Smashing Security
News and views from the world of cybersecurity, hacking, and internet threats
About the show
Join computer security industry veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault as they have a light-hearted chat with guests about cybercrime, hacking, and online privacy. It's not your typical cybersecurity podcast...
Winner: "Best Security Podcast 2018."
Follow the podcast on Twitter at @SmashinSecurity. New episodes released every Thursday. Bonus "splinter" episodes when we feel like it...
Smashing Security on social media
Episode List
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076: Spying phones, hacked ski lifts, and World Password Day
May 3rd, 2018 | 44 mins
abba, android, blu, chess, hacking, mobile, password, ski lift, smartphone, sound effects, vulnerability
Cheap Android smartphones sold on Amazon have been sending customers' full text messages to a Chinese server, ski lifts are found to be the latest devices left open to abuse by hackers, and we remind you why password managers are a good idea on World Password Day. Oh, and our guest serenades us with a hit from the 1980s!
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075: Quitting Facebook
April 26th, 2018 | 28 mins 8 secs
facebook, privacy
Should you quit Facebook? How do you delete your Facebook account? What do you need to consider before leaving Facebook for good? And what's the easiest way to successfully go cold turkey on Facebook?
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074: Smashing Security isn't bullsh*t
April 19th, 2018 | 48 mins 42 secs
action fraud, facebook, fraud, santa clarita diet, scam, social media, wpp
Crime forums on Facebook, fraudsters pose as anti-fraud hotlines, and how big advertising companies are in bed with the rampant data collection of internet giants.
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073: Rick Astley: Never gonna hack you up...
April 12th, 2018 | 39 mins 13 secs
bertram fiddle, hacking, harriet harman, kemi badenoch, passwords, politicians, sirens, t-mobile, vulnerability
Politician admits to hacking a rival's website, T-Mobile Austria ends up in a Twitter security storm, and siren systems are hit by a Rick Astley attack over the airwaves.
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072: Why are firms so cr*p with our private data?
April 5th, 2018 | 33 mins 41 secs
april fool, data breach, grindr, myfitnesspal, panera bread, privacy, vikings, vulnerability
Grindr, MyFitnessPal, and Panera Bread. They've all had data breach scares of varying degrees this week. Some handled the security breaches well, some didn't. We took a look at how well different firms are respecting your data privacy.
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071: Pony-tailed pundit ponders privacy problems
March 29th, 2018 | 41 mins 36 secs
adventure games, cryptocurrency, cryptomining, facebook, internet archive, privacy, video games, vpn
Endangering your friends online, the fibs told by VPN vendors, developments from the world of cryptomining, and Carole shares an animated GIF with Mikko and Graham.
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070: Facebook and Cambridge Diabolica
March 22nd, 2018 | 40 mins 38 secs
cambridge analytica, donald trump, driverless cars, facebook, sextortion, uber
It’s not fair to describe what happened at Facebook and Cambridge Analytica as a data breach - it’s much worse than that. An autonomous Uber vehicle kills a pedestrian. And sextortion continues to be a serious problem.
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069: Cryptomining, China, and Bob Ross
March 15th, 2018 | 42 mins 11 secs
airgap, app store, apple, bob ross, china, cryptomining, mac, mosquito, rubik's cube
How come Apple's Mac App Store authorised a buggy app that mined for cryptocurrency in the background? How can a Mosquito attack steal data from an air-gapped computer? And is China keeping score on its social media-loving citizens?
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068: Malware from outer space!
March 8th, 2018 | 44 mins 57 secs
aliens, car rental, cycling, eti, extra terrestrial, infocom, interactive fiction, malware, moviepass, privacy, text adventure, wethepeople
If aliens did contact us would it be safe to open the email? Why would MoviePass track film lovers after they leave the cinema? Would you know how to get around Malaysia when your car rental website lets you down? And will Graham please stop talking about text adventure games?
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067: Cyber stalking and gun control
March 1st, 2018 | 35 mins 39 secs
browsers, gun control, incognito mode, privacy, private browsing, spyware, stalking, veil
Incognito mode on your browser not as private as you think, consumer spyware companies get hacked, Graham is accused of "multitasking" in his hotel room, and Carole champions the students of Parkland, Florida.
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066: Passwords, pirates, and postcards
February 22nd, 2018 | 39 mins 31 secs
credit card, facebook, flight simulator, idn, malware, password, phishing, punycode, russia, vulnerability
Flight simulators packed with password-grabbing malware, Facebook fighting Russian trolls, and how vulnerability researchers fear being sued.
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065: Cryptominomania, Poppy, and your Amazon Alexa
February 15th, 2018 | 49 mins 42 secs
amazon, amazon echo, cryptomining, furbies, poppy, youtube for kids
Cryptomining goes nuclear, YouTube for Kids gets scary, and TV ads have been given the green light to mess with your Amazon Alexa.
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064: So just a "teeny tiny" security issue then?
February 8th, 2018 | 43 mins 56 secs
crepes, go, humane tech, namecheap, password, subdomain, vulnerability
A Namecheap vulnerability allows strangers to make subdomains for your website, Troy Hunt examines password length, and ex-Google and Facebook employees are fighting to protect kids from social media addiction.
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063: Carole's back!
February 1st, 2018 | 45 mins 26 secs
bob dylan, deepfakes, dexter the peacock, fitness trackers, ransomware, strava, the other favorites, tor
Fitness trackers breaching your privacy, how anyone can create convincing celebrity porn, how ransomware authors are getting ripped off by scammers, and much much more!
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062: Tinder spying, Amazon shoplifting, and petrol pump malware
January 25th, 2018 | 44 mins 10 secs
amazon, blake's seven, carrot weather, cuba, encryption, https, malware, tinder, wi-fi
Your Tinder swipes can be spied upon, Amazon is opening high street stores that don't require any staff, and Russian fuel pumps are being infected with malware in an elaborate scheme to make large amounts of money.
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061: Fallout over Hawaii missile false alarm
January 18th, 2018 | 50 mins 28 secs
android, cryptocurrency, false alarm, google play, hawaii, malware, missile, nuclear, phishing, usb stick
User interfaces and poor procedures lead to pandemonium in Hawaii, hackers are attempting to trick victims into opening cryptocurrency-related email attachments, and yet more pox-ridden apps are found in Android's Google Play store.