News and views from the world of cybersecurity, hacking, and internet threats
A GCHQ intern forgets the golden rule of spy school — don’t take the secrets home with you — and finds himself swapping Cheltenham for a cell. Meanwhile, an Australian hacker flies too close to the sun, hacks his way into a US indictment, and somehow walks free... only to get booted back Down Under.
Plus: flow states, Bob Mortimer, and the joys of pretending to carry an owl around on a cushion.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
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Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
What do a sleazy nightclub carpet, Google’s gaping privacy hole, and an international student conned by fake ICE agents have in common? This week’s episode of the "Smashing Security" podcast obviously.
Graham explains how a Singaporean bug-hunter cracked Google’s defences and could brute-force your full phone number. Meanwhile, Carole dives into a chilling scam where ICE impersonators used fear, spoofed numbers, and... Apple gift cards to extort terrified migrants.
Plus: Nazis, door safety, and the age-old struggle of telling Ralph Fiennes from Liam Neeson.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
A bizarre case of political impersonation, where Trump’s top aide Susie Wiles is cloned (digitally, not biologically — we think), and high-ranking Republicans start getting invitations to link up with "her" on Telegram to share their Trump pardon wishlists. Was it a deepfake? Or just someone with a halfway decent impression and access to a shady data broker?
Meanwhile, we take a worryingly familiar journey into the mental health crisis in the UK — and how TikTok is stepping in with advice like “eat an orange in the shower” to cure your anxiety. Spoiler: it won’t. But it might make your bathroom smell nice.
Plus: a nostalgic tech support tale involving a CRT monitor, a wooden door, and an unexpected shade of brown.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
Why is a cute Star Wars fan website now redirecting to the CIA? How come Cambodia has become the world's hotspot for scam call centres? And can a WhatsApp image really drain your bank account with a single download, or is it just a load of hacker hokum?
All this and much more is discussed in the latest edition of the award-winning "Smashing Security" podcast by computer security veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by Allan Liska.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
In this week’s episode, Graham investigates the mysterious Iberian Peninsula blackout (aliens? toaster? cyberattack?), Carole dives in the UK legal aid hack that exposed deeply personal data of society's most vulnerable, and Dinah Davis recounts how Instagram scammers hijacked her daughter’s account - and how a parental control accidentally saved the day.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by special guest Dinah Davis.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
Don't get duped, doxxed, or drained! In this episode of "Smashing Security" we dive into the creepy world of sextortion scams, and investigate how crypto wallet firm Ledger's Discord server was hijacked in an attempt to phish for cryptocurrency recovery phrases.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Plus! Don't miss our featured interview with Drata's Matt Hillary.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
Brits face empty shelves and suspended meal deals as cybercriminals hit major high street retailers, and a terminated Disney employee gets revenge with a little help with Wingdings. Plus Graham challenges Carole to a game of "Malware or metal?", and we wonder just happens when you have sex on top of a piano?
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Plus! Don't miss our featured interview with Jon Cho of Dashlane.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
He's not a pop star, but Jeffrey Bowie is alleged to have toured staff areas of a hospital in Oklahoma, hunting for computers he could install spyware on. We dive into the bizarre case of the man accused of hacking medical networks and then sharing how he did it on LinkedIn.
Plus! Move over Nigerian princes — the WASPI scams are here. Fraudsters are now targeting UK women born in the 1950s, exploiting pension injustice for phishing gain.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
Graham explores how the Elusive Comet cybercrime gang are using a sneaky trick of stealing your cryptocurrency via an innocent-appearing Zoom call, and Carole goes under the covers to explore the extraordinary lengths bio-hacking millionaire Bryan Johnson is attempting to extend his life.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
A cybersecurity firm is buying access to underground crime forums to gather intelligence. Does that seem daft to you?
And over in Nigeria, even if romance scammers would like to update their LinkedIn profiles, just how easy is it to turn a new leaf after a sweet-talking career in cybercrime?
All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.
QR codes are being weaponised by scammers — so maybe think twice before scanning that parking meter. And in a blunder so dumb it makes autocorrect look smart, the White House explains how it leaked war plans on Signal because an iPhone mistook a journalist for a government insider.
Plus! Don't miss our featured interview with Josh Donelson of Material and Tony Albano from Google, about detection and response in today's AI-driven world.
All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.
Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.
Episode links:
Sponsored by:
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.
Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!
FOLLOW US:
Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.
THANKS:
Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.