Season's Savings | ₹5/mo for 3 months

₹199/month after first 3 months. Renews automatically. Terms apply.
Beyond the Byte cover art

Beyond the Byte

Beyond the Byte

Written by: Mo Hafez
Listen for free

About this listen
 Beyond the Byte takes you on a journey through the ever-evolving world of technology, making complex concepts accessible to all. Hosted by Mo Hafez, the podcast demystifies cutting-edge innovations, translating tech jargon into everyday language. Whether exploring artificial intelligence or discussing the ethical implications of emerging trends, Beyond the Byte provides insightful and approachable conversations for those looking to understand how technology shapes our lives. With expert interviews and engaging solo episodes, it offers a clear, thoughtful perspective on mindfully navigating the digital age.2026 Mo Hafez Economics
Episodes
  • AI Can Find Every Unlocked Door. Who's Going to Lock Them? | Daria Bahrami, Dreadnode

    AI Can Find Every Unlocked Door. Who's Going to Lock Them? | Daria Bahrami, Dreadnode
    Nov 13 2026
    AI can now find the holes in our systems faster than anyone can fix them. So who's going to lock the doors? Is your organization ready for AI? Take the free 5-minute AI Readiness Assessment from ByteWise and get your score instantly: https://assess.bytewise-llc.com My guest is Daria Bahrami, Head of Policy at Dreadnode, the offensive AI security company that CrowdStrike agreed to acquire days after this conversation, reportedly for around $100 million. Daria is one of the sharpest minds working where AI meets cybersecurity. Before Dreadnode, she was a technical advisor to DARPA's AI Cyber Challenge, leading engagement strategy for the global competition to build AI systems that find and fix software vulnerabilities on their own. She has worked as a lead cyber threat intelligence analyst at Deloitte Global and a cyber program manager at the R Street Institute, and her writing and analysis have appeared in Fortune, War on the Rocks and CyberScoop. What makes her rare in this field is how she got here: from a Philz Coffee counter to National Geographic to the front lines of AI security, bringing a storyteller's instinct to one of the most technical debates of our time. Read Daria's Substack, Machine Speed: https://newsletter.techpointe.org We get into what DARPA's AI Cyber Challenge proved about machines finding and fixing vulnerabilities, why she thinks "rogue agent" is the wrong way to describe AI that escapes a sandbox, whether the best defense really is a good offense, and how a simple question to Gemini handed her a printer's admin password. We also cover water utilities still running on factory-default passwords, banks pulling back on AI agents, and the gap nobody is talking about: finding vulnerabilities is now easy, and nobody owns the patching. Recorded in late October 2026 at the Johns Hopkins Podcast Studio. Special thanks to Blair Johnson, Media Suite & Events Production Manager at Johns Hopkins, for his behind-the-scenes production support. Chapters 0:00 Why this conversation, why now 1:06 From journalism and Nat Geo to cybersecurity 7:30 What DARPA's AI Cyber Challenge proved 11:17 Inside an offensive AI security company 15:12 Why "rogue agent" is the wrong term 16:55 The sandbox escape: breach or rogue AI? 24:27 Open-source models and the race with China 29:45 Is the best defense a good offense? 32:58 How Gemini handed over a printer's admin password 35:33 Monopoly, chess, and the AI game we're playing 40:57 Water utilities and the basics we still miss 45:46 AI agents and your bank account 51:48 Are we waiting for a disaster to regulate? 58:11 Would you trust an agent with your money? 1:00:15 Black October: who patches the internet? 1:04:42 The one change that matters most 1:09:23 What scares her most, and the fix Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q2vkCRnIRs Free AI Readiness Assessment: https://assess.bytewise-llc.com All links: https://linktr.ee/mohafez Vote for Mo for Top Host: https://tophost.org/2026/mo-hafez Stay curious, stay ethical, and lead human.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Hackers Turned Supermarket Freezers Into Heaters. Is a Digital Crisis Next?

    Hackers Turned Supermarket Freezers Into Heaters. Is a Digital Crisis Next?
    Nov 6 2026
    Someone hacked supermarket freezers across Europe and pushed them to 122°F. The Pentagon is preparing bases to run 90 days off the grid. What if the next global crisis is a digital one? Is your organization ready for AI? Take the free 5-minute AI Readiness Assessment from ByteWise and get your score instantly: https://assess.bytewise-llc.com In this solo episode, I connect a strange week of headlines: hacked refrigeration systems in Europe, freezer failures at US military bases, "Black October" in software security, and governments asking households to prepare for days without essential services. We look at how hacking moved from stealing data to changing what machines do, why supply chain attacks poison the well, how AI could change the speed and scale of attacks, and why the real goal is resilience, not just security. Next Friday: my conversation with Daria Bahrami, Head of Policy at Dreadnode, the offensive AI security company CrowdStrike just agreed to acquire. We get into AI-powered attacks, autonomous agents, and whether the best defense is a good offense. Chapters 0:00 A strange week of headlines 2:00 How do you hack a fridge? IT vs. OT 3:56 Black October and supply chain attacks 5:22 When critical systems fail 6:49 Why the Pentagon is preparing 8:18 Where AI comes in 10:08 Security vs. resilience 10:57 Next week: Daria Bahrami of Dreadnode 12:03 Final thought Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beyondthebytepodcast Free AI Readiness Assessment: https://assess.bytewise-llc.com All links: https://linktr.ee/mohafez Vote for Mo for Top Host: https://tophost.org/2026/mo-hafez Stay curious, stay ethical, and lead human.
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
  • Everyone Has the Same AI. Here's What Actually Gives You an Edge

    Everyone Has the Same AI. Here's What Actually Gives You an Edge
    Oct 14 2026
    Every company has access to roughly the same AI. So why do some get real value while others just get faster at the wrong things? Beyond the Byte is back. In this relaunch episode, Mo Hafez makes the case that technology is the easy part and capability is the moat. Through Formula One, chess engines and a few too many meetings about meetings, he unpacks why access to AI is becoming a commodity, why judgment is becoming the scarce skill, and what leaders, teams and individuals should be building instead of buying. Is your organization ready for AI? Take the free 5-minute AI Readiness Assessment from ByteWise and get your score instantly: https://assess.bytewise-llc.com Chapters 0:00 Beyond the Byte is back 1:32 Technology is the easy part 4:27 When the tool becomes infrastructure 5:40 The AI shopping-list mistake 7:04 Formula One: faster cars, same drivers 7:53 Digital transformation or just procurement? 9:32 Capability isn't prompt engineering 11:36 Execution is cheap, judgment is scarce 13:17 What chess engines teach us 14:23 What do you want to be unusually good at? 16:20 Capability takes time 18:09 What leaders actually need to know 19:28 Culture, and AI as a mirror 21:22 Agents: autonomy magnifies your system 24:00 Why capability compounds 26:00 The future isn't the weather 26:43 Capability creates agency 27:54 Usage vs. competence 30:38 What Beyond the Byte is about now About your host Mo Hafez is the founder of ByteWise, an AI strategy and training firm, and teaches graduate courses on AI and emerging technology at Johns Hopkins University. Free AI Readiness Assessment: https://assess.bytewise-llc.com All links: https://linktr.ee/mohafez ByteWise: https://bytewise-llc.com Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beyondthebytepodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafezm/ Vote for Mo for Top Host: https://tophost.org/2026/mo-hafez Stay curious, stay ethical, and lead human.
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet