Watch Now

Show Notes

On this episode of Hacker Valley Studio, hosts Ron and Chris speak with Alissa Knight, author of the book Hacking Connected Cars and self described “recovering hacker.” Their conversation covers content creation, API’s and hacking cars.

 

Alissa grew up in Seattle, Washington where there was a big art scene. She began building her own computers and running her own boards at an early age. She says a lot of people don’t know that she started out in the BBS scene back in the 90’s. At seventeen she hacked into a government network and was arrested. Eventually, the charges were dropped on a technicality and she went on to work for the US Intelligence Community in cyber warfare.

 

Alissa’s first start-up was a web design company where she ran a Lennox webserver around the time the teardrop attack in Lennox servers. The people she rented office space from were teardropping her web hosting server. She picked up a book on cyber security, and got introduced into the world of cyber security through necessity. She had a passion for finding vulnerabilities, and understanding things that were difficult to understand, which is what brought her to embedded systems. The rest she says is history.

 

As the episode ends, Alissa talks about her YouTube Channel, KnighTV. She says she’s always been an artist, and always wanted to do things at 200%. Her following is relatively new, at the beginning of 2019 she only had 4 followers on Twitter and now she’s passed the threshold to be part of the YouTube Partner Program. She wanted a cinematic experience for the viewer to stand out and not be just another video for the viewer. For anyone interested in getting started in being a breaker, she’s posted a couple videos on the topic, and explains there are many resources at their disposal. She says this line of work takes grit, and in her opinion a passion for reading.

 

2:08 - The episode and guest are introduced.

3:19 - Alissa gives an overview of her background.

6:29 - How Alissa’s career began.

10:16 - Do you have to program to hack?

14:26 - What led Alissa to hacking cars?

24:55 - Alissa explains what people get wrong about the red team.

29:25 - Alissa answers the question, “is there an unhackable device?”

36:54 - How KnightTV came into being.

41:08 - Alissa gives her advice on where to start getting into cyber security

 

Links:

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter

Follow Ronald Eddings on Twitter

Follow Chris Cochran on Twitter

Follow Alissa Knight on Twitter

Subscribe to Alissa’s YouTube Channel

Learn more about the season sponsor, RiskIQ

Recent Episodes

Sep 3, 2024

I Failed Over 300 Times Trying To Get Into Security ft. Joe South

Joe South is a testament to resilience, unconventional decisions, and finding success in unexpected places. If you’ve ever felt stuck in a rut or on the verge of giving up, Joe’s experience ...

Aug 27, 2024

Cybersecurity Challenges: AI, Burnout, and Insider Threats with ...

At Black Hat 2024, we sat down with Kayla Williams, Chief Information Security Officer at Devo, to discuss her career journey, the role of AI in cybersecurity, and the pervasive issue of burnout ...

Aug 16, 2024

Offensive Security: Unlocking Hidden ROI with Seemant Sehgal

In this episode, Ron sits down at Black Hat with guest Seemant Sehgal, Founder & CEO of BreachLock, to learn more about how offensive security, such as red teaming and pen testing, fits into ...

Aug 9, 2024

Black Hat 2024 Conference Pre-Game

In this episode, Ron and Jen welcome you to Vegas and discuss a little background on Black Hat and DEF CON and how to make the most of your time professionally. Impactful Moments: 00:00 - ...

Jul 30, 2024

The Present and Future of AI in Cyber

In this episode, Hosts Ron Eddings and Jen Langdon discuss questions about AI in Cyber. From the current state to where AI could be going, to resources to help you engage and up-level, there’s a ...

Jul 23, 2024

Leaving an Impression: Strategies for Captivating a Massive ...

In this episode, hosts Ron Eddings and Jen Langdon discuss the power of storytelling through various media. Whether your goal is to create video content, deliver keynotes on stage, or be ...

Jul 17, 2024

How Can I Best Proactively Secure My SaaS?

In this episode, Ron Eddings will explore the massive adaptation of SaaS applications and ways to tame the beast. Our guest Yoni Shohet, Co-Founder & CEO at Valence Security, will help ...

Jul 9, 2024

What We All Should Be Talking About When It Comes to AI and ...

In this episode, Host Ron Eddings is joined by guests Anirban Banerjee, CEO and Co-Founder at Riscosity, and James Berthoty, Founder and Analyst at Latio Tech. Together they focus on data ...

Jul 2, 2024

Navigating AI as a CISO with Whitney Palacios

In this episode, Host Ron Eddings catches up with one of his colleagues, Whitney Palacios, Vice President and CISO at BigBear.ai. They explore the challenges and responsibilities of being a CISO ...

Jun 26, 2024

The Power of AppSec, Cyber Education, and Friendship with Tanya ...

In this episode, Host Ron Eddings catches up with longtime friend, Tanya Janca, Head of Education and Community at SemGrep and author of 'Alice and Bob Learn Application Security.' Tanya shares ...

WORK WITH US

PODCASTS + SPEAKING + EVENTS

Are you the best kept secret in cybersecurity? Let's change that by partnering together for podcast ads, social campaigns, and your next event or keynote. Send us your details to get started.