Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

The gift-giving season is upon us and technology presents are always popular! But what you may not realize that the hackers and marketers out there are secretly hoping you’ll give your friends and family certain gifts, too!

In this special holiday episode, I’ll tell you about some of the best and the worst holiday gifts and accessories, from a security and privacy viewpoint. Thinking about giving someone a DNA analysis kit? You might want to think again! Which computers and smart devices are the most secure? And are there products I can buy to help make them more secure? You bet! Tune in - I’ve got you covered!

For Further Insight:

* Read this before buying a DNA test: https://vitals.lifehacker.com/what-you-should-know-before-you-gift-someone-a-dna-test-1820774515

* Best WiFi Routers: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/

* Setting your Router’s DNS to Quad9: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/evading-malware-quad9-dns/

* Data and Goliath: https://www.schneier.com/books/data_and_goliath/

* Little Brother: https://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

The gift-giving season is upon us and technology presents are always popular! But what you may not realize that the hackers and marketers out there are secretly hoping you’ll give your friends and family certain gifts, too!

In this special holiday episode, I’ll tell you about some of the best and the worst holiday gifts and accessories, from a security and privacy viewpoint. Thinking about giving someone a DNA analysis kit? You might want to think again! Which computers and smart devices are the most secure? And are there products I can buy to help make them more secure? You bet! Tune in - I’ve got you covered!

For Further Insight:

Read this before buying a DNA test: https://vitals.lifehacker.com/what-you-should-know-before-you-gift-someone-a-dna-test-1820774515

Best WiFi Routers: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/

Setting your Router’s DNS to Quad9: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/evading-malware-quad9-dns/

Data and Goliath: https://www.schneier.com/books/data_and_goliath/

Little Brother: https://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

It’s been a rough week or so for Apple products, in particular their new Macintosh operating system version called High Sierra. A horrendous security bug was released last week that would let anyone have full, unfettered access to your computer - possible even remotely. That’s about as bad as it gets, folks. I’ll tell you all about it, including how to fix it once and for all.

We’ll also talk about some insidious HP computer software that is sending tracking information back to the mother ship without proper warning or consent, how some clever thieves have figured out how to steal cars by faking out your keyless entry system, and why now is the time to support Net Neutrality.

For Further Insight:

* Fixing Apple’s horrible “root” bug: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/fixing-apple-root-bug/

* Save Net Neutrality! https://www.battleforthenet.com/

* John Oliver on Net Neutrality (includes adult language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92vuuZt7wak

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

It’s been a rough week or so for Apple products, in particular their new Macintosh operating system version called High Sierra. A horrendous security bug was released last week that would let anyone have full, unfettered access to your computer - possible even remotely. That’s about as bad as it gets, folks. I’ll tell you all about it, including how to fix it once and for all.

We’ll also talk about some insidious HP computer software that is sending tracking information back to the mother ship without proper warning or consent, how some clever thieves have figured out how to steal cars by faking out your keyless entry system, and why now is the time to support Net Neutrality.

For Further Insight:

* Fixing Apple’s horrible “root” bug: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/fixing-apple-root-bug/

* Save Net Neutrality! https://www.battleforthenet.com/

* John Oliver on Net Neutrality (includes adult language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92vuuZt7wak

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

It’s been a rough week or so for Apple products, in particular their new Macintosh operating system version called High Sierra. A horrendous security bug was released last week that would let anyone have full, unfettered access to your computer - possible even remotely. That’s about as bad as it gets, folks. I’ll tell you all about it, including how to fix it once and for all.

We’ll also talk about some insidious HP computer software that is sending tracking information back to the mother ship without proper warning or consent, how some clever thieves have figured out how to steal cars by faking out your keyless entry system, and why now is the time to support Net Neutrality.

For Further Insight:

* Fixing Apple’s horrible “root” bug: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/fixing-apple-root-bug/

* Save Net Neutrality! https://www.battleforthenet.com/

* John Oliver on Net Neutrality (includes adult language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92vuuZt7wak

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In the era of mass surveillance, our communications are being hoovered up, searched and stored by both corporations and intelligence agencies, without a warrant and with almost zero transparency. While we should be fighting for our right to privacy, creating and amending laws is hard and can take years. Dr Andy Yen is the CEO of ProtonMail, a secure email service based in Switzerland. Today we discuss why it’s important for even regular, “uninteresting” people to use a truly secure and private email service.

In the news this week, hundreds of top websites are tracking everything you do and Intel comes clean about a horrendous flaw in their secretive Management Engine that is part of every CPU they’ve made in the last 8 years. I’ll tell what you can do about it. Also, in the Tip of the Week, I’ll tell you about a new free service that can protect you from bad websites.

Dr. Andy Yen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Protonmail. Andy has over 8 years of experience in distributed computing for demanding particle physics applications. Andy was a researcher at CERN from 2009 to 2015, where ProtonMail's founding team met. He has a PhD in Physics from Harvard and a degree in Economics from Caltech.

For Further Insight:

* Website: https://protonmail.com/

* Twitter URL: https://twitter.com/ProtonMail

* LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-yen-03a9676

* Quad9’s free DNS service protects you as you surf: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/evading-malware-quad9-dns/

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In the era of mass surveillance, our communications are being hoovered up, searched and stored by both corporations and intelligence agencies, without a warrant and with almost zero transparency. While we should be fighting for our right to privacy, creating and amending laws is hard and can take years. Dr Andy Yen is the CEO of ProtonMail, a secure email service based in Switzerland. Today we discuss why it’s important for even regular, “uninteresting” people to use a truly secure and private email service.

In the news this week, hundreds of top websites are tracking everything you do and Intel comes clean about a horrendous flaw in their secretive Management Engine that is part of every CPU they’ve made in the last 8 years. I’ll tell what you can do about it. Also, in the Tip of the Week, I’ll tell you about a new free service that can protect you from bad websites.

Dr. Andy Yen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Protonmail. Andy has over 8 years of experience in distributed computing for demanding particle physics applications. Andy was a researcher at CERN from 2009 to 2015, where ProtonMail's founding team met. He has a PhD in Physics from Harvard and a degree in Economics from Caltech.

For Further Insight:

* Website: https://protonmail.com/

* Twitter URL: https://twitter.com/ProtonMail

* LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-yen-03a9676

* Quad9’s free DNS service protects you as you surf: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/evading-malware-quad9-dns/

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In the era of mass surveillance, our communications are being hoovered up, searched and stored by both corporations and intelligence agencies, without a warrant and with almost zero transparency. While we should be fighting for our right to privacy, creating and amending laws is hard and can take years. Dr Andy Yen is the CEO of ProtonMail, a secure email service based in Switzerland. Today we discuss why it’s important for even regular, “uninteresting” people to use a truly secure and private email service.

In the news this week, hundreds of top websites are tracking everything you do and Intel comes clean about a horrendous flaw in their secretive Management Engine that is part of every CPU they’ve made in the last 8 years. I’ll tell what you can do about it. Also, in the Tip of the Week, I’ll tell you about a new free service that can protect you from bad websites.

Dr. Andy Yen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Protonmail. Andy has over 8 years of experience in distributed computing for demanding particle physics applications. Andy was a researcher at CERN from 2009 to 2015, where ProtonMail's founding team met. He has a PhD in Physics from Harvard and a degree in Economics from Caltech.

For Further Insight:

* Website: https://protonmail.com/

* Twitter URL: https://twitter.com/ProtonMail

* LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-yen-03a9676

* Quad9’s free DNS service protects you as you surf: http://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/evading-malware-quad9-dns/

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In our next installment of the Castle Defense 101 series, I’ll help you to choose the web browser that will keep you safe and protect your privacy. We’ll talk about the big four (Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome) as well as some others you’ve never heard of. I walk you through the things you need to consider when comparing these browsers and explain why the choice can be tricky. In the end, I’ll share my personal browser strategy and recommend several free browser add-ons that will make you even safer!

In the news: Facebook recommends that you upload your nude photos so that they can protect you and a cheeky New Zealand company has created a new automated service that enables some sweet revenge on all those spam emailers.

For Further Insight:

* ExpressVPN Browser rankings: https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/best-browsers-for-privacy/

* RE: Scam, spammer chatbot: https://www.rescam.org/

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons

In our next installment of the Castle Defense 101 series, I’ll help you to choose the web browser that will keep you safe and protect your privacy. We’ll talk about the big four (Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome) as well as some others you’ve never heard of. I walk you through the things you need to consider when comparing these browsers and explain why the choice can be tricky. In the end, I’ll share my personal browser strategy and recommend several free browser add-ons that will make you even safer!

In the news: Facebook recommends that you upload your nude photos so that they can protect you and a cheeky New Zealand company has created a new automated service that enables some sweet revenge on all those spam emailers.

For Further Insight:

* ExpressVPN Browser rankings: https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/best-browsers-for-privacy/

* RE: Scam, spammer chatbot: https://www.rescam.org/

* Help me to help you! Visit: https://patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons