About Dave

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Dave Buchwald (born September 4, 1970), is a graphic designer, filmmaker, former phone phreak, and hacker, in the mid-1980s. Although he spent his first 6 months in New Haven, Connecticut, Dave’s parents felt that New York City would offer a richer environment to nurture Dave’s budding creative talent and relocated the family to Brooklyn, where he would spend his formidable years and forged some of the bonds and alliances that strengthen and support him to this day.

In the mid-to-late 1980s, as a teenager, Buchwald was a special breed of phone phreak & hacker, a social engineer, known for manipulating telephone company folks anywhere in the United States into performing tasks that gave him access to systems. He was also known for hacking Bell and AT&T systems, which allowed him virtually unrestricted access to phone lines, including the ability to monitor conversations throughout the United States. Many of his techniques are outdated, but some of his original ideas are still in use by social engineers and security professionals today.

This led to some of his earliest paid work as a private investigator, source worker, information analyst, investigative reporter, fact checker, and pundit for a handful of technical publications.

His career in filmmaking began in 1995 when he was introduced to the industry in a truly unique way. That year, Dave was invited to serve as a technical consultant on the set of the iconic film Hackers. Dave played an instrumental role in editing the screenplay, provided personal coaching to many members of the principal cast, and was given the opportunity to make lifelong friends. His expertise in the world of computer hacking made him a valuable asset to the production team, and his contributions to the film were crucial in creating an authentic, prescient, and tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the hacker culture that continues to resonate with audiences to this day.

Security career


In 1997, Dave Buchwald, Mark Abene (a.k.a. Phiber Optik), and Andrew Brown co-founded Crossbar Security, an independent boutique consultancy that provided innovative information security services to large corporations. Crossbar Security quickly gained a reputation as a leading provider of cutting-edge security consulting services, which included conducting a 5-city lecture tour in Brazil and providing security consulting services in Sweden and Japan.

Despite the challenges of the dot-com bubble, Crossbar Security remained a steadfast force in the world of information security, thanks to Dave's unwavering commitment to its vision. However, the company eventually faced the harsh reality of corporate security spending cuts and a significant increase in the cost of computer security advertising, which led to its defunct status in 2002.

Arts career

Dave is a highly esteemed artist whose extensive film editing, photography, and graphic design career has garnered him widespread recognition and acclaim. Based in the cultural hub of New York City, he has established himself as a formidable force in the entertainment industry, consistently delivering innovative, visually stunning, and exceptional work.

Since 2000, Dave has been producing cover art for 2600: The Hacker Quarterly under the pseudonym Dabu Ch'wald, showcasing his exceptional skills in graphic design. He has also lent his creative talents to an impressive range of projects, including independent films, commercials, and music videos. Notably, he completed his first feature film, Urchin, in 2006, which premiered in a New York City theater and gained critical acclaim. His work has also been showcased at international film festivals, including the Worldfest-Houston International Film and Video Festival, where Floating Sunflowers won the Gold Remi award for Best Comedy Short in 2014.

Dave's career in film editing and his adolescent expertise in the world of hacking has led him to exciting new ventures in television production. In 2018, Dave and his collaborators from Restraining Order, Ltd., Michael Lee Nirenberg and John Torrani, presented sample scenes from their highly anticipated documentary television series, Reverse Engineering, at DEF CON 26 in Las Vegas, NV. As an interview subject for the project, Dave's unique insights into the world of hacking and his exceptional filmmaking skills made him an ideal candidate to join the production team as a producing partner.

Dave's impressive body of work is a testament to his unwavering commitment to excellence and his dedication to pushing creative boundaries. His innate ability to capture the essence of a story and bring it to life through his art has made him a sought-after collaborator in the entertainment industry. With his exceptional skill set and remarkable portfolio, Dave Buchwald continues to be a driving force in film editing, photography, and graphic design, inspiring and captivating audiences worldwide.


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