On the frontlines of investigative journalism in cybersecurity: An insider's perspective

In this session, Tod Beardsley (runZero) sits down with veteran investigative journalist Joseph Menn to discuss his decades-long career covering the intersection of technology, crime, and geopolitics. Menn, known for his work at the Washington Post, Reuters, and the LA Times, shares how he transitioned from being a police reporter to one of the leading voices in cybersecurity journalism. He explains that the most compelling stories today aren't just about corporate mergers or stock prices, but the complex gray zones where organized criminal groups overlap with state-sponsored intelligence operations in countries like Russia and China.

A significant portion of the conversation focuses on Menn’s acclaimed book, Cult of the Dead Cow, which chronicles the history of one of the most influential hacker supergroups. Menn details how the group evolved from 1980s teenagers running Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) to serious ethical thinkers who pioneered concepts like coordinated vulnerability disclosure and hacktivism. He highlights the group's role in pressuring tech giants like Microsoft to take security seriously, effectively shifting the industry from a culture of hobbyist tinkering to one of professionalized defense and public policy influence.