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:

• Sell your forum accounts - PRODAFT.
• International Scammers Steal Over $1 Trillion in 12 Months in Global State of Scams Report 2024 - Gasa.org.
• Why Nigeria's internet scammers are 'role models' - BBC News.
• 28-year-old fraudster surrenders to EFCC, confesses to romance scams - Punch Newspapers.
• Black Box - BBC iPlayer.
• Black Box trailer - YouTube.
• Katherine Ryan Battleaxe Tour - LW Theatres. 
• Louis Theroux Interviews - Series 1: 5. Katherine Ryan - BBC iPlayer.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Dashlane - Protect against the #1 cause of data breaches - poor password habits. Save 25% off a new business plan, or 35% off a personal Premium plan!
• Drata - The world’s most advanced Trust Management platform – making risk and compliance management accessible, continuous, and 10x more automated than ever before.
• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!

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:

• The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans - The Atlantic.
• Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal - The Atlantic.
• How the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg got added to the White House Signal group chat - The Guardian.
• From convenience to compromise: The rising threat of quishing scams - Fast Company.
• Microsoft Warns of Tax-Themed Email Attacks Using PDFs and QR Codes to Deliver Malware - Hacker News.
• QR Code Statistics 2024: Trends & Use Cases - QR Code.
• Honey Garlic Scallop Kabobs - Heinz.
• With QR Code Redemption Set to Surge to 5.3 Billion in 2025, Cybercriminals will Increase Their Quishing Attacks - Wealth & Finance International.
• Chess Masters: The End Game - BBC iPlayer.
• Cribbage Classic - iOS app store.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Material - Email security that covers the full threat landscape – stopping new flavors of phishing and pretexting attacks in their tracks, while also protecting accounts and data from exploit or exposure.
• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
• 1Password Extended Access Management – Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.

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.

Renowned cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt falls victim to a phishing attack, resulting in the exposure of thousands of subscriber details, and don't lose your life savings in a whisky scam...

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 Alastair Paterson, CEO and co-founder of Harmonic Security, discussing how companies can adopt Generative AI without putting their sensitive data at risk.

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• A Sneaky Phish Just Grabbed my Mailchimp Mailing List - Troy Hunt.
• Thunderbird breach notice.
• Opération Cactus - Le Groupement d’Intérêt Public Action contre la Cybermalveillance.
• Cancer patient lost life savings to whisky barrel scammers - BBC. 
• How to spot an investment scam - Saga Money.
• More than £612 million was lost to investment fraud in the UK last year - City of London Police. 
• Adolescence - Netflix.
• Behind the scenes of Adolescence - YouTube.
• Thames Water: Inside the Crisis - BBC iPlayer.
• Who let the BBC inside Thames Water? - The New Statesman.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Harmonic - Let your teams adopt AI tools safely by protecting sensitive data in real time with minimal effort. Harmonic Security gives you full control and stops leaks so your teams can innovate confidently.
• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
• Acronis Threat Research Unit - Your secret weapon against cyber attacks. Access the reports now.

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 YouTuber has unleashed an innovative AI bot army to disrupt and outwit the world of online scammers, and a New York Times investigation looks into the intricate web of global money laundering.

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:

• O2’s AI granny Daisy unveils what she’s learnt from her time on the phone to scammers – and what you can do to ruin their day - O2.
• Lenny - The Telemarketing Troll.
• I Built a Bot Army that Scams Scammers - Kitboga on YouTube.
• Takeaways From Our Money Laundering Investigation - The New York Times.
• Infiltrating scammer networks with the world’s top fraud fighters - YouTube.
• Open Street Map - Open Street Map.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
• Drata - The world’s most advanced Trust Management platform – making risk and compliance management accessible, continuous, and 10x more automated than ever before.
• 1Password Extended Access Management – Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.

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 episode 409 of the "Smashing Security" podcast, we uncover the curious case of the Chinese cyber-attack on Littleton's Electric Light Company, and a California landlord's hidden camera scandal.

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:

• This is the FBI, open up. China's Volt Typhoon is on your network - The Register.
• Landlord recorded nude videos of woman tenant with cameras hidden in bedroom smoke detectors, lawsuit says - The Independent.
• Landlord arrested after tenant discovers hidden camera in rented room - PBSO.
• Hidden Cameras: What Travelers Need to Know - The New York Times.
• Shakespeare insults t-shirt - Royal Shakespeare Company.
• OAS Exhibitions - Oxford Art  Society.
• Carole’s “Rusty Sage” - Bluesky.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Drata - The world’s most advanced Trust Management platform – making risk and compliance management accessible, continuous, and 10x more automated than ever before.
• Acronis Threat Research Unit - Your secret weapon against cyber attacks. Access the reports now.
• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!

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.

What happens when a healthcare giant’s legal threats ignite a Streisand Effect wildfire… while a ransomware gang appears to ditch the dark web for postage stamps?

Find out about this, and more, 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:

• 'We wanted to help': Students arrested after exposing FreeHour security flaw - Times of Malta.
• Medusa ransomware gang demands $2M from UK private health services provider - DataBreaches.net.
• Medusa Unveils Another 50TB of Stolen Data from HCRG Care Group, Giving Greater Insight Into the Scope of the Breach - DataBreaches.net.
• HCRG Care’s lawyers claimed an injunction issued in a “private” hearing required us to remove two posts. We didn’t comply - DataBreaches.net.
• Security firm leaves more than five billion records exposed on unsecured database - Graham Cluley.
• After threatening me with legal action, Keepnet Labs finally issues statement over data breach - Graham Cluley.
• Sophos apologises for going legal on school techies - The Register.
• Mail Scam Targeting Corporate Executives Claims Ties to Ransomware - IC3.
• One of the nastiest ransomware groups around may have a whole new way of doing things - TechRadar.
• Snail Mail Fail: Fake Ransom Note Campaign Preys on Fear - GuidePoint Security.
• Severance - Apple TV+.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• 1Password Extended Access Management – Secure every sign-in for every app on every device.
• Palo Alto Networks - Get the 2025 Unit 42 Global Incident Response report to discover emerging threat trends, attacker tactics and expert recommendations to safeguard your business.
• Tripwire Enterprise - Set up a demo of Tripwire Enterprise to see how you can simultaneously harden your systems and automate compliance.

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.

Journey with us to Myanmar's shadowy scam factories, where trafficked workers are forced to run romance-baiting and fake tech support scams, and find out why a company's mandatory hold time for tech support could lead to innocent users having their computers compromised.

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 Acronis CISO Gerald Beuchelt!

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• HP deliberately adds 15 minutes waiting time for telephone support calls - The Register.
• HP mandated 15-minute wait time for callers - why that was good news for criminals - Bob Sullivan.
• How vulnerable people are trafficked to fuel a global cyber scam industry - ABC News.
• Hundreds of foreigners freed from Myanmar's scam centres - BBC News.
• 'I need help': Freed from Myanmar's scam centres, thousands are now stranded - BBC News.
• Some foreigners pulled out of Myanmar scam centres face struggle to get home - Yahoo! News.
• 'Pig Butchering' Scam: How China's 'Broken Tooth' stole over $75 bn from global investors using crypto currencies - The Economic Times.
• Scunthorpe problem - Wikipedia.
• Scunthorpe Sans font.
• Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne - Goodreads.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Acronis - Integrated cybersecurity, data protection and endpoint management built for MSPs.
• Threat Vector - The podcast from Palo Alto Networks that gives you timely analysis of current security trends and challenges.
• Drata - The world’s most advanced Trust Management platform – making risk and compliance management accessible, continuous, and 10x more automated than ever before.

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.

We explore how the cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has been hacked to the jaw-dropping tune of $1.5 billion, and we look at what is being done to better defend women and girls' safety online.

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:

• Incident Update: Unauthorized Activity Involving ETH Cold Wallet - Bybit.
• Bybit Launches Recovery Bounty Program with Rewards up to 10% of Stolen Funds - Bybit.
• ZachXBT links Bybit hack to Lazarus Group - Twitter.
• Online Safety Act: explainer - GOV.UK
• These Are The 10 Most Complained-About TV Moments In Ofcom's History - Ofcom. 
• Ofcom to push for better age verification, filters and 40 other checks in new online child safety code - TechCrunch.
• UK’s internet watchdog toughens approach to deepfake porn - TechCrunch.
• Girlguiding research exposes alarming online harms facing girls - Charity Today News.
• Ofcom's approach to implementing the Online Safety Act - Ofcom. 
• Women's abuse online: 'I get trolled every second, every day' - BBC. 
• Amanda’s funniest moments in Motherland - YouTube.
• Amandaland - BBC iPlayer.
• Cassandra Sci-Fi Thriller limited series - Netflix. 
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• 1Password – Secure every app, device, and identity – even the unmanaged ones at 1password.com/smashing.
• Scanner.dev provides a new technology offering fast search and threat detections for security data in S3 helping teams reduce the total cost of ownership of their SIEM by up to 90%. Try the interactive playground at scanner.dev/demo

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.

From shadowy Bitcoin exchanges to Interpol’s most wanted, Alexander Vinnik was the alleged kingpin behind BTC-e, a $4bn crypto laundering empire. Learn more about him, and how he became a geopolitical pawn between the US, France, and Russia. Plus! Hear how concert-goers are being warned about a swathe of scams hitting stadiums and arenas around the world.

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 Cliff Crosland of Scanner.dev

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• Russian National And Bitcoin Exchange Charged In 21-Count Indictment For Operating Alleged International Money Laundering Scheme And Allegedly Laundering Funds From Hack Of Mt. Gox - US Dept of Justice.
• BTC-e Operator Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy - US Dept of Justice.
• US releases Russian cybercriminal as part of exchange for teacher Marc Fogel - The Guardian.
• Lloyds Bank issues urgent warning over Taylor Swift ticket scams - Lloyds.
• Warning after more than 120k people queue for Black Sabbath Villa Park tickets as fans say 'scam' - Birmingham Live.
• ‘Don’t buy tickets for Beyoncé’ - Minister Gayton McKenzie warns South Africans of concert scam - Independent Online.
• Beyonce Cowboy Carter tour fake tickets scam: Ticketmaster warns fans - USA Today.
• Singapore ticket scam queen jailed for three years after conning 76 Taylor Swift fans of S$110,000 - Malaysia News. 
• Did Ozzy Osbourne really eat a bat? - Rock and Roll Garage.
• How to stop hiccups - Graham Cluley.
• The Telepathy Tapes podcast.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• 1Password – Secure every app, device, and identity – even the unmanaged ones at 1password.com/smashing.
• Scanner.dev provides a new technology offering fast search and threat detections for security data in S3 helping teams reduce the total cost of ownership of their SIEM by up to 90%. Try the interactive playground at scanner.dev/demo
• Harmonic - Stop data leaks, not innovation. Zero-touch data protection for the GenAI era.

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.

The story of how hackers managed to compromise the US Government's official SEC Twitter account to boost the price of Bitcoins, AI isn't helping reduce the rife conspiracy theories inside classrooms, and is the funeral bell tolling for ransomware?

All this and more is discussed in episode 404 of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by special guest Jane Wakefield.

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• SEC's Twitter account hacked to say Bitcoin ETFs approved - Hot for Security.
• Twitter says it’s not its fault the SEC’s account got hacked - Graham Cluley.
• SEC Twitter hack blamed on SIM swap attack - Hot for Security.
• The SEC’s X account got hacked by a 25-year-old who went by ‘AGiantSchnauzer’ and got paid in Bitcoin, feds say - Fortune.
• Pupils share conspiracy theories for fun, with girls ‘more susceptible’ - The Times.
• AI chatbots unable to accurately summarise news, BBC finds - BBC News.
• US-led cybersecurity coalition vows to not pay hackers' ransom demands - TechCrunch.
• 35% Year-over-Year Decrease in Ransomware Payments, Less than Half of Recorded Incidents Resulted in Victim Payments - Chain Analysis.
• Ransomware: proposals to increase incident reporting and reduce payments to criminals - GOV.UK.
• The 2024 Ransomware Landscape: ‘Looking back on another painful year’ - IT Wire.
• The Space Doctor’s Big Idea by Randall Munroe - The New Yorker.
• Reading guide: Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner - Booker Prizes.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• 1Password – Secure every app, device, and identity – even the unmanaged ones at 1password.com/smashing.
• Tripwire Enterprise - Set up a demo of Tripwire Enterprise to see how you can simultaneously harden your systems and automate compliance.
• Scanner.dev provides a new technology offering fast search and threat detections for security data in S3 helping teams reduce the total cost of ownership of their SIEM by up to 90%. Try the interactive playground at scanner.dev/demo

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.