Podcast Summary: Hacking Humans – "Hot Sauce and Hot Takes: An Only Malware in the Building Special"

Podcast by: N2K Networks
Air Date: September 2, 2025
Hosts: Keith Millarsky, Dave Buettner, Dave Bittner
Guest: Selena Larson

Episode Overview

A fiery crossover episode blending digital forensics, cybercrime war stories, and the physical pain of increasingly hot hot sauces. Host Keith Millarsky, retired FBI agent, leads a panel including cybersecurity journalist Dave Buettner and threat researcher Selena Larson through a "hot wings"–style interrogation. As the sauces get hotter, the questions dig deeper into personal cybersecurity habits, professional close calls, digital burnout, and wild tales from the world of online adversaries.

The conversation is lively, full of laughter, candor, and the hosts’ unfiltered reactions to both spice and spicy cyber topics. Themes include human error in cyber, real-world threats, community advice, and the role of self-care in high-pressure digital professions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Password Origins and Evolution

(03:05 – 05:28)

• First Passwords: All panelists reminisce on their first passwords, revealing how basic and insecure they once were (family names, screen names, Beatles references), and laughing about embarrassing AIM handles.
  • Selena: “My first password...probably, like, my last name. I was very young on the Internet...not my password though. Password managers, multi factor authentication, definitely not using that when I was a teeny bopper.” (03:05)
  • Dave Buettner: “My first username was the highly original and clever Ziggy Stardust...it was probably something like Bowie 69, 69 dudes. But I do not still use that.” (04:25, 04:39)
  • Keith: Shares his Hotmail password was based on the “28 IF” from the Abbey Road Beatles album—“had a combination of both letters and numbers in that.” (05:02)

2. Personal Tech & Security Routines

(06:17 – 08:52)

• Security Habits: All reveal heavy smartphone use and “always-on” thinking, but emphasize caution about what they share online.
  • Selena: “I am imminently findable on the Internet...I do kind of...think that I am a little bit more cautious...” (07:09)
  • Dave: His phone's morning greeting sets his daily tone.
  • Keith: Vigilant about checking accounts, bank card fraud, especially when traveling—emphasizes two-factor authentication.

3. Getting (Almost) Hacked: Everyone’s Human

(09:22 – 15:23)

• Phishing & Close Calls: Humorous but instructive stories where the panel nearly fell for common attacks.

  • Dave Buettner: “I got got.” (09:41) recounting falling for the classic “Did you see this video of you?” scam:
    “I click through...to a Facebook login page, and I logged in. Yeah, that was it. That was the ball game.” (10:01)

  • Selena: Warns of scam numbers one digit off from real ones:
    “...I mistyped it, and then I call and whatever. And it went through the whole, like, answering machine...I just started putting in fake information. I was like, I want to see where this is going.” (12:04)

  • Keith: Shares a harrowing undercover operation where adversaries backdoored malware to expose his FBI identity:
    “When it came in to get reviewed...as soon as we executed the file, everything...went right back to the bad guys.” (13:01)
    “We had a thing which we called Wagon, for Wives and Girlfriends Intelligence. Just seeing what they would be posting all the time...they would post where they were, which was always great for us.” (27:24)

  • Selena’s Insight: “The most important thing that people need to do is not feel stupid...They prey on your brain. They...are going after you emotionally.” (11:27)

4. Avoiding Burnout & Digital Detox

(17:23 – 22:06)

• Industry Pressures:
  • Selena: “Any person who works in this industry who says they know everything about everything is lying to you...burnout in cybersecurity is so real, it’s so prevalent. I...read a lot of physical books. I love physical books because I need a brain break and I get my nails done a lot—that’s my self-care.” (17:23)
  • Dave: “My job is...hunting down the bad news...that can get to you after a while. Sometimes taking a single day to do nothing, to go to a state park and hike or stay away [from devices]...” (19:19, 20:26)
  • Keith: “You can run a marathon or you can run a sprint, but you can’t sprint a marathon...I don’t bring a phone or a tablet in my bedroom.” (21:02, 21:23)

5. The Hottest Wings & Craziest Cases

(22:20 – 33:10)

• Uping the ante with hotter sauces, the team swaps war stories about cybercrime.
  • Keith, on infamous cybercriminal Bogachev: “He had these exotic cats...like a lynx or a bobcat.” (26:40)
  • They discuss how “wives and girlfriends intelligence” (“Wagon”)—watching what hackers’ loved ones posted on social—is a surprisingly rich source of intel.
  • Selena: “Try some hot sauce. It’ll make your brain rattle, and you’ll be very happy and tell some fun stories with your friends...” (33:10)

6. First Tech Memories & Path Into Cyber

(28:32 – 32:44)

• Selena: Didn’t initially like tech, was a journalist first—“I didn’t really like technology...But in San Francisco, technology is the news.”
  “Very quickly became...caught up to speed and then...wow, I love it. I’m almost entirely self-taught.” (28:37 – 29:37)
• Dave: Early hobbyist on TRS 80; used modems for “phone freaking”—“When you’re 11 or 12...the thing you have is time. So, yeah, I would spend all summer long...programmed all my own stuff and eventually got a modem.” (30:45)
• Keith: Started with typewriters, moved to computers for ease in college, then specialized in cyber at the FBI with the help of a mentor, Tom Grasso, his “Yoda.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The most important thing that people need to do is not feel stupid...They prey on your brain. They...are going after you emotionally.”
  — Selena Larson (11:27)
• “I got got...I click through...to a Facebook login page, and I logged in. Yeah, that was it. That was the ball game.”
  — Dave Buettner (09:41, 10:01)
• “You can run a marathon or you can run a sprint, but you can’t sprint a marathon.”
  — Keith Millarsky (21:02)
• [On getting caught as an undercover agent:] “It went right back to the bad guys...I thought I was toast.”
  — Keith Millarsky (13:01 – 14:41)
• “Try some hot sauce. It’ll make your brain rattle...more importantly, tune in wherever you get your podcasts.”
  — Selena Larson (33:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:05 | Password origins, early cyber experience | | 06:17 | Tech & security routines for cyber pros | | 09:41 | Dave’s “I got got” phishing confession | | 12:04 | Selena’s near-miss with scam phone lines | | 13:01 | Keith’s undercover op compromised by backdoored malware | | 17:23 | Discussion of burnout, digital detox, and work-life balance | | 21:02 | Keith’s marathon/sprint advice for surviving the industry | | 26:40 | “Game Over Zeus”, cybercriminals with cats, and Wives/Girlfriends Intel | | 28:32 | Early tech experiences, how panelists entered cyber | | 33:10 | Selena’s closing invitation to try hot sauce and tune in |

Tone and Chemistry

The tone is playful, with banter about food and flashes of genuine camaraderie. At times it’s self-deprecating—especially when panelists recount making rookie mistakes—but always educational. The hot sauce “challenge” becomes a metaphor for the escalating challenges in cybersecurity, with each panelist showing both humility and resolve in the face of increasing heat.

Recommended For

Anyone interested in the real, human side of cybersecurity—the stress, the mistakes, the humor, and the self-care needed to stay sharp. This episode is a fun, candid window into the personalities behind the podcasts and the everyday hurdles, habits, and mishaps of even the most seasoned cyber pros.