems are designed around real human behavior.
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Cygenta
Dr. Jessica Barker
FC aka Freakyclown - LinkedIn
How I Rob Banks: And Other Such Places

Most security failures don't start with a dramatic breach or a mysterious hacker sitting in a dark room. They usually start quietly. Someone assumes a system is locked down. Someone trusts that a door shouldn't open, or that a machine "just works," or that no one would ever think to look there. Over time, those small assumptions stack up, and that's where things tend to go wrong.
Today's guest is FC Barker, a renowned ethical hacker, social engineer, and global keynote speaker with more than three decades of experience legally breaking into organizations to expose their blind spots. Formerly the head of offensive cybersecurity research at Raytheon and now co-founder of cybersecurity firm Cygenta, FC is also the author of How I Robbed Banks, a book packed with true stories from the field.
In this conversation, FC shares what he's learned from decades of breaking into places he was hired to protect. The stories range from funny to unsettling, but they all point to the same pattern: technology usually isn't the weakest link. People are. From outdated systems that can't be replaced to everyday workplace habits that quietly invite risk, this episode offers a grounded look at how intrusions really happen and what actually makes environments safer.
Show Notes:
[03:06] FC grew up before cybersecurity existed and learned computers when manuals were thicker than the machines themselves.
[05:27] How early internet culture shifted from curiosity-driven exploration to the rise of malicious actors.
[07:15] Why inviting external testers to break into your systems was once an unthinkable idea and how that changed.
[09:35] The danger of internal blind spots and why external validation is often more valuable than internal confidence.
[10:46] Unexpected discoveries during penetration tests, including systems no one remembered were even running.
[12:23] Choosing unusual, esoteric security projects and why unconventional systems often hide the biggest risks.
[12:50] A real-world operation that involved reverse-engineering hardware to shut down power infrastructure in seconds.
[16:29] One of the easiest break-ins ever happens accidentally, proving how fragile some systems really are.
[17:21] The most common technical failure seen across organizations: poor network segmentation.
[18:36] How a routine internal scan accidentally knocked an entire country's banking connection offline.
[20:04] A bank unknowingly runs its internal network on an IP range owned by the U.S. Department of Defense.
[21:43] A mysterious daily network outage turns out to be caused by a single employee's music collection.
[23:07] Plugging into a forgotten network switch triggers a fire during a government penetration test.
[25:15] Why penetration testers are often blamed first even when nothing has been touched yet.
[26:25] Discovering malicious insider code planted by coordinated nation-state actors.
[29:41] Why some outdated systems must remain untouched and why "just update everything" isn't realistic.
[33:15] Implanting covert hardware inside everyday office devices to gain persistent network access.
[35:01] How avoiding people altogether is often the most effective form of social engineering.
[37:10] Why attackers move from the top floors down and how authority bias works without a single word spoken.
[38:35] Clothing, context, and small visual cues that instantly make people assume you belong.
[42:26] A penetration test derailed by an unexpected office costume day—and why randomness can be a defense.
[44:33] A simple exercise anyone can use to start thinking like an attacker by examining their own home.
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Cygenta
Dr. Jessica Barker
FC aka Freakyclown - LinkedIn
How I Rob Banks: And Other Such Places

A ransomware attack doesn't always announce itself with flashing warnings and locked screens. Sometimes it starts with a quiet system outage, a few unavailable servers, and a sinking realization days later that the threat actors were already inside. This conversation pulls back the curtain on what really happens when an organization believes it's dealing with routine failures only to discover it's facing a full-scale cyber extortion event.
My guest today is Zachary Lewis, CIO and CISO for a Midwest university, a 40 Under 40 Business Leader, and a former Nonprofit CISO of the Year. Zachary shares the inside story of a LockBit ransomware attack that unfolded while his team was still building foundational security controls, forcing real-time decisions about recovery, disclosure, negotiations, and whether paying a ransom was even an option.
We talk about the shame that keeps many cyber incidents hidden, the emotional weight leaders carry during these moments, and the practical realities that don't show up in tabletop exercises from buying bitcoin to restoring systems when password managers are encrypted. It's an honest, grounded discussion about resilience, preparedness, and why sharing these stories openly may be one of the most important defenses organizations have.
Show Notes:
[04:05] Zachary Lewis explains why the absence of an immediate ransom note delayed suspicion of an attack.
[06:00] The first technical indicators suggest something more serious is unfolding.
[07:45] Discovering encrypted hypervisors and realizing recovery won't be straightforward.
[09:30] Zachary outlines when data exfiltration became a real concern.
[11:05] Receiving the LockBit ransomware note confirms the organization has been compromised.
[12:55] The 4:30 a.m. phone call pushes leadership into full crisis mode.
[14:40] Zachary reflects on managing fear, responsibility, and decision fatigue mid-incident.
[16:20] Executive expectations collide with technical realities during the breach.
[18:05] Why "doing most things right" still doesn't guarantee protection.
[19:55] Cyber insurance begins shaping early response decisions.
[21:35] Bringing in incident response teams and legal counsel under tight timelines.
[23:20] Zachary describes working with the FBI and understanding jurisdictional limits.
[25:10] What law enforcement can and cannot realistically provide during ransomware events.
[26:50] Opening communication channels with the threat actors.
[28:35] The psychological pressure behind ransomware negotiations.
[30:10] Attacker-imposed timelines force rapid, high-stakes decisions.
[31:55] Zachary walks through the practical challenges of acquiring cryptocurrency.
[33:40] Why encrypted password managers created unexpected recovery barriers.
[35:15] Determining which systems could be restored first—and which could not.
[37:00] Lessons learned about backup integrity and offline recovery.
[38:45] The importance of clear internal communication during uncertainty.
[40:25] Balancing transparency with legal and reputational concerns.
[42:10] How staff reactions differed from executive responses.
[43:55] Zachary discusses the stigma that keeps many ransomware incidents quiet.
[45:40] Why sharing breach stories can strengthen collective defenses.
[47:20] MFA gaps and configuration issues exposed by the attack.
[49:05] Why tabletop exercises fall short of real-world incidents.
[50:50] Long-term security changes made after recovery.
[52:30] Zachary offers advice for CISOs facing their first major incident.
[54:10] What preparedness really means beyond compliance checklists.
[56:00] Why resilience and recovery deserve equal priority.
[58:30] Final reflections on leadership, accountability, and learning in public.
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Zachary Lewis - The Homesteading CISO
Zach Lewis - LinkedIn

Why do smart, capable people fall for scams even when the warning signs seem obvious in hindsight? In this episode, Dan Ariely joins us to examine how intuition often leads us in the wrong direction, especially under stress, uncertainty, or emotional pressure. A renowned behavioral economist, longtime professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, and bestselling author of Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, Misbehaving, and Misbelief, Dan has spent decades studying why rational people consistently make choices that don't serve them.
 We talk about the deeply human forces that shape how we decide who to trust, and how easily those instincts can be exploited in high-stakes situations involving fraud, financial loss, and digital deception. Dan shares a deeply personal story about surviving severe burns and the long process of self-acceptance that followed, using his own experience to show how hiding, blending in, and social pressure quietly influence behavior in ways most of us never stop to question.
 We also explore why stress pushes people to search for patterns, stories, and a sense of control, even when those explanations aren't accurate. Dan explains how our minds operate like a "vintage Swiss Army knife," well suited for small, predictable communities but poorly equipped for modern risks like scams, cybersecurity threats, and low-probability, high-impact events. Topics include why near-misses teach the wrong lessons, why authority and urgency are so effective in manipulation, and why expecting people to be perfectly rational is a losing strategy. We also discuss practical ways to slow decisions down and bring in outside perspectives to help design safeguards that work with human nature.
Show Notes:
[01:52] Dan Ariely joins the episode to examine how human decision-making actually works under pressure.
[03:41] How intuition can point us in the wrong direction during moments of stress and uncertainty.
[05:26] Trust, authority, and urgency as core levers used in fraud and manipulation.
[07:12] When decisions feel overwhelming, the brain's tendency to rely on shortcuts.
[08:58] Dan explains why rational thinking often breaks down faster than we expect.
[10:34] Near-misses and how they quietly reinforce false confidence instead of caution.
[12:09] Why repeated exposure to risk doesn't necessarily make people better decision-makers.
[13:55] Stress-driven pattern seeking and the human need for explanation and control.
[15:32] Superstition, conspiracy thinking, and what they reveal about uncertainty tolerance.
[17:18] Why modern threats like scams and cybercrime confuse brains built for simpler environments.
[18:56] The "vintage Swiss Army knife" analogy and what it says about human cognition.
[20:41] Authority cues and why skepticism often disappears in the presence of perceived expertise.
[22:27] Slowing decisions down as one of the most reliable defenses against manipulation.
[24:13] Dan reflects on how behavioral economics challenged traditional models of rational choice.
[25:59] A personal story about surviving severe burns and the long path to self-acceptance.
[27:44] How hiding and blending in can quietly shape behavior and self-perception.
[29:31] Social pressure and its role in everyday compliance and risk-taking.
[31:16] Why vulnerability doesn't look the way people expect it to.
[33:02] Expecting perfect rationality and why that assumption consistently fails.
[34:47] Designing systems that account for human limits instead of ignoring them.
[36:33] The value of outside perspective when decisions carry real consequences.
[38:19] Practical ways individuals can reduce risk by changing how they decide.
[40:05] When slowing down matters more than having more information.
[41:52] Applying behavioral insights to fraud prevention and digital safety.
[43:38] Why better tools help, but mindset still plays a critical role.
[45:24] Final thoughts on working with human nature rather than fighting it.
[48:02] What listeners can take away about decision-making, risk, and self-awareness.
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Dan Ariely
Dan Ariely - LinkedIn
Books by Dan Ariely
Dan Ariely - YouTube