By now there should be no manager or owner in the radio industry thinking, ‘it could never happen to me.” We’ve reported on several radio companies that have been hacked by those lurking on the dark side of the Internet. If you’re not prepared for a cyber attack, it will cost you time, money and a lot of aggravation, when it does happen.
Steve Morgan has been involved in cybersecurity since before that term was coined. In the mid-1980’s he co-founded a systems integration company installing networks for banks, universities, hospitals, and law firms in the New York metro area and south Florida. He went on to work for anti-virus company McAfee. Today, as the founder of Cybersecurity Ventures, Morgan is right in the thick of the battle to keep companies safe from cybercriminals. He’s also Editor-in-Chief of Cybercrime Magazine and recently launched Cybercrime Radio.
Morgan will be a guest speaker at Radio Ink’s Forecast 2022 in New York City next month. Here’s a preview of what attendees will hear about.
Radio Ink: What are your thoughts on what happened to Facebook?
Steve Morgan: It’s a difficult balancing act to provide the world’s largest social media property with the cybersecurity and privacy that every user is entitled to. There are so many angles to this. We’ve reported on this mainly through interviews with other people with first-hand experience – a college student who proved that Facebook is following him (and all of us), the smart glasses they recently co-developed with Ray-Ban, and the controversy around kids online safety. We try to be fair and balanced and there is a lot to consider.
Radio Ink: How many companies pay ransom to get their data back?
Steve Morgan: Too many companies are still paying. In my opinion, by default, companies should not pay. But, each situation is different and there is a valid argument to pay in some cases. For instance, if a rural hospital is hit with ransomware, and their oncology and other medical equipment is down, and there are patients requiring treatment and the nearest hospital as an alternative is too far away – this is different than a company who might decide to pay a ransom because it is the most convenient way to get their data back. We need to be very careful not to motivate cybercriminals by paying ransoms. In general, I encourage businesses to look to the FBI and law enforcement for guidance and never take matters into their own hands.
Radio Ink: Tell us the story behind Cybercrime Radio.
Steve Morgan: Around 2 years ago we launched what has become our fastest growing media – the Cybercrime Radio podcast, which now has more than 650 episodes. Although it is a podcast, we were after a radio feel and that is reflected in the variety of topics, guests, and style of the podcast. It’s a mashup of many different series. It has grown from around 1,000 plays per month, to more than 50,000 plays per month, in that time. The feedback has been great and our audience can’t get enough. High profile repeat guests have included Frank Abagnale, who was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “Catch Me If You Can”, Robert Herjavec, a Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank, Craig Newmark, billionaire philanthropist and founder of craigslist, Kevin Mitnick, the world’s most famous hacker, high ranking law enforcement figures from 3-letter agencies, ex-cybercriminals, and victims of cybercrime. Cybercrime Radio, the internet radio station, seemed like the natural next step for us – to provide our audience with round-the-clock programming. The station launched on Jul. 15 and it’s off to a great start and we have a full-time staff devoted to it.
We’ll have more on the topic of cybercrime with Steve Morgan in our November 8th issue, which you can subscribe to HERE. And, Steve will be interviewed by WABC’s Julie Huddy at Radio Ink’s Forecast 2022 in New York City on November 16th. See the full agenda HERE. Register HERE.
