MilliOnAir Magazine January 2018 | Page 39

MilliOnAir

So Ralph, I know your journey started at a very young age, how did it all start?, What got you interested in computers?

At around 13 my childhood best friend introduced me to ham radio. That got me interested in how radio frequencies worked, that opened my mind to the world of communications. Shortly after a magazine of sorts called 2600 made it to Miami where I grew up.  

 

This magazine is known as “The Hacker Quarterly” and introduced me to phone phreaking. Shortly after I was using the phone system to make long distance calls to BBS's (Bulletin board systems). It was on these BBS’s that I first met other “Hackers” and first read the Hacker Manifesto. I identified with these words and with the people I was meeting all over the world, digitally of course.

There is a big jump from the world of hacking as one of the top cyber security experts around and becoming Hollywood’s The Ethical Hacker, how did you get into the Hollywood scene?

I have always been around the arts; both my father and mother are musicians, they always exposed me to music, dance and film. My first company was when I was 15, I had a DJ and sound company providing sound systems and DJ services to the local Cuban community and many of Miami’s early night clubs. So I always had a love for music.

 In 2006 I co-owned a ticketing company which did a number of music festivals in Miami and abroad. Through those relationships I met several of Bob Marley’s sons including Damian Marley who I spent a lot of time in the studio with. This gave me a view in to the production process and tech used. Of course coming from security I had a very different perspective on the “tech” and it’s vulnerabilities. This would later prove very useful.