AI bots are having existential crises, inventing religions, and allegedly plotting against humanity... or so the internet would have you believe. We dig into Moltbook, the “AI-only” social network that sent Twitter into a meltdown, attracted breathless talk of the singularity, and turned out to be far less Terminator and far more humans role-playing as...
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Supposedly redacted Jeffrey Epstein files can still reveal exactly who they’re talking about - especially when AI, LinkedIn, and a few biographical breadcrumbs do the heavy lifting. Sloppy redaction leads to explosive claims, and difficult reputational consequences for cybersecurity vendors, and we learn how trust - once cracked - can be almost impossible to fully...
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In episode 452, a London-based YouTuber wins a landmark court case against Saudi Arabia after his phone was hacked with Pegasus spyware — exposing how a single, seemingly harmless text message can turn a smartphone into a round-the-clock surveillance device. Plus, we go looking for professional hitmen online - only to uncover uncomfortable questions about...
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In episode 451 of "Smashing Security," we meet the cybercriminal who hacked the US Supreme Court, Veterans Affairs, and more - and then helpfully posted screenshots (and even someone’s blood type) on an account called "I hacked the government." Plus we discuss how researchers uncovered a creepy flaw that lets attackers hijack wireless headphones, listen...
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Confusion reigns after claims that data linked to 17.5 million Instagram accounts is up for sale - sparked by a vague post, contradictory statements, and a flood of password reset emails nobody asked for. And we dig into Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, after it started generating sexualised images of women and children - raising...
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Romance scammers have apparently discovered astrology... and Taurus is their secret weapon. In episode 449 of "Smashing Security", we take a look inside an actual romance-fraud handbook - complete with scripts, personality “types”, corporate jargon, and a seven-day plan to get victims from hello to hand over the crypto. Then Lesley "hacks4pancakes" Carhart delivers a...
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Think your Kindle is harmless? Think again! In this episode, Graham and special guest Danny Palmer unpack a Black Hat Europe talk revealing how a boobytrapped audiobook could exploit the Amazon eBook reader - potentially letting an attacker break into your account and seize control of your credit card. Plus a blast from 2021's "summer...
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On this week's show we learn that AI really can be a stalker’s best friend, as we explore a strange tale that starts with a manatee-shaped mailbox on a millionaire's lawn and ends with Grok happily doxxing real people, mapping out stalking "strategies," and handing out revenge-porn tips. Then we go inside the Louvre heist,...
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A teenage cybercriminal posts a smug screenshot to mock a sextortion scammer... and accidentally hands over the keys to his real-world identity. Meanwhile, we look into the crystal ball for 2026 and consider how stolen data is now the jet fuel of cybercrime – and how next year could be even nastier than 2025. Plus,...
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America's airwaves are haunted by zombies again, as we dig into a decade of broadcasters leaving their hardware open to attack, giving hackers the chance to hijack TV shows, blast out fake emergency alerts, and even replace religious sermons with explicit furry podcasts. Meanwhile, we look at how a worker at a cybersecurity firm allegedly...
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