The Cyber Codebreakers

The Infinite Monkey Cage

13-11-2024 • 42 mins

Brian Cox and Robin Ince head to Bletchley Park with comedian Alan Davies, and cyber experts Victoria Baines and Richard Benham to decode cyberwarfare and discuss its future.

As computers have shrunk from the size of rooms to fitting in our jacket pockets, our cyber sleuths explore the changing nature of cyber-attacks and defence. They decipher the fancy jargon abounding in cyber land, from trojan horses to phishing scams and reveal how prolific these attacks are on nation states, businesses and the public. From digital army battalions to teenage freelance hackers, the cyber-villains are multiple and varied. Our panel discusses the aims of these malevolent forces; from extorting money and holding valuable commercial data hostage to influencing people’s electoral intent.

The panel explores how AI and quantum computing are supercharging cyberwarfare – but in good news, also cyber-defence. Alan Davies shares his susceptibility to being tricked online whilst our experts give some tips for staying safe online, and finally, Alan comes up with his surprising alter-ego hacking name.

Producer: Melanie Brown Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem Researcher: Olivia Jani

BBC Studios Audio production

You Might Like

StarTalk Radio
StarTalk Radio
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Curious Cases
Curious Cases
BBC Radio 4
The Naked Scientists Podcast
The Naked Scientists Podcast
The Naked Scientists
Farming Today
Farming Today
BBC Radio 4
That UFO Podcast
That UFO Podcast
That UFO Podcast
Paranormal Mysteries
Paranormal Mysteries
Nic Ryan Media | Unexplained Supernatural Stories
Sasquatch Chronicles
Sasquatch Chronicles
Sasquatch Chronicles - Bigfoot Encounters
Science Weekly
Science Weekly
The Guardian
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Radiolab
Radiolab
WNYC Studios