The Dark Web AI Leak: A 4-Month Security Nightmare (ft. Tito Sestito)

In this episode of Cyber Confessions, host Caitlin Sarian (Cybersecurity Girl) sits down with Tito Sestito, CEO and Co-Founder of HiddenLayer. Tito shares a "no sleep" story from the early days of starting the company: a high-stakes crisis where threat actors reverse-engineered AI models and sold them on the dark web.

We also explore the bizarre side of cyber history—from 2005-era hackers who forced victims to pass environmental quizzes to unlock their data , to modern risks where AI is given the authority to act as a human being.

Inside this episode:

• The AI Reverse-Engineering Crisis: Tito’s account of the four-month mission to put out an AI-driven fire.

• Quizzes for Ransom: The "hilarious" historical era where multi-billion dollar companies couldn't access their data until they passed a cybersecurity test.

• The $1 Car Hack: How a professional red teaming engagement tricked an AI chatbot into selling a car for $1.

• The "Dirty Laundry" Rule: Why you should never tell an AI anything you wouldn’t want a federal agent or the public to know.

• AI and the Future of Work: Why Tito believes 9% of the US workforce, specifically drivers, face immediate risk from AI displacement.

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