This episode welcomes Ted Harrington, a celebrated ethical hacker, TED‑X keynote speaker, and executive partner at Independent Security Evaluators (ISE). With decades of real‑world experience hacking everything from iPhones and cars to medical devices, cryptocurrency platforms, and password managers, Ted brings unmatched expertise to our conversation. He's built a reputation for uncovering hidden vulnerabilities, helping clients such as Google, Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Disney, and Adobe to fix tens of thousands of security flaws—demonstrating why no system is truly unhackable.
In this episode, Ted walks us through his journey from early penetration testing to leading elite security research. We discuss the lessons from Ted's two influential books: Hackable: How to Do Application Security Right and Inner Hacker. Hackable guides developers, executives, and security teams through building threat models, finding and fixing vulnerabilities early in development, and integrating security into code and culture so organizations can earn trust—and sales. Inner Hacker delves deeper into the hacker mindset: how curiosity, creativity, and rule‑breaking thinking can be applied, not only to cybersecurity, but also to entrepreneurship and personal growth.
Finally, Ted reflects on his TED‑X talk "Why You Need to Think Like a Hacker" and delivers ideas from his keynote programs—inviting listeners of Cyber Distortion Podcast to embrace four hacker traits (curiosity, creativity, persistence, and nonconformity) and use them to out-think attackers, address novel threats like AI‑driven deepfakes, and build stronger systems and teams from inside out.
Tune in to enjoy a lively, illuminating mix of war stories, strategic insight, and actionable takeaways from one of the most trusted voices in ethical hacking today.
CITATIONS & LINKS:
🎙️ Official and Authoritative Links
- Ted Harrington's official website (home page) – the main hub for his bio, speaking, books, and more https://www.tedharrington.com
📚 Buy Ted's Books
- Purchase Hackable: How to Do Application Security Right on Amazon (ebook/print) – direct link for buying online https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/hacker-valley-studio-889742/episodes/think-like-a-hacker-solve-like-234696483?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Pre‑order Inner Hacker (anticipated Summer 2025) via official site waitlist page https://www.tedharrington.com/inner-hacker?utm_source=chatgpt.com
🎤 Talks and Keynotes
- "Why You Need to Think Like a Hacker" TED‑X Talk – video available via Ted's speaking page https://www.tedharrington.com/speaking?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Hacker Valley Studio episode: "Think Like a Hacker, Solve Like a Leader" featuring Ted Harrington – show notes & episode link from a popular cybersecurity podcast https://hackervalley.com/e/think-like-a-hacker-solve-like-a-leader-featuring-ted-harrington?utm_source=chatgpt.com
🎧 Other Podcasts & Interviews
- Social‑Engineer.com Podcast Ep. 172 – "Creating Psychological Salt" – Ted Harrington joins Chris Hadnagy to discuss security awareness and his book Hackable https://www.social-engineer.org/podcasts/ep-172-security-awareness-series-creating-psychological-salt-with-ted-harrington/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Human Factor Security Podcast Ep. 153—Ted Harrington interview – on security as a business advantage, Hackable, and real‑world anecdotes https://humanfactorsecurity.co.uk/episode-153-ted-harrington/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
🔗 Professional Profiles & Media
- Ted Harrington on LinkedIn – connect and follow his professional updates (often referenced in podcast show notes) hackervalleystudio.podbean.comPodchaser
- "Cybersecurity Videos" section on his website – demo reels, hacking case studies, keynote previews, and more tedharrington.com
