The "United" States of America has never been more disunited and divided, at least not in my lifetime. There's a hypothesis claiming a reason for our division is the disinformation that floods our inboxes, televisions, newsfeeds, and social media accounts every second of every day.

Is this true? Is disinformation dividing us? What is disinformation anyway? Is there someone or something behind it all?

Let’s break this down into component parts using as much logic and reason as we can muster.

We, the pioneers, the forefathers, the originators of this bloody industry that we’re dissecting every week are breaking down. We’re past our sell by date, our warranty’s expired, and bugger all chance of getting one of those extended ones…heck we’re almost at a point where we can get Medicaid AND free bus rides.

We can’t be more than 20 yards from a toilet, our bodies are breaking…I just learned what the hell gout was (the painful way) and I’m fairly certain that my loving daughter (who called me old and moldy) IS buying me a walking cane for my birthday.

HOW do we pass the baton, what can we do to bring the next generation through with LESS mistakes than we made, how do we champion others AND will you please keep those bloody kids OFF my lawn!?!

This evening is going to be both groans and moans about falling apart AND a debate about what do we do with the younger generation, those that have to take over AND hopefully do a better job than we did.

We have all had to deal with Shitty co-workers in our careers
You know the co-worker who just never seems to want to help, or worse yet actively gets in the way of work getting done, the Co-worker who works harder at avoiding the work than doing the work, the one with the constant bad attitude and excuses.

With COVID and remote work the Shitty Co-workers are getting worse and some of us who used to be good co-workers stuck in isolation are now turning into the shitty ones.

Our Co-workers get paid by the same company as us, they should be focused on the same business objectives as us, yet it seems as if they are working for someone else for some other purpose.

When it comes to information security not only is this behavior annoying, it is irresponsible and dangerous and could lead to someone's death.

What makes a Shitty Co-worker?

Lack of commitment to the team
Constant negative attitude
Not focusing on the issues at hand
Creating unnecessary political hurdles
Avoiding responsibility or accountability
Blaming others
Creating road blocks
Causing delays and confusion
Refusing to learn or grow
Never seems to be their issue to deal with
Generally being a shit person
Are you the shitty Co-worker? are you turning shitty from isolation? how can you help your shitty Co-workers to be less shitty?, all that and more tonight on the Security Shit Show

Thursday nights at 9 PM Mountain 10 PM Central

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=150wT...

Evan, Chris and Ryan the Shit Show Crew

The issue is accountability, or (maybe) lack of accountability, in our industry.

Sometimes in order to keep moving forward, not only must you take one step at a time, but you must be willing to look back occasionally and evaluate your past, no matter how painful it is. Looking back lets you know whether or not you are headed in the right direction.” (G.K Adams)

Having just worked with the Semperis crew on delivering a lecture the other day on the historical tie-ins between how we ALL approach technology today and the influences ON those decisions from almost 12,000 years of documented history affect us it’s something I want to explore further.

So, this evening’s Shit Show we'll dig a little deeper with Evan Francen, Ryan Cloutier, CISSP and Rachel Arnold

We’ll go back to Jericho in 9600 BCE and work our way forward to see how we might better learn from some of the pitfalls that our ancestors found instead of simply continuing to jump into the bloody things each time they are presented.

For those of you who are brain diggers OR simply want to know why we continue to do the same daft things I encourage you to join in, for the rest, grab the popcorn and watch as we try to untangle the brain and humans in general.

A good hard talk about ransomware in our industry.

Full description here: https://blog.securityshitshow.com/2020/09/episode-17-negativity-is-bullshit.html

This evening on the Security Shit Show we’re going to open the Pandora’s box labeled 5G and see what’s what with the technology, implementations, countries involved AND all the conspiracy theories surrounding it.

With the ever-guiding lights provided by Evan Francen, Ryan Cloutier, CISSP and Rachel Arnold we’ll see what we can come up with to dispel the rumors of brain frying, Covid-19 inducing, plant and bird killing technology.

We’ll address some of the actual challenges WITH 5G, thanks to some great conversations the other week with Paul Ferrillo and Dr. Rob Spalding, Brig Gen, USAF (Ret)

We might even go down the rabbit hole of Body Area Networks, and how we can induce communication within the body… and NO that’s not a 5G thing, but it’s a reality we’re working on…

I’m sure our colleagues in China will come up in conversation given the bun fight between the US and that area of the world… we WILL address the technology giant that IS the Far East and what we can (or can’t) do about it.

Grab a drink and join us this evening for an engaging conversation about how we’re screwed and should accept the simple fact technology’s won and we’re merely prawns in the digital age (or is it pawns?)

Think you're having a private conversation, think again your TV, toaster, thermostat, smart speakers and phones are all listening to you all the time. You're most embarrassing and mundane moments are being listened to by quality control agents all around the globe.

Cyber criminals are combing through your chat logs, so they can craft the perfect phishing attack. Smart cameras and webcams are allowing predators access to your home and children.

Nation states are listening so they can learn how best to sway your thinking and manipulate you.

Why does this matter to you, 3rd party companies are monetizing your personal information and nation-states are weaponizing it against you and your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Business are having confidential conversations around these spying devices potentially allowing trade secrets and sensitive information to leak.

We are sharing sensitive medical information with our doctors via iPads, laptops and smartphones, are you sure that the only person who knows about your embarrassing social disease is your doctor?

Have you ever looked at the chat log to see what has been heard by these devices?

Do you know you can prevent this, that you can control how much of your life you expose to these in-home spying devices?

Tune in for a lively and honest discussion about who is listening and what you can do, to do to limit or prevent your most private conversations from becoming public. Thursday night at 10pm central.

Really? Who’s got all their shit together all the time? Simple. Nobody does.

NOTE: Mental health is a topic that hits home with all three of us on the Shit Show, so this is gonna get personal.

Let’s get real. Mental health is a real and significant issue. We convince ourselves of the lie, nobody cares and you’re alone. This is bullshit. People do care and you are NOT alone! Some facts:
• 19.1% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2018 (47.6 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults.
• 4.6% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2018 (11.4 million people). This represents 1 in 25 adults.
• 16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people)
• 3.7% of U.S. adults experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in 2018 (9.2 million people)

It’s not a race or sexual-preference thing. The annual prevalence of mental illness among U.S. adults, by demographic group:
• Non-Hispanic Asian: 14.7%
• Non-Hispanic white: 20.4%
• Non-Hispanic black or African-American: 16.2%
• Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native: 22.1%
• Non-Hispanic mixed/multiracial: 26.8%
• Hispanic or Latino: 16.9%
• Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual: 37.4%:

It’s a fucking human thing! Sadly, too many of us believe the lie and don’t get help. We must fight the stigma and make help more accessible to those who need it.
• 11.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness had no insurance coverage in 2018
• 13.4% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness had no insurance coverage in 2018
• 60% of U.S. counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist

It’s OK to talk about mental health issues openly and it’s OK to face our mental challenges head on. It’s NOT OK to keep this shit under wraps and it’s NOT OK to face your mental challenges alone. The ultimate end for some who are suffering is suicide.
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 in the U.S.
• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
• The overall suicide rate in the U.S. has increased by 31% since 2001
• 46% of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition
• 90% of people who die by suicide had shown symptoms of a mental health condition, according to interviews with family, friends and medical professionals (also known as psychological autopsy)
• Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth
• 75% of people who die by suicide are male
• Transgender adults are nearly 12x more likely to attempt suicide than the general population
• Annual prevalence of serious thoughts of suicide, by U.S. demographic group:
o 4.3% of all adults
o 11.0% of young adults aged 18-25
o 17.2% of high school students
o 47.7% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual high school students

Sadly, these numbers are likely worse now. All these statistics are pre-2020, pre-COVID, pre-riots, etc. Take these facts, sprinkle in the stress of working in our (information security) industry (marginalized, understaffed, misunderstood, etc.), and we have a potential recipe for disaster, at least for some of us.

This might not be an uplifting topic to discuss on the Shit Show, but it’s one we won’t back down from. We give a shit about people and we give a shit about you, so we’ll openly discuss all this tonight!

Be sure to tune in tonight (8/13) at 10pm CDT for our live show. If can’t catch us live, go watch the recording afterwards.