S8:E3 - Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover, Security Vulnerabilities in Web3, and Experimenting With the TikTok Algorithm

In this episode, we talk about Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover and the Twitter storm it created, especially amongst Twitter employees. Then we speak with Dipanjan Das, system security researcher at UC Santa Barbara, about various large scale hacks in the blockchain space, and how companies and individuals can better protect themselves in the growing Web3 space. Finally, we speak with senior software engineer and popular Tiktoker feleciaforthewin, about how she experimented with the TikTok algorithm and ended up gaining over 300-thousand followers.

Show Notes

• DevDiscuss (sponsor)
• CodeNewbie (sponsor)
• Avalanche (sponsor)
• DevNews S8E1: Coding Under Bombing
• Elon Musk and Twitter Reach Deal for Sale
• Understanding Security Issues in the NFT Ecosystem
• Ethereum-based stablecoin protocol Beanstalk loses about $182 million to exploit
• US officials link North Korean Lazarus hackers to $625M Axie Infinity crypto theft
• North Korean hackers who stole $600M from Axie Infinity are still laundering their haul, recently moving $4.5M of ETH, after the US tried to freeze those assets
• Bored Ape Instagram account hacked: NFTs worth $2.8 million stolen
• A former software developer gained 245,000 TikTok followers by testing her theories about the app's algorithm
• feleciaforthewin

Dipanjan Das

Dipanjan Das is a PhD student in the SecLab at University of California, Santa Barbara. His current research focuses on different aspects of cryptoeconomics, with an emphasis on the security of blockchain and smart contracts. He also has a strong passion to develop automated vulnerability analysis techniques for low-level systems like operating system kernel, IoT devices, and Android.

Felecia Dunmore (feleciaforthewin)

Felecia Dunmore is a software engineer, designer, and content creator with keen interests in social constructionism, sociology, philosophy, and technology. The aim of her content is to deliver awe-inspiring stories that cause us to have a deeper understanding of the society we live in.