Security Now (Audio)

By TWiTTechnology

Security Now (Audio) episodes

November 18, 2025SN 1052: Global Cellphone Tracking - Checkout.com Fights Back
Think your cell phone is safe from tracking? Steve reveals how global networks let anyone pinpoint your location—no hacking required and no malware involved.
Apple introduces a new Digital ID inside Wallet.

Checkout.com refuses to pay a ransom demand.

Google announces "Private AI Compute" in the cloud.

Google backpedals on their "devs must register" demand.

Win11 added a Passkeys API which 1Password & Bitwarden support.

Russia tracks SIM card appearances to thwart drone usage.

Google sues Chinese Phishing as a Service platform.

Lots of interesting listener feedback.

Global cellphone tracking is alive, well, malware free and a distressingly common commercial enterprise

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1052-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

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3 hr 3 min
November 11, 2025SN 1051: Amazon Sues Perplexity - Nevada's Ransomware Comeback
Amazon is taking Perplexity AI to court over its agentic browser that shops on your behalf, raising urgent questions about who controls your online buying experience when bots do the heavy lifting.
FFmpeg teaching assembly language for performance.

The state of Nevada recovers after not paying ransom.

A "rounding error" nets a clever attacker $128 million.

Why would Chrome decide to start form-filling driver's licenses.

The UK's six major telecom providers to block number spoofing.

XSLT support being removed from browsers. Will anyone notice.

Firefox introduced paid support options for organizations.

Russia continues to fight against non-Russian Internet.

Google acquires another Internet security company (Wiz).

The EU to finally fix their cookie permission mistake.

More countries drop Microsoft office for open choices.

More countries question and examine Chinese made buses.

Microsoft discovers some information leakage from LLMs.

What does Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity's agents mean for next-generation browsers

Show Notes: https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1051-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

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2 hr 45 min
November 04, 2025SN 1050: Here Come the AI Browsers - Scareware Blockers
AI-powered web browsers are hitting the scene fast, but Steve and Leo unpack why these smart assistants could usher in an era of security chaos most users aren't ready for. Brace yourself for the wild risks, real-world scams, and the privacy questions no one else is asking.
Secret radios discovered in Chinese-made busses.

Edge & Chrome introduce LLM-based "scareware" blocking.

A perfect example of what scareware blocking hopes to prevent.

Aardvark: OpenAI's new vulnerability scanner for code.

Italy to require age verification from 48 specific sites.

Russia to require the use of only Russian software within Russia.

Russia further clamping down on non-MAX Telegram and WhatsApp messaging.

187 new malicious NPM packages. Could AI help with that?

BadCandy malware has infiltrated Australian Cisco routers.

Github's 2025 report with the dominance of TypeScript.

Windows 11 gets new extra-secure Admin Protection feature.

A bunch of interesting feedback and listener thoughts.

And why the new AI-driven web browsers may be bringing a whole new world of hurt

Show Notes: https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1050-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
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3 hr 21 min
October 28, 2025SN 1049: DNS Cache Poisoning Returns - Ransomware Payments Plummet
Just when you thought DNS cache poisoning was a thing of the past, Steve and Leo reveal why this 17-year-old bug is making a dramatic comeback—and why most DNS resolvers still can't manage high-quality random numbers after all this time.
The unsuspected sucking power of a Linux-based robot vacuum.

Russia to follow China's vulnerability reporting laws.

A pair of Scattered Spider UK teen hackers arrested.

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok violating the EU's DSA.

Microsoft Teams bringing user WiFi tracking by policy.

You backed up. That's great. Did you test that backup?

Coveware reports all-time low ransomware payment rate.

Ransomware negotiator reports how the bad guys get in.

Lots of listener thoughts and feedback about NIST passwords.

And against all reason and begging credulity, it seems we still haven't managed to put high-quality random number generators into our DNS resolvers.

Show Notes: https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1049-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
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veeam.com
zscaler.com/security
2 hr 56 min
October 21, 2025SN 1048: Mic-E-Mouse - AWS Goes Down Hard
Think your mouse is harmless? Steve and Leo uncover how modern optical mice might be secretly "listening" in, and reveal why satellite data pouring down on us is almost entirely unsecured.
The long awaited lawsuit to block Texas SB2420.

Embattled Texas SB2420 also impacts Google Play.

At long last, NIST modernizes their password policy.

Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters demise was exaggerated.

China claims that the NSA has been hacking them.

Half of all geosynchronous satellite traffic is unencrypted.

The AWS outage highlights the rising risk of Internet monoculture.

A terrific collection of listener feedback and...

Could your PC's mousehave much bigger ears than you know?

https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1048-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
Melissa.com/twit
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joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT
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2 hr 51 min
October 14, 2025SN 1047: RediShell's CVSS 10.0 - The Rise of Mega Botnets
Texas is on the brink of forcing Apple and Google to overhaul app downloads with strict age verification laws—are tech giants ready, or is your privacy about to get caught in the crossfire?
The EU aborted their Chat Control vote knowing it would fail.

Salesforce says it's not going to pay; customer data is released.

Hackers claim Discord breach netted 70,000 government IDs.

Microsoft to move Github to Azure. What could possibly go wrong.

New California law allows universal data sharing opt-out.

OpenAI reports that it's blocking foreign abuse. Who cares.

IE Mode refuses to die, so Microsoft is burying it deeper.

The massive mess created by Texas legislation SB2420.

The BreachForums website gets a makeover.

100,000 strong global botnet attacking U.S. RDP services.

UI experts weigh in on Apple's iOS 26 user-interface.

330,000 publicly exposed REDIS servers are RCE-vulnerable

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1047-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
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2 hr 33 min
October 07, 2025SN 1046: Google's Developer Registration Decree - The End of Free Android Apps?
Google's new demand for developer registration could spell the end for open-source app stores, while Europe's controversial chat control vote threatens privacy for everyone—Steve and Leo break down what's at stake for devs and users alike.
Qantas says no one can releak their stolen data.

Brave's usage is up. But is it really 3 times faster.

Next Tuesday the EU votes on "Chat Control".

Microsoft formally launches a "Security Store".

Outlook moves to block JavaScript in SVG's.

A new release of Chrome.

Gmail will no longer pull external email via POP.

Googe Drive starts blocking ransomware encryptions.

The UK issues another order to Apple.

Researchers create a "Battering RAM" attack device.

HackerOne's significant bug bounty payouts.

The Imgur service goes dark across the UK. Guess why.

The Netherlands plans to say NO to "Chat Control."

Discord was breached and government IDs leaked.

Salesforce says it's not another new breach.

Signal introduces a new post-quantum ratchet.

Your motherboard MIGHT support TPM 2.0.

Google to force Android app devs to register and pay

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1046-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
threatlocker.com for Security Now
joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT
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bitwarden.com/twit
veeam.com
2 hr 32 min
September 30, 2025SN 1045: News and Listener Views - 2.3 Million Cisco Devices Exposed
Cisco's routers just exposed more than two million networks thanks to a "security optional" SNMP setup that's being actively exploited—Steve and Leo break down why this is a worst-case scenario for the industry and how easily it could have been avoided.
Gmail's spam filtering false-positive spree.

iOS 26's Safari randomizes its fingerprint by default.

Cisco's SNMP stands for "Security Not My Problem".

Windows' "stuck" Extended Security Updates (ESU).

Europe complains, gets 1-year of ESU with no strings.

Where to get $6 TLS certs (really) while they last.

The lessons to learn from Jaguar Land Rover's mess.

The NEON app: get paid to have your voice recorded.

Bluesky's age verification, now coming to Ohio.

What is "Kids Web Services" for age verification.

More than 10K Ollama instances publicly exposed.

GRC's DNS Benchmark reaches "release candidate"

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1045-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
vanta.com/SECURITYNOW
1password.com/securitynow
Melissa.com/twit
threatlocker.com/twit
zapier.com/twit
2 hr 50 min
September 23, 2025SN 1044: The EU's Online Age Verification - Consumer Reports vs. Microsoft
Consumer Reports on Windows 10 updates.

Waste (not fraud or abuse) within DoD Cyberoperations.

China's DeepSeek produces deliberately flawed code.

WebAssembly v3.0 officially released.

Firefox v143 updates and new features.

Firefox for Android now offers DoH.

A nearly terminal flaw in Microsoft's Entra ID.

Chrome hits its 6th 0-day this year. Emergency update.

DRAM (now DDR5) still vulnerable to RowHammer.

SAMSUNG kitchen refrigerators begin showing ads.

China says no to NVIDIA.

300 more (new) NPM maliciouspackages found and removed.

The EU is already testing proper online age verification.

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1044-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
bigid.com/securitynow
go.acronis.com/twit
zscaler.com/security
1password.com/securitynow
hoxhunt.com/securitynow
3 hr 2 min
September 16, 2025SN 1043: Memory Integrity Enforcement - Crypto ATM Scam Epidemic
Apple just rewrote the rules of device security with a chip-level upgrade that could wipe out most iPhone vulnerabilities overnight. Find out how "memory integrity enforcement" aims to make exploits a thing of the past—and why it took half a decade to pull off.
Are Bitcoin ATMs anything more than scamming terminals.

Ransomware hits the Uvalde school district and Jaguar.

Did "Scattered LapSus Hunters" just throw in the towel.

Germany, for one, to vote "no" on Chat Control.

Russia's new MAX messenger has startup troubles.

Samsung follows Apple's WhatsApp patch chain.

Shocker: UK school hacks are mostly by students.

HackerOne was hacked.

Connected washing machines in Amsterdam hacked.

DDoS breaks another record.

Bluesky to implement conditional age verification.

Enforcement actions for Global Privacy Control.

Might Apple have finally beaten vulnerabilities

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1043-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!

Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:
joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT
vanta.com/SECURITYNOW
threatlocker.com for Security Now
bitwarden.com/twit
Melissa.com/twit
2 hr 52 min

About Security Now (Audio)

From the publisher's feed

Cybersecurity guru Steve Gibson joins Leo Laporte every Tuesday. Steve and Leo break down the latest cybercrime and hacking stories, offering a deep understanding of what's happening and how to protect yourself and your business. Security Now is a must listen for security professionals every week.

You can join Club TWiT for $10 per month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $5 per month.