Tag Archive for: founders

Why More Founders Should Think Like Hackers

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Who would know better about protecting a complex system from exploitation than a gifted hacker tasked with destroying it?

That is how the now decades-old cottage industry of white-hat hackers continues to thrive across sectors in tech development. For those unfamiliar, a “white hat” refers to an ethical security hacker, typically hired by companies or governments to identify security vulnerabilities in a system or software. These hackers operate under the owner’s consent to test out many attacks against programs or even entire infrastructures to uncover potential exploitations before someone more nefarious reaches it.

Despite its legal ambivalence, white hats are still commonly used as a high-intensity stress test, specifically in cybersecurity. More recently, “white hat” has become a marketing term used to launch products created by individuals with a past in more unscrupulous hacking circles —repurposing their skills to create a product or program of superior, “hacker-proof” quality.

Related: Be Afraid! 8 New Hacks From the Black Hat Conference That Should Scare You.

But the concept of a white hat or products created by a benevolent troublemaker has fallen out of style in many mainstream fields of tech development. Now, any tech entrepreneur is a free agent to whichever tech trend happens to be in vogue, and “disruptors” is a hollow buzzword deployed by startup marketing teams.

Just look at how many projects and funds have pivoted back to AI now that the industry is reaching new heights of innovation and adoption. Trends drive funding and growth in any industry, but it becomes increasingly apparent when leading funds and investors radically change the projects they back, and every other accelerator follows suit to ride a wave. It creates an environment where worthy projects might miss out on valuable funding or attention because their industry isn’t in a trendy tech investment listicle.

With that in mind, do entrepreneurs and investors have the wrong mindset when exploring certain tech sectors?

Part of the charm of white hat security comes from adopting a new perspective on a…

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Haseeb Awan on Mobile Security, Advice for Founders and Efani Secure Mobile

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In an exclusive interview with cryptonews.com, Haseeb Awan, CEO of Efani Secure Mobile, talks about the importance of mobile security, SIM Swapping, Decentralized wireless systems, and gives advice for start-up founders.

About Haseeb Awan

Haseeb Awan is the CEO & Founder of Efani Secure Mobile. Efani Secure Mobile works with ultra-high net worth individuals on their mobile Security and guarantees protection against SIM Swap, Eevasdropping & location tracking. Haseeb is a Telecom engineer & Y-Combinator Alumni. Previously he co-founded one of the largest Bitcoin ATM networks. He has been featured on NYT, Techcrunch, WSJ, Hulu, and several international media outlets.

Haseeb Awan gave a wide-ranging exclusive interview which you can see below, and we are happy for you to use it for publication provided there is a credit to www.cryptonews.com. 

Highlights Of The Interview

  • Mobile device security; telephone numbers are linked to everything and can easily be hacked.
  • Security tips; password managers, hardware keys, two-factor authentication (2FA)
  • Distributed vs Decentralized wireless systems.
  • Incentivizing users to leave legacy telecom providers and join decentralized wireless systems.
  • Advice for start-up founders; staying focused and solving a simple problem.
  • Efani Secure Mobile; America’s No.1 Most Secure Mobile Service Provider.

 

 

Full Transcript Of The Interview

Matt Zahab 
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Cryptonews Podcast. We’re buzzing as always, and today we have Haseeb Awan on the show. He is the CEO and founder of Efani Secure Mobile. Efani works with ultra-high net worth individuals on their mobile security and guarantees protection against sim swapping, eavesdropping and location tracking. Haseeb is a telecom engineer and Y-Combinator alumni. Previously, he co-founded one of the largest Bitcoin ATM networks called Bitaccess. He’s also been featured on The New York Times TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, Hulu and several international media outlets. Without further ado, I’m very pleased to welcome Haseeb Awan to the Cryptonews Podcast. Haseeb, welcome to the show my friend.

Haseeb Awan 
Thank you Matt for having me…

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YC’s letter to founders, Apple’s folding device and the DOJ’s new stance on hackers

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Hi all!

Welcome back to Week in Review, our newsletter where we wrap up many of the top stories to hit TechCrunch over the last seven days.

The big thing this week, based on what people were reading most, were the details of a memo sent from Y Combinator to its portfolio founders.

As the markets continue to slide,YC is telling its portfolio founders that it’s time to batten down the hatches — cut costs, extend runway and get to a “default alive” state. “For those of you who have started your company within the last 5 years,” YC writes, “question what you believe to be the normal fundraising environment.”

Manish has the full 10-point email right here.

other things

Besides more bad news about the markets, what else was going on?

Apple testing a foldable?: Is Apple tinkering with the idea of folding phones and/or tablets? Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is testing E-Ink displays for the secondary display on an as-of-yet-unseen “future foldable”. As Brian points out, though, “there’s a big gulf between testing and releasing” — in other words, don’t be too surprised if this one never sees the light of day.

NHTSA probes Tesla crash: Earlier this month, a Tesla Model S “hit a curb and slammed into construction equipment”, killing three. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now looking into the accident to determine if Tesla’s Autopilot system could’ve been involved.

DOJ says it will no longer prosecute good-faith hackers: After way, way, way too long, the U.S. Justice Department is re-evaluating how it looks at hacking cases, for the first time outright stating that “good-faith security research should not be charged” under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Haje on Coke’s new bottle cap: “When [Coke] sends out a hand-wringing press release about how awesome they are for launching a bottle cap where the cap stays attached to the bottle ‘for environmental reasons,'” writes Haje, “I’m sorry, my blood just boils.”

PayPal Ventures alums launch a new fund: Within a few months of parting ways with PayPal Ventures, these three alums had raised a huge new fund of their own. The focus? Fintech, and backing “startups that address ‘the biggest hurdles’ in today’s…

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Fresh legal woes for ConnectU founders (Caroline McCarthy/The Social)

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Caroline McCarthy / The Social:
Fresh legal woes for ConnectU founders  —  It must have been quite the unwanted holiday gift: CNET has learned that there’s a new lawsuit on the table against Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the identical twins who alleged that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their code and business plan …

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