Decoding CyberSecurity

Rakesh Nayam

Welcome to Decoding CyberSecurity – the podcast that simplifies the complex world of cybersecurity. Hosted by an experienced Information Security Engineer with certifications like CISSP and CISM, each episode dives into essential topics, career advice, and real-world insights to help you break into and excel in cybersecurity. Whether you're just starting out, studying for certifications like Security+, or aiming for advanced credentials, we’re here to guide you. Join us every week as we uncover the skills, news, and tips you need to stay ahead in the field!

  1. 2 days ago

    9/11: Betty Ong's Real Call From Hijacked Flight 11

    https://youtu.be/6NOy9iCqbmEAt 8:19 a.m. on September 11, 2001, flight attendant Betty Ong picked up a phone at the back of American Airlines Flight 11. She reached an airline reservations office in North Carolina, a place that handled bookings, not hijackings. "Is anybody still there?"Over the next 40 minutes, calls from two hijacked planes reached the ground: flight attendants passing on the seat numbers of the hijackers, a hijacker's voice broadcast by mistake to air traffic control, and passengers calling home. This is the story of those calls, minute by minute, from the official record.Episode 3 of 9/11: THE UNFOLDING STORY, from Decoding CyberSecurity.CHAPTERS0:00 Teaser Cut0:54 Is anybody still there?2:16 7:59 a.m. | Two departures3:35 8:14 a.m. | Number three in the back4:52 8:24 a.m. | "We have some planes"6:23 8:38 a.m. | Seat numbers8:10 8:52 a.m. | Call United9:23 The names10:16 In memorySOURCES- The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), Chapter 1, "We Have Some Planes", and notes: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-911REPORT- 9/11 Commission public hearing, 27 January 2004 (transcript; Betty Ong's call as played at the hearing): https://www.9-11commission.gov/archive/hearing7/9-11Commission_Hearing_2004-01-27.htm- FAA air traffic control recordings, 11 September 2001, Boston Center sector 46R and New York Center R42: U.S. National Archives, RG 237, NAID 7597523 and 7598114: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7597523- Harry Ong Jr., oral history, 9/11 Memorial & Museum: URL to add- Brian Sweeney's message to his wife, Julie: 9/11 Memorial & Museum: URL to add- National September 11 Memorial & Museum: https://www.911memorial.org/CREDITSArchival audio: Betty Ong's call to American Airlines, 11 Sept 2001, as played at the 9/11 Commission public hearing, 27 Jan 2004 (public record; excerpts, one pause shortened). FAA recordings: U.S. National Archives (public domain).Photographs, documents and archival video:- The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), official government edition, US Government Printing Office (public domain)- 9/11 Commission public hearing transcript, 27 Jan 2004 (public domain)- Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division (highsm.31267) (public domain)- newandrew (Flickr), CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:From_brooklyn_-_2084865041.jpg- newandrew (Flickr), CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:From_brooklyn_-_2085648366.jpg- Robert J. Fisch, CC BY-SA 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UA_Flight_175_hits_WTC_south_tower_9-11.jpeg- Michael Foran, CC BY 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WTC_smoking_on_9-11.jpeg- Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_reflecting_pool_of_the_National_September_11_Memorial,_New_York_City.jpg- Luigi Novi (public domain)- skinnylawyer (Flickr), CC BY-SA 2.0: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flight_175_section,_9-11_Memorial_-_Flickr_-_skinnylawyer_(1).jpg- U.S. Navy (via Wikimedia Commons) (public domain)- FBI (public domain)Stock footage (Pexels License / Pixabay Content License):- Pixabay: gdoomin, phgvu307, jamsfather, TH-DARK-Media, wserrano, FreeCreativeStuff- Pexels: S. R., Michael Manning, K, Dave Planes, ALL IZ Well, Steve B, Katerina HolmesMusic (Pixabay Content License): "Sad Violin 5" by Chrispixer; "Sad World" by Epic_Music.Sound effects: Pixabay Content License (freesound_community, Universfield, floraphonic, SoundShelfStudio, spinopel, u_1pruylktlg, DRAGON-STUDIO, lucadialessandro, bryansantosbreton) and ElevenLabs.Share-alike photos (CC BY-SA) are shown unaltered, with a camera move only.#911 #September11 #Historyhttps://youtu.be/6NOy9iCqbmE

  2. 2 days ago

    9/11 - Flight 93: The Real Audio From Inside the Hijacked Plane

    https://youtu.be/5WyBURafzXcAt 9:47 a.m. on September 11, 2001, flight attendant CeeCee Lyles left a voicemail for her husband from hijacked United Airlines Flight 93: “I’m on a plane that’s been hijacked.” This is the story of Flight 93’s last 35 minutes.At 9:28, four al-Qaeda hijackers stormed the cockpit. What they didn’t count on were the seatback phones. In 35 minutes, the 40 passengers and crew made 37 calls. They learned what had happened in New York, took a vote and fought back. Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, about 20 minutes’ flying time from Washington, D.C.This film follows them minute by minute, with the real recordings:• CeeCee Lyles’s voicemail, released by the court in U.S. v. Moussaoui• the FAA air traffic control tapes, with the hijacker’s own announcements• FAA headquarters at 9:49, asked about sending fighters: “Oh, God, I don’t know.”The cockpit voice recorder audio is still sealed, so its transcript is shown as text. The words of the passengers and crew appear only as they were recorded, or as typed quotes from the record: Tom Burnett, Mark Bingham, Todd Beamer (“Let’s roll”), Sandy Bradshaw, Elizabeth Wainio, Edward Felt and Linda Gronlund.Episode 5 of 9/11: The Unfolding Story, from Decoding CyberSecurity.▶ Episode 3, The First Calls (Betty Ong’s real call from Flight 11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NOy9iCqbmECHAPTERS0:00 “We have a bomb on board” (60-second preview)1:00 A voicemail from Flight 932:09 8:42 — The plane that was late3:32 9:24 — Confirm latest message4:49 9:32 — The captain who wasn't5:52 9:37 — You've got to believe me7:20 9:46 — They took a vote9:19 9:57 — Let's roll11:01 10:07 — Four minutes too late12:16 Forty voicesABOUT THE PICTURESShots labelled RECONSTRUCTION are AI-generated illustrations of places, objects and anonymous people, not portraits of the passengers, crew or families. Maps and flight paths are illustrative.SOURCES- The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), chapter 1, “We Have Some Planes,” and notes: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-911REPORT- FAA air traffic control recordings, 11 September 2001: 9/11 Commission Team 8 audio, published with transcripts by Rutgers Law Review (“A New Type of War”): https://rutgerslawreview.com/8-united-93/- National Park Service, Flight 93 National Memorial (the calls, the cockpit voice recorder transcript, the crew and passengers): https://www.nps.gov/flni/- United States v. Moussaoui (E.D. Va.), prosecution trial exhibits: CeeCee Lyles’s voicemail (P200055), her photographs (P200311–P200312), crash-site and evidence photographsCREDITS- Photos: FBI / U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. District Court trial exhibits (U.S. v. Moussaoui); National Park Service (C. Claycomb; K. Hostetler); White House Photography Office / National Archives; FAA via GAO- Video: U.S. Army National Guard, Sgt. Du-Marc Mills (DVIDS), Flight 93 National Memorial and Tower of Voices (2025); stock footage from Pexels and Pixabay- Audio: FAA recordings (9/11 Commission / Rutgers Law Review); CeeCee Lyles’s voicemail, 9:47 a.m. (U.S. v. Moussaoui, exhibit P200055); Tower of Voices wind chimes, National Park Service (recorded 31 July 2024)- Music (Pixabay Content License): “Cinematic Tension” by Kulakovka, “4 Mind-Game Protocol” by ChestnutMusicStudios, “Dark Pulse” by MeeGiStudio, “Dark Suspense Trailer” by NastelBom, “Suspense Tension Trailer” by DELOSound, “Psychological Cinematic Tension Underscore” by SenorMusica81, “Half Of Me” by MiroMaxMusic, “Sad Violin 5” by Chrispixer, “Sad World” by Epic_Music, “Clock” by itsa7aman- Sound effects: Pixabay Content License and ElevenLabs- No claim to original U.S. Government works. NPS use terms: https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/disclaimer.htm#Flight93 #911 #September11

  3. 2 Nov

    Inside Air Force One on 9/11: The Threat No One Could Trace

    https://youtu.be/SLhiNZ7SLw0On 9/11, a warning reached Air Force One: “Angel is next.” Angel was the codename for the President’s plane. Investigators later tried to trace the call. They never found it.September 11, 2001. George W. Bush is rushed from a Florida classroom onto Air Force One. He wants to go back to Washington. The Secret Service, Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Vice President Dick Cheney want him to stay away. Pilot Col. Mark Tillman is warned about an unidentified aircraft. The phones keep cutting out. Then a threat naming the plane by its secret codename spreads through Air Force One and the White House bunker — and becomes the public explanation for the President’s day in the air.This documentary follows that flight from Sarasota to Barksdale and Offutt Air Force Bases and home to the Oval Office. Then it follows the “Angel” message back to its source, using the findings of the 9/11 Commission. It is a story about how one unverified warning travelled through the government — and why the correction never fully caught up.⏱ CHAPTERS0:00 Cold open: the North Tower, 8:50 a.m.0:32 Air Force One leaves Sarasota1:15 Chapter 1 – The Way Home2:04 The Pentagon is hit2:36 Aboard Air Force One: where to go?3:16 Chapter 2 – Another Aircraft4:46 Chapter 3 – Angel6:02 Chapter 4 – Still Not Washington7:36 Chapter 5 – Follow the Message8:54 Epilogue – Look again at the flight💬 Should the White House have corrected the “Angel” story sooner? Tell us in the comments.🔔 Subscribe to  @DecodingCyberSecurity1920  Decoding Cybersecurity for more stories where information, security and decisions collide.📚 SOURCES• The 9/11 Commission Report — Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004): https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-911REPORT• 9/11 Commission public hearing (2004), questioning by Commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste• White House press briefings by Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, September 2001• Recollections of Col. Mark Tillman, Air Force One pilot on 9/11 (public interviews)• White House photographs: George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum / U.S. National Archives (public domain): https://www.georgewbushlibrary.gov• Archival footage courtesy of the Internet Archive: https://archive.orgℹ️ ABOUT THIS FILMSome scenes are AI reconstructions, created to illustrate documented moments for which no footage exists. Archival photographs and footage are credited on screen. Narration is based on the public record.Stock Video via Fliki. Music via Pixabay: “Dark Suspense Thriller” (Alex Morgan), “Dark Cinematic” and “Suspense” (Leberch). Sound effects: CC0 (Freesound, Kenney).Is It Impossible to Assassinate the American President?https://youtu.be/9OBe3YXkdec?si=9YZHMkdXtcQB9aPbHow Do You Protect the American President From Someone Already Inside?https://youtu.be/cUjBMjOTsdU?si=ZAy-jF4CT6zUBgE1#AirForceOne #September11 #GeorgeWBush #911 #Documentary #History #DecodingCybersecurity

    Inside Air Force One on 9/11: The Threat No One Could Trace

  4. 16 Oct

    Is It Impossible to Assassinate the American President?

    Ronald Reagan has been shot. Inside the presidential limousine, the radio reports that he is okay.What happens when the people protecting the American president don’t yet know how much danger he is in?This presidential security documentary follows the Secret Service and its partners through some of the most consequential moments in American history: the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, the 2011 White House shooting during Barack Obama’s presidency, and the 2024 assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.The events are different. But a disturbing question keeps returning: what happens between receiving information and acting on it?A name missing from a protective file. A warning dismissed. A message that never becomes a decision.Drawing on historical records and official investigations, Part 1 examines the human decisions behind presidential protection—and the connection to information security, threat assessment and incident response. No technical background required.Because protecting a president takes more than bodyguards and bulletproof cars. It also depends on who knows what, when they know it, and what they do next.No security system can guarantee absolute safety. This documentary explores both the protective layers and their limits.Part 2: What Really Keeps the American President Alive?The story continues with the president’s invisible shield.Chapters:-00:00 - Reagan: “Rawhide Is Okay”00:55 - Chapter 1: The Bullet Nobody Saw03:54 - Chapter 2: The Missing Name07:26 - Chapter 3: The File That Arrived Too Late10:30 - Chapter 4: The Sound They Dismissed13:10 - Chapter 5: The Warning Arrived17:15 - Chapter 6: The Moment AfterSubscribe to Decoding CyberSecurity for cinematic documentaries exploring security, technology and the decisions behind real-world events.Content note: Historical discussion of assassination attempts and political violence.#SecretService #PresidentialSecurity #DecodingCyberSecuritySources:- https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/reagan-administration/assassination-attempt-reaganhttps://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/chapter-8.htmlhttps://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/idaho-man-sentenced-25-years-prison-november-2011-shooting-white-house-defendant-firedhttps://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/reps/paul-peters-johnson-and-blumenthal-release-bipartisan-report-examining-u-s-secret-service-security-failures-and-assassination-attempt-on-former-president-trump/https://www.ojp.gov/txtfiles/170612.txt Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OBe3YXkdec

    Is It Impossible to Assassinate the American President?

  5. 9 Oct

    The Ransomware Attack That Crippled America’s Healthcare System

    https://youtu.be/I6i508pPU-MA prescription was ready. The medicine was there. But somewhere inside America’s healthcare system, the transaction had stopped moving.Behind it was the 2024 Change Healthcare ransomware attack — an ALPHV/BlackCat breach that disrupted U.S. pharmacies, medical claims and healthcare payments.What followed exposed how much of modern healthcare depended on one largely invisible company — and what happens when that chokepoint suddenly disappears.00:03 The Prescription That Wouldn't Move00:58 The Invisible Machine02:07 February 2103:27 BlackCat04:10 Nine Days Earlier05:26 The $22 Million Decision06:34 The Bill Comes Due08:36 One ChokepointThis is the story of the 2024 Change Healthcare cyberattack, the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware operation, a remote-access system without MFA, the reported $22 million ransom, and an outage that disrupted pharmacies, claims and payments across the United States.Subscribe to Decoding CyberSecurity https://www.youtube.com/@DecodingCyberSecurity1920 for cinematic stories about cybercrime, hackers, breaches and the systems we quietly depend on.Disclaimer:This episode is based on publicly available reporting, government records, congressional testimony and company disclosures concerning real cybersecurity events.Some visuals are AI-generated, reconstructed or dramatized for documentary and educational purposes and should not be interpreted as actual footage of the incident unless specifically identified as archival material.#Cybersecurity #Ransomware #ChangeHealthcare *This video is for educational purposes only*Sources & Reference MaterialU.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Office for Civil RightsU.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce — Examining the Change Healthcare CyberattackCongressional testimony of UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew WittyUnitedHealth Group public disclosures and regulatory filingsPublic reporting and cybersecurity research relating to ALPHV/BlackCatHHS — https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/change-healthcare-cybersecurity-incident-frequently-asked-questions/index.htmlU.S. House — https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/oversight-and-investigations-subcommittee-hearing-examining-the-change-healthcare-cyberattack

  6. 9 Oct

    The Compound Where Workers Say They Were Forced to Scam

    https://youtu.be/qQUr9jkk3vE⁠To withdraw their money, they were told to send more. Months later, investigators say corresponding records surfaced inside Myanmar’s Shunda scam compound.This cybercrime documentary follows an investment scam through recovered computers, payment records and an FBI investigation. Separately, former workers describe being held and forced to scam.Who was giving the orders—and who was free to refuse?Decoding CyberSecurity investigates the real stories behind cybercrime, online scams and digital deception.CHAPTERS00:00 The Withdrawal Demand00:44 Before Shunda01:47 The Equipment Left Behind02:47 The Payments in the File04:54 Waiting to Go Home05:32 The Attempt to Start Again07:11 The Balance on the Screen07:50 What the Records Couldn’t ReturnBased on public records and attributed accounts reviewed through September 8, 2026. Allegations are not findings of guilt. Financial records and worker testimony are separate evidence sources. Some visuals are AI-generated reconstructions.Sources: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/scam-center-strike-force-takes-major-actions-against-southeast-asian-scam-centers#Cybercrime #ScamDocumentary #CyberSecurity

  7. 9 Oct

    The Negotiator Who Joined the Hackers

    https://youtu.be/XoM_LN1ItigHe offered the hackers $1 million for his client. In a chat the client never saw, he told them to “keep denying our offers.”What was a ransomware negotiator doing on the hackers’ side?In 2023, Angelo Martino was trusted to negotiate with BlackCat/ALPHV on behalf of ransomware victims. Court records show that he secretly passed the attackers confidential insurance limits and negotiation strategy—and was paid for it. He also joined a separate conspiracy to attack other organizations using BlackCat ransomware.This documentary follows the two conversations, the two sets of victims, the money trail, and the betrayal that ended in a 70-month federal prison sentence.What safeguard could have exposed that hidden conversation? Share your thoughts below.CHAPTERS0:00 The Offer0:49 The Unseen Conversation2:18 The Price of Knowing3:49 An Earlier Door5:28 The Money Becomes Visible6:45 Who Watches the Negotiator?SOURCESMartino’s factual proffer (court filing):https://cyberscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/angelo-martino-plea-agreement-april-2026.pdfU.S. Department of Justice — guilty plea:https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-man-working-ransomware-negotiator-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-deploy-ransomware-andU.S. Department of Justice — sentencing:https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-ransomware-negotiator-who-extorted-and-attacked-multiple-us-victims-sentenced-prisonVisual reconstructions illustrate the story; court records and official statements provide the factual basis.#Ransomware #Cybercrime #BlackCat #CyberSecurity #InsiderThreat

  8. 9 Oct

    The Men Who Fooled 100 U.S. Companies

    https://youtu.be/ycL9bfr78zI You hire a software engineer. You send a laptop.But who’s actually doing the work?More than 100 U.S. companies were drawn into a scheme involving stolen American identities, North Korean IT workers and company laptops hosted in ordinary American homes.This documentary follows Kejia “Tony” Wang and Zhenxing “Danny” Wang, the laptop farms they helped run, and the trail investigators uncovered. At one defense contractor, prosecutors say the scheme also exposed restricted technical files.Follow the laptops. Follow the money. Find out who was behind the keyboard.Subscribe to Decoding CyberSecurity for real stories behind cybercrime.CHAPTERS00:00 The Wrong Employee00:51 A Company on Paper01:48 Someone Else at the Keyboard02:53 Borrowed Lives04:04 Where the Paychecks Go05:09 Beyond the Paycheck06:10 The Paper Trail07:28 An Address That Checked Out08:18 Who Was Doing the Work#CyberSecurity #NorthKorea #LaptopFarms #IdentityTheft #CyberCrime #DecodingCyberSecurity

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Welcome to Decoding CyberSecurity – the podcast that simplifies the complex world of cybersecurity. Hosted by an experienced Information Security Engineer with certifications like CISSP and CISM, each episode dives into essential topics, career advice, and real-world insights to help you break into and excel in cybersecurity. Whether you're just starting out, studying for certifications like Security+, or aiming for advanced credentials, we’re here to guide you. Join us every week as we uncover the skills, news, and tips you need to stay ahead in the field!

Information

  • Creator
    Rakesh Nayam
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    52
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rakesh Nayam
  • Show Website
    Decoding CyberSecurity