We discuss how Microsoft Word helped trap a multi-million dollar fraudster, how Amazon Ring may be recording more than you're comfortable with, and how teens are flocking to TikTok (and why that might be a problem).

All this and much much more is covered in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by computer security veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined this week by Maria Varmazis.

Visit https://www.smashingsecurity.com/160 to check out this episode’s show notes and episode links.

Follow the show on Twitter at @SmashinSecurity, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, or visit our website for more episodes.

Remember: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or your favourite podcast app, to catch all of the episodes as they go live. Thanks for listening!

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

Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.

Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.

Special Guest: Maria Varmazis.

Sponsored By:

• LastPass: LastPass Enterprise simplifies password management for companies of every size, with the right tools to secure your business with centralized control of employee passwords and apps.
• But, LastPass isn’t just for enterprises, it’s an equally great solution for business teams, families and single users.
• Go to lastpass.com/smashing to see why LastPass is the trusted enterprise password manager of over 33 thousand businesses.

Support Smashing Security

Links:

• Senior Manager Of Global Internet Company Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud — Department of Justice.
• IT exec sets up fake biz, uses it to bill his bosses $6m for phantom gear, gets caught by Microsoft Word metadata — The Register.
• We Tested Ring’s Security. It’s Awful — Motherboard.
• Amazon Ring isn’t even good at pretending to care about your privacy and safety — Fight for the Future
• Amazon’s Ring to let customers opt out of receiving police video requests — GeekWire.
• Letter to Amazon's Jeff Bezos from Senator Ron Wyden and others (PDF).
• House panel asks Apple, Google if app makers must reveal foreign ties — Engadget.
• U.S. Military Bans TikTok Over Ties to China — Wall Street Journal.
• The Growing Popularity of Chinese Social Media Outside China Poses New Risks in the West — PIIE.
• TikTok Privacy Policy.
• Statement on TikTok's content moderation and data security practices — TikTok.
• Revealed: how TikTok censors videos that do not please Beijing — The Guardian.
• Parents warned to check kids' phones for 15 popular apps used by paedos and bullies to target youngsters — The Sun.
• Dracula — BBC iPlayer.
• Dracula — Netflix.
• Obsessed With... - Dracula - Episode 1: The Rules of the Beast feat. Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat — BBC Sounds.
• Dracula TV series — Wikipedia.
• The Witcher — Netflix.
• The Witcher Soundtrack - Toss A Coin To Your Witcher Lyrics — YouTube.
• Ricky Gervais 2020 Golden Globe Monologue — Reddit.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy