Smashing Security

News and views from the world of cybersecurity, hacking, and internet threats

About the show

A helpful and hilarious take on the week's tech SNAFUs. Computer security industry veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault chat with guests about cybercrime, hacking, and online privacy. It's not your typical cybersecurity podcast...

Winner of the "Best Security Podcast 2018" and "Best Security Podcast 2019", Smashing Security has had over four million downloads. Past guests include Garry Kasparov, Mikko Hyppönen, and Rory Cellan-Jones.

Follow the podcast on Twitter at @SmashinSecurity, and subscribe for free in your favourite podcast app. New episodes released at 7pm EST every Wednesday (midnight UK).

Smashing Security on social media

Episodes

  • 180: Taking care of Clare

    May 28th, 2020  |  46 mins 18 secs
    gps, ios, iphone, location tracking, passwords, privacy, sudoku, tiktok

    On this special splinter episode of the podcast, we're joined by actor and comedian Clare Blackwood in the hope of convincing her that cybersecurity is no laughing matter.

  • 179: Deepfake Jay-Z, and beer apps spilling your data

    May 21st, 2020  |  1 hr 2 mins
    beer, coronavirus, deepfake, jay z, pizza, privacy, south korea, untappd, youtube

    Apps that belch out sensitive military information, what could the world learn from South Korea's digital response to the Coronavirus pandemic, and who has been deepfaking Bill Clinton, Jay-Z, and Donald Trump... and why?

  • 178: Office pranks, meat dresses, and robocop dogs

    May 14th, 2020  |  50 mins 42 secs
    coronavirus, data breach, email storm, hacking, k2, lady gaga, microsoft, mountaineering, nuclear waste, onkalo, reply all, social distancing, sourdough

    Graham shares stories of email storms, Carole describes the steps being taken by firms as they try to coax employees back to the office, and guest Lisa Forte details a hack that has impacted Lady Gaga and other celebrities.

  • 177: Elon Musk, Roblox, and Love Bug author found

    May 7th, 2020  |  1 hr 30 secs
    elon musk, grimes, love bug, malware, onel de guzman, password, roblox, worm

    What can X Æ A-12 Musk teach us about passwords? How did our guest finally hunt down the man behind one of history's biggest virus outbreaks in Manila? And what on earth is a hacker doing breaching Roblox security?

  • 176: Hacking hacks and university attacks

    April 30th, 2020  |  45 mins 8 secs
    coronavirus, financial times, hacking, malware, remote working, surveillance, the independent, tracing, tracking, university, zoom

    Journalists spying on their rivals, the NHS rejects Apple and Google's approach to Coronavirus-tracing, and universities are hit by an old-fashioned sexy lady attack.

  • 175: Zoom deepfakes, Zardoz, and 'Rona tracing

    April 23rd, 2020  |  49 mins 45 secs
    coronavirus, deepfakes, facebook, privacy, surveillance, tracking, zardoz, zoom

    Will deepfake disguises hit a video conference near you, can Coronavirus-tracing apps be trusted, and should Facebook shut down anti-quarantine events?

  • 174: Garry Kasparov and Animal Crossing

    April 16th, 2020  |  46 mins 26 secs
    android, animal crossing, chess, coronavirus, fleeceware, garry kasparov, ios

    World-chess-champion-turned-activist Garry Kasparov joins us as we discuss celebrity lookalikes, smartphone fleeceware, the impact Coronavirus is having on security, and how a popular new video game is being used for political ends.

  • 173: 5G fiascos, Zoom gloom, and butt biometrics

    April 9th, 2020  |  1 hr 3 mins
    5g, biometrics, coronavirus, home schooling, privacy, toilet, zoom

    We take a look at the stinky backside of surveillance, gas about the latest video-conferencing threats, and jump into the murky world of 5G conspiracy theories.

  • 172: UncleF***Face

    April 2nd, 2020  |  51 mins 7 secs
    coronavirus, facebook portal, hoax, houseparty, privacy, spyware, surveillance, zoom

    Carole details how companies are sneakily spying on their stay-at-home workers, Mikko Hyppönen discusses the trustworthiness of video chat apps, and Graham gets embarrassed when he admits he's bought a Facebook Portal for his in-laws.

  • 171: WhatsApp hoaxes, Zoombombs, and 8-bit love

    March 26th, 2020  |  45 mins 30 secs
    coronavirus, dr negrin, hoax, pornhub, retro, scam, sextortion, whatsapp, zoom, zoombombing

    Blackmailers are threatening to infect your family with Coronavirus, trolls are making Zoom an unsafe place for those of a sensitive disposition, and what is the mysterious Dr Negrin audio message spreading on WhatsApp?

  • 170: PornHub, Coronavirus apps, and remote working

    March 19th, 2020  |  47 mins 21 secs
    coronavirus, malware, pornhub, ransomware, remote working, tracking

    It's a self-isolated Coronavirus special as we discuss with our quarantined special guest how COVID-19 is making itself felt in the world of cybersecurity, and we offer tips on how to better protect yourself if you're unexpectedly working from home.

  • 169: Burglaries, breaches, and bidets

    March 12th, 2020  |  51 mins 5 secs
    burglary, coronavirus, data breach, google, location data, microsoft, ultimate chicken horse, virgin media

    How one guy's exercise routine made him a burglary suspect, how multi-factor authentication can cause headaches as well as stop hacks, and how Virgin Media got itself in a pickle over its sloppy data security.

  • 168: The Bitcoin fraud factory

    March 5th, 2020  |  52 mins 10 secs
    bitcoin, clearview, cryptocurrency, facial recognition, scam, twitter, ukraine

    Fraudsters steal millions from those hoping to jump on the Bitcoin bandwagon, Twitter verifies a fake US politician, and it's another face palm for facial recognition.

  • 167: Coronavirus scams and an exaggerated lion

    February 27th, 2020  |  56 mins 21 secs
    bitcoin, business email compromise, coronavirus, exaggerated lion, romance scams, scams

    Scammers from Africa are preying on US businesses, a drug dealer makes a mistake when hiding his Bitcoin fortune, and the Coronavirus pandemic is causing scams to soar and raising questions about facial recognition.

  • 166: What the Dickens! Ad ban thank you scam

    February 20th, 2020  |  42 mins 1 sec
    charles dickens, david copperfield, dick pics, google, google ads, twitter

    How to stop dick pics on Twitter, and a new way bad guys are extorting money from websites earning cash from Google ads.

  • 165: Cheapfakes, deepfakes, and Ashley Madison

    February 13th, 2020  |  48 mins 29 secs
    ashley madison, cheapfakes, deepfakes, emotet, extortion, malware, wi-fi

    Wi-Fi hopping malware, the return of Ashley Madison extortion scams, and should social media be doing anything about cheapfakes?