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EPISODE 348
Broadcast Date:
December 15, 202312 minutes
Podcast Dec 15, 2023Root Causes 348: What Is a Merkle Tree?
One foundational element of modern cryptographic systems is the Merkle tree. We explain this data structure, its properties, and its use cases.
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EPISODE 330
Broadcast Date:
September 5, 202322 minutes
Podcast Sep 05, 2023Root Causes 330: End-to-end PQC in Use Today
Our hosts are joined by IronCap CEO Andrew Cheung as he discusses commercially available PQC solutions today, including VPN, email, and crypto currency.
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EPISODE 257
Broadcast Date:
November 18, 202211 minutes
Podcast Nov 18, 2022Root Causes 257: FTX Crypto Exchange Collapses
"If you don't hold the keys, you don't hold the cheese." Crypto exchange giant FTX recently collapsed, causing ripples through the cryptocurrency world.
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EPISODE 206
Broadcast Date:
February 14, 202233 minutes
Podcast Feb 14, 2022Root Causes 206: What Is Web3?
Web3 refers to the concept that online content can be attributed to specific known publishers, regardless of web site or online channel.
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EPISODE 194
Broadcast Date:
December 20, 202114 minutes
Podcast Dec 20, 2021Root Causes 194: Crypto Versus Cryptocurrency
Exploding interest in cryptocurrency has caused the word crypto to take on new meanings.
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EPISODE 190
Broadcast Date:
November 29, 20219 minutes
Podcast Nov 29, 2021Root Causes 190: Phishing Coinbase
Our hosts describe a recently discovered exploit where attackers use weaknesses in one-time-password-based MFA to steal Coinbase accounts.
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EPISODE 178
Broadcast Date:
August 20, 202114 minutes
Podcast Aug 20, 2021Root Causes 178: Stealing Cryptocurrency
We describe the various ways in which cryptocurrency can be stolen, including private key compromise, broker security failure, and login credential theft.
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EPISODE 172
Broadcast Date:
July 13, 202116 minutes
Podcast Jul 13, 2021Root Causes 172: What Is an NFT?
Non-fungible tokens uniquely identify digital assets using blockchain. We explain how NFTs work, and public assertion of ownership for digital files.
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EPISODE 169
Broadcast Date:
June 25, 202124 minutes
Podcast Jun 25, 2021Root Causes 169: Bitcoin and the Anonymity Fallacy
The FBI recently recovered the Colonial pipeline ransom money, which had been paid in Bitcoin. In this episode we talk about how this might have occurred.
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EPISODE 165
Broadcast Date:
June 2, 202127 minutes
Podcast Jun 02, 2021Root Causes 165: Blockchain - Proof of Work Versus Proof of Stake
We explain proof of work and proof of stake as blockchain consensus algorithms, the trouble with proof of work, and the future of consensus algorithms.
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EPISODE 161
Broadcast Date:
April 15, 202122 minutes
Podcast Apr 15, 2021Root Causes 161: Consensus Algorithms & the Byzantine Generals Problem
In this episode our hosts explain consensus, proof of work, and the Byzantine Generals problem. Listen to the podcast to find out more.
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EPISODE 90
Broadcast Date:
May 11, 202024 minutes
Podcast May 11, 2020Root Causes 90: An Analysis of Distributed PKI
Advocates of distributed PKI say it will eliminate weaknesses in traditional, hierarchical PKI. In this episode we test if these claims to see hold up.