Darknet Diaries

Darknet Diaries is hosted by Jack Rhysider, who tells true stories from the dark side of the internet: hacking, data breaches and cyber crime. It publishes about monthly (4 episodes in the last 90 days, as of October 2026), and episodes usually run about 68 minutes.

What Darknet Diaries covers

The description invites listeners on "a journey through the chilling world of hacking, data breaches, and cyber crime." Episodes are numbered and each is built around a story, such as the recent ones titled Ricky, Conti, Ubiquiti, National Public Data and NSL. The site also offers a Spanish-language version, which the description links to.

Jack Rhysider also posts episodes on YouTube, where the most-viewed titles include a piece on getting someone's password and episodes on compromised communications, Operation Aurora and the Samy worm. Episode lengths vary a lot, from about 36 minutes to over 90 in recent weeks.

Who it's for

Our take: Darknet Diaries suits anyone curious about security, from practitioners to people who just enjoy a well-told story. It is narrative storytelling rather than news, so you can start with any episode.

The Apple Podcasts listing counts 195 episodes while the public feed holds 182, so the two numbers differ slightly. The feed goes back to September 2017, and the recent gaps between episodes run from two weeks to five weeks.

Best Darknet Diaries episodes to start with

• How to Get Someone's Password (1.1M views on YouTube as of October 2026): a shorter piece on how to get someone's password
• The Mistake That Got So Many CIA Agents Killed in China🎙Darknet Diaries Ep. 75: Compromised Comms (1M views on YouTube as of October 2026): Ep. 75, Compromised Comms
• This Hacker Makes $160K a Day ⁠— After He Got Out of Federal Prison🎙Darknet Diaries Ep. 60: dawgyg (554K views on YouTube as of October 2026): Ep. 60, dawgyg
• Here's How the U.S. Military Hacks People's Brains🎙Darknet Diaries Ep. 65: PSYOP (493K views on YouTube as of October 2026): Ep. 65, PSYOP
• His Accidental Virus Took Down the World's Biggest Website🎙Darknet Diaries Ep. 61: Samy (459K views on YouTube as of October 2026): Ep. 61, Samy

Ranked by YouTube views among the channel's latest 207 uploads, as of October 2026.

Latest episodes

• October 20, 2026: 181: Ricky
• October 6, 2026: 180: Conti
• September 1, 2026: 179: The Courthouse - Revisited
• August 4, 2026: 178: Ubiquiti
• July 21, 2026: 177: National Public Data

Where to listen

• Apple Podcasts
• YouTube channel
• Official website

Podcasts like Darknet Diaries

If you like Darknet Diaries, these shows are worth a listen:

• Risky Business: a weekly information security podcast with news and in-depth interviews.
• Security Now: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte break down cybercrime and hacking stories, every Tuesday.
• Smashing Security: stories from the world of hacking, cybersecurity and rogue AI.
• CyberWire Daily: daily cybersecurity news and analysis, published each weekday.
• CoRecursive: the stories and people behind the code.
• Built This Week (our show, with Jordan Metzner and Sam Nadler): each week we build something with AI on air, test new AI tools, interview a founder or operator and cover AI news.

For more options, see our best cybersecurity podcasts and best tech podcasts, or browse all podcast lists.

Sources

Show details on this page come from the public listings and feeds below, checked on October 24, 2026.

• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/darknet-diaries/id1296350485
• https://podcast.darknetdiaries.com
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMIqrmh2lMdzhlCPK5ahsAg
• https://darknetdiaries.com/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm7k1CPFkIc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh_q02eefFM
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDgUsOS7kpE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLWuuV0lBhU
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BzoEiK6evE
• https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/181/
• https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/180/
• https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/179/
• https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/178/
• https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/177/

FAQ

Who hosts Darknet Diaries?

Darknet Diaries is hosted by Jack Rhysider. It is produced by Jack Rhysider (independent).

How often does Darknet Diaries release new episodes?

About monthly (4 episodes in the last 90 days, as of October 2026).

How long are Darknet Diaries episodes?

About 68 minutes (median).

What are the best Darknet Diaries episodes?

By YouTube views, the top ones are How to Get Someone's Password (1.1M), The Mistake That Got So Many CIA Agents Killed in China🎙Darknet Diaries Ep. 75: Compromised Comms (1M) and This Hacker Makes $160K a Day ⁠— After He Got Out of Federal Prison🎙Darknet Diaries Ep. 60: dawgyg (554K), as of October 2026.

What podcasts are like Darknet Diaries?

Similar shows include Risky Business, Security Now, Smashing Security, CyberWire Daily and CoRecursive.