Risky Business Stories Podcast
April 03, 2026
How the World Got Owned Episode 2: The 1990s, Part One
Presented by
Producer and Editor
CEO and Publisher
In this special documentary episode, Patrick Gray and Amberleigh Jack take a look back at hacking throughout the 1990s, from the feel-good vibes of the early hacking communities to the antics of young hackers who wound up on the run from the FBI.
Part one features recollections from:
- Jeff Moss (The Dark Tangent), DefCon and Black Hat founder
- Chris Wysopal (Weld Pond), L0pht member, co-founder, @Stake
- Kevin Poulsen (Dark Dante), 1990s hacker turned journalist
- Elias Levy (Aleph One), author of Smashing the Stack for Fun and Profit, Phrack, 1996
How the World Got Owned is produced in partnership with SentinelOne.
Brought to you by SentinelOne
Advanced Enterprise Cyber Security AI Platform
Show notes
Elias Levy (Aleph1), Former Principle Engineer, Google
Chris Wysopal, @Stake founder, L0pht member
Hackers testifying at the United States Senate, May 19, 1998
Hackers May ‘Net’ Good PR for Studio
A Not So Terribly Brief History of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Innocent Hackers Want Their Computers Back
Breakdowns in Computer Security
Unsolved Mysteries, Season 3, Episode 4
Justia appeal summary, Kevin Poulsen, 1994
Smashing the Stack for Fun and Profit, Phrack Magazine, November 1996
From subversives to CEOs: How radical hackers built today’s cybersecurity industry