Kevin Poulsen: Cybersecurity Speaker
Kevin Poulsen brings rare insider expertise on cybersecurity, hacking, and digital risk, helping leaders navigate today’s evolving threats with clarity, context, and real-world insight.
Quick Facts:
- Former hacker turned leading cybersecurity journalist and bestselling author.
- Broke national stories on hospital breaches, nuclear plant vulnerabilities, and government device intrusions.
- Former editorial director at SecurityFocus and major contributor to WIRED’s cybersecurity reporting.
- One of the first hackers to receive the maximum US penalty for computer fraud.
- Formats:
- Keynote 45–60 min, workshop, and seminar.
- Audiences:
- IT teams, cybersecurity groups, government agencies, enterprise leaders, educators, and tech conferences.
- Outcomes:
- Clear understanding of modern cyber risks and the tactics behind sophisticated attacks.
- Practical cybersecurity frameworks drawn from real-world investigations and firsthand experience.
- Actionable guidance for building stronger digital hygiene, organizational resilience, and threat awareness.
- Travels from: San Francisco, CA
- **US Fee range: $10,001 - $20,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
Kingpin: Privacy, Crime and Security Online
If anyone knows the inner workings of internet security systems, it is Kevin Poulsen. This former hacker and cyber crime expert is now a respected journalist working as the senior editor at Wired.com. Audiences will learn from his first-hand experience what cyber criminals will do to steal your privacy and corrupt your online security. Poulsen outlines the various security vulnerabilities that could exist in your company, and what you need to do to improve your IT systems.
Talent Short Bio
Kevin Poulsen is a leading cybersecurity expert, bestselling author, investigative journalist, and former hacker whose extraordinary life story positions him as one of the most credible voices in digital security today. Known for his high-profile hacking cases in the early 1990s—including seizing control of radio station phone lines to win major contests—Kevin became one of America’s most notorious cyber fugitives before being captured in 1991. After serving the maximum sentence for hacking at the time, he redirected his technical talent toward journalism, advocacy, and cybersecurity education.
His transformation led him to write groundbreaking investigative pieces for WIRED, where his reporting exposed critical vulnerabilities in hospitals, nuclear facilities, wireless networks, and government systems. Kevin served as editorial director at Security Focus and played a major role in breaking national cybersecurity stories that shaped public understanding of digital risk. His bestselling books and high-impact keynote presentations continue to give audiences an inside look at how cyber incidents unfold and how organizations can respond effectively.
Talent Videos
Kevin Poulsen at Stanford Center for Internet and Society: Cybersecurity, Hacking Evolution, and Digital Risk
A sixty-eight minute Stanford presentation where Kevin Poulsen explores the evolution of hacking, critical vulnerabilities, and the societal impact of digital security failures.
Video Summary & Key Moments
This sixty-eight minute talk from the Stanford Center for Internet and Society features Kevin Poulsen delivering an in-depth, highly contextual examination of hacking culture, cybercrime evolution, and the investigative work that shaped his career as a cybersecurity journalist. Drawing from his own past as a high-profile hacker and later as a leading investigative reporter, Kevin explains how early phone-phreaking techniques foreshadowed today’s wide-ranging digital threats, highlighting the human motivations and technical ingenuity that drive cyber incidents.
He provides a detailed look at several landmark cases he has reported on, including hospital breaches, wireless network vulnerabilities, and government device intrusions. These stories illuminate how attackers exploit oversight, outdated systems, and simple human error. Kevin emphasizes that while technology evolves rapidly, many of the vulnerabilities stem from predictable patterns of behavior—both from attackers and the organizations attempting to defend against them.
The presentation also explores the journalistic responsibilities involved in covering cybersecurity events. Kevin discusses how he verifies information, works with victims and authorities, and evaluates the ethical boundaries of reporting on sensitive digital incidents. He shares his investigative process, offering a behind-the-scenes look at uncovering stories that later became national headlines.
Key Moments
00:00–10:30 Overview of Kevin’s background, early hacking culture, and how phone-phreaking shaped modern cybercrime.
10:30–25:00 Exploration of landmark investigations, including hospital breaches and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
25:00–40:00 Discussion of digital risk, attacker psychology, and how organizations typically fail to anticipate evolving threats.
40:00–55:00 Explanation of Kevin’s investigative methods, journalistic ethics, and reporting on high-impact cybersecurity cases.
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Fee Range Information
All talent fees exclude travel and accommodation where required.