Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Slay Message Snoopers May 19, 2025

Show notes

There are way too many messenger apps today. It's a sad state of affairs and I don't see it getting better anytime soon. But the real problem (for me) is that almost all of the popular messenger apps aren't really that secure and private. Most do not have end-to-end encryption (E2EE) at all or it's not turned on by default. And frankly even the apps with E2EE are run by companies whose revenue model is based on monetizing your personal data. I'm going to suggest you try Signal. In other news: study finds Canadian's health data being sold to drug makers; DOGE worker's computer has been hacked; airlines are selling your data to ICE; a massive proxy botnet has been shut down; Google pays $1.4B to Texas over unauthorized tracking and data collection; Denver decides to stop using license plate readers of privacy concerns; jury orders NSO Group to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for hacking WhatsApp users. Article Links [cbc.ca] Millions of Canadians' health data available for sale to pharmaceutical industry, study shows https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/health-data-records-pharmaceutical-private-clinics-1.7529955 [micahflee.com] DOGE bro Kyle Schutt's computer infected by malware, credentials found in stealer logs https://micahflee.com/doge-bro-kyle-schutts-computer-infected-by-malware-credentials-found-in-stealer-logs/ [jacobin.com] Airlines Are Selling Your Data to ICE https://jacobin.com/2025/05/airlines-data-ice-trump-immigration/ [The Hacker News] BREAKING: 7,000-Device Proxy Botnet Using IoT, EoL Systems Dismantled in U.S. - Dutch Operation https://thehackernews.com/2025/05/breaking-7000-device-proxy-botnet-using.html [The Hacker News] Google Pays $1.375 Billion to Texas Over Unauthorized Tracking and Biometric Data Collection https://thehackernews.com/2025/05/google-pays-1375-billion-to-texas-over.html [9news.com] Denver will stop using license plate reader cameras amid privacy worries https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/local-politics/license-plate-reader-camera-data-security-concerns/73-9c570252-9d1c-4e5c-b042-c12392aa1081 [arstechnica.com] Jury orders NSO to pay $167 million for hacking WhatsApp users https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/05/jury-orders-nso-to-pay-167-million-for-hacking-whatsapp-users/ Tip of the Week: Slay Snoopers: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/dragon-hacks-slay-snoopers/ Further Info My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents 0:00:00: Intro 0:00:43: News preview 0:02:53: Millions of Canadians' health data available for sale to pharmaceutical industry 0:08:39: DOGE engineer's computer infected by malware 0:14:38: Airlines Are Selling Your Data to ICE 0:22:05: 7,000-Device Proxy Botnet Using IoT, EoL Systems Dismantled in US, Dutch Operation 0:28:04: Google Pays $1.375 Billion to Texas Over Unauthorized Tracking and Biometric Data Collection 0:30:21: Denver will stop using license plate reader cameras amid privacy worries 0:34:54: Jury orders NSO to pay $167 million for hacking WhatsApp users 0:39:17: Tip of the Week: Slay Snoopers 0:44:31: Wrap-up

Shelter from the Storm May 12, 2025

Show notes

Almost exactly two years ago, "Five Eyes" intelligence agencies discovered a successful and ongoing cyber attack on critical US infrastructure by a state-sponsored actor based in China. This group, associated with the People's Liberation Army and known as Volt Typhoon, was tasked with quietly gaining persistent remote access to critical systems including water, power, communications, and transportation systems, as well as ports and government networks. The goal was to deter the US from interfering with a future invasion of Taiwan by China, either by crippling the US infrastructure or threatening to. Despite dire warnings from the four top cyber officials in a Jan 2024 Congressional hearing, the US is still woefully unprepared for such attacks. Josh Corman is leading an effort labeled UnDisruptable27 to greatly improve the resilience of our critical systems before 2027, the year China seems to be targeting to make their move. Interview Notes UnDisruptable27: https://securityandtechnology.org/undisruptable27/ Critical Effect conference (DC): http://critical-effect.org/ Congressional hearing, CCP cyber threat to national security: https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-notice-ccp-cyber-threat-american-homeland-and-national-security Josh’s RSA talk (2024): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhJvslRRlFc UnDisruptable27 video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnozKc3gFsM UnDisruptable27 video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8UsrMRvt14 Cyber Resilience Corps: https://cltc.berkeley.edu/program/cyber-resilience-corps/ Cyber Volunteer Resource Center: https://www.cisa.gov/audiences/high-risk-communities/cybervolunteerresourcecenter Further Info My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents 0:00:00: Intro 0:03:49: Lingo explanations 0:07:26: What is UnDisruptable27 and why did you start it? 0:16:47: How does this relate to China's intention to invade Taiwan? 0:22:00: What at the psychological impacts of this sort of attack? 0:25:31: How long might it take to recover from this sort of attacK? 0:33:12: If this threat is so dire, why aren't we scrambling to address it? 0:37:24: Do Russia, Iran and North Korea pose similar threats? 0:41:32: How can we surface single points of failure from secondary sources? 0:49:21: Can't we also do this to our adversaries? Is that a deterrence? 0:53:45: What should our government be doing about this? 0:58:39: How can we incentivze private companies to take action? 1:01:55: What can we do, at home and in our communities? 1:07:19: What's next for UnDisruptable27? 1:10:47: Some final thoughts 1:15:03: Patron bonus content 1:15:29: Looking ahead

Disable Your MAID May 05, 2025

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As we learned last week from Zach Edwards, our smartphones have a globally unique mobile ad ID, or MAID, that is automatically associated with everything we do on our phones... unless we take explicit steps to turn this off. Today I'll tell you how this works and why you should disable this insidious form of tracking. In other news: the FTC warns us about a new type of scam; dating app Raw exposed sensitive user data; a determined reporter documents his efforts to disable all the AI features in his Google phone; "juice jacking" is back with a tricky twist; Apple's AirPlay has a vulnerability whose fix may not reach all devices; Microsoft is pushing hard for passwordless accounts; Google Wallet allows you to verify your age without giving up personal info; and there's a new and troubling update to the Signalgate saga. Article Links [lifehacker.com] The FTC Is Warning Consumers About a Scam on Discounted Monthly Bills https://lifehacker.com/money/ftc-monthly-services-scam [techcrunch.com] Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/02/dating-app-raw-exposed-users-location-data-personal-information/ [cnet.com] I Tried to Turn Off the AI on My Pixel 9. It Wasn't Easy https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/i-tried-to-turn-off-the-ai-on-my-pixel-9-it-wasnt-easy/ [arstechnica.com] iOS and Android juice jacking defenses have been trivial to bypass for years https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/04/ios-and-android-juice-jacking-defenses-have-been-trivial-to-bypass-for-years/ [wired.com] Millions of Apple Airplay-Enabled Devices Can Be Hacked via Wi-Fi https://www.wired.com/story/airborne-airplay-flaws/ [Bleeping Computer] Microsoft makes all new accounts passwordless by default https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-makes-all-new-accounts-passwordless-by-default/ [blog.google] It’s now easier to prove age and identity with Google Wallet https://blog.google/products/google-pay/google-wallet-age-identity-verifications/ [404media.co] Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages https://www.404media.co/mike-waltz-accidentally-reveals-obscure-app-the-government-is-using-to-archive-signal-messages/ Tip of the Week: Disable your Mobile Ad ID: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/disable-your-mobile-ad-id/ Bonus Links [consumerreports.org] Using Contactless Payments on Your Phone? Take These Smart Steps. https://www.consumerreports.org/money/digital-payments/using-contactless-payments-on-phone-take-these-smart-steps-a1152343770/ Micah Lee’s TM SGNL blogs: https://micahflee.com/tm-sgnl-the-obscure-unofficial-signal-app-mike-waltz-uses-to-text-with-trump-officials/ https://micahflee.com/heres-the-source-code-for-the-unofficial-signal-app-used-by-trump-officials/ Further Info My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show. 0:00:00: Intro 0:01:09: News preview 0:03:38: FTC Warning Consumers About a Scam on Discounted Monthly Bills 0:06:51: Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information 0:13:31: I Tried to Turn Off the AI on My Pixel 9. It Wasn't Easy 0:20:30: iOS and Android juice jacking defenses have been trivial to bypass for years 0:29:07: Millions of Apple Airplay-Enabled Devices Can Be Hacked via Wi-Fi 0:35:06: Microsoft makes all new accounts passwordless by default 0:40:35: It’s now easier to prove age and identity with Google Wallet 0:47:42: Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages 0:57:06: CR report on payment apps 0:57:54: Tip of the Week: Disable Your MAID 1:04:05: Looking ahead 1:05:00: Patron podcast preview

Riding the Data Gravy Train Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

Data brokers are out of control. While we think of them gathering data in order to target us with ads, they can actually use the targeted ad system (real-time bidding) to collect vast quantities of personal information. It's a very shady business and the primary players are trying hard to obfuscate what they're doing. Thankfully, we have people like my guest, Zach Edwards, whose investigations are ripping the cover off of these unscrupulous practices. Interview Notes Zach Edwards: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zedwards/ Zach at Silent Push: https://www.silentpush.com/team/zach-edwards/ Using email aliases: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-use-email-aliases-part-1/ Disable mobile ad ID (iOS): https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-get-to-know-iphone-privacy-and-security-settings#disable-ad-tracking Disable mobile ad ID (Android): https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-get-to-know-android-privacy-and-security-settings#disable-ad-tracking Further Info Dragon Coin Promo!! https://fdsd.me/promo425 Generate passphrases with a d20: https://d20key.com/#/ My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show. 0:00:00: Intro 0:01:15: Last call for dragon coins! 0:01:57: Interview setup 0:03:01: Lingo definitions 0:05:05: How did you get into ad tracking as a profession? 0:12:57: How does Real-Time Bidding work? 0:16:16: Who are the big players in this space? 0:28:25: How does RTB leak data about us? 0:42:47: How much info about us is actually inferred rather than explicit? 0:46:09: Who else is looking to get hold of this ad data? 0:50:33: How else is our data being abused? 0:54:13: How does my data being leaked impact other people? 0:56:04: Are government agencies doing enough to protect our data? 0:57:53: Have we managed to fix any of the RTB system problems? 0:59:56: Is there a way to have targeted ads AND privacy? 1:05:31: So what can we do about this? 1:09:26: Wrap-up: revisiting email aliases 1:12:51: Patron bonus content preview 1:13:33: Looking ahead

Travel Insecurity Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Going through border security today - even just returning to your own country - is not at simple and stress-free as it should be. The likelihood of our digital devices being searched by a border agent has increased in recent years and political sensitivities today can be high. Our devices have access to a ridiculous amount of extremely personal information. How can we protect ourselves? The answers aren't great, but I'll give the current best advice from immigration lawyers and civil rights groups. In other news: the Apple-UK data privacy court case will be at least partially public; some companies are ignoring automated opt-out signals; Waymo may use interior car video to train its AI; data breaches at Hertz and a Planned Parenthood medical lab; air travel group paints a picture of future use of facial recognition; San Francisco police have a new surveillance center; Ukraine drones come with anti-Russian malware; judge rules that 'cell tower dumps' require a warrant. Article Links [bbc.com] Apple-UK data privacy row should not be secret, court rules https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgn1lz3v4no [innovation.consumerreports.org] New Report: Many Companies May Be Ignoring Opt-Out Requests Under State Privacy Laws https://innovation.consumerreports.org/new-report-many-companies-may-be-ignoring-opt-out-requests-under-state-privacy-laws/ [techcrunch.com] Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models, but riders will be able to opt out https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/08/waymo-may-use-interior-camera-data-to-train-generative-ai-models-sell-ads/ [Bleeping Computer] US lab testing provider exposed health data of 1.6 million people https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-lab-testing-provider-exposed-health-data-of-16-million-people/ [9to5mac.com] PSA: Hertz belatedly says customer personal data stolen, inc credit card details https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/15/psa-hertz-belatedly-says-customer-personal-data-stolen-inc-credit-card-details/ [theguardian.com] Boarding Passes and Check in to Be Scrapped in Air Travel Shake-up Plans https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/11/boarding-passes-and-check-in-to-be-scrapped-in-air-travel-shake-up-plans [cbsnews.com] San Francisco Police's new surveillance hub being credited with 20% drop in crime https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/san-francisco-police-surveillance-hub-real-time-investigation-center/ [forbes.com] Russians Capture Ukrainian Drones Which Infect Their Systems With Malware https://www.forbes.com/sites/vikrammittal/2025/04/02/russians-capture-ukrainian-drones-which-infect-their-systems-with-malware/ [404media.co] Judge Rules Blanket Search of Cell Tower Data Unconstitutional https://www.404media.co/judge-rules-blanket-search-of-cell-tower-data-unconstitutional/ Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/border-insecurity/ Further Info Dragon Coin Promo!! https://fdsd.me/promo425 Generate passphrases with a d20: https://d20key.com/#/ My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter How to enable Global Privacy Control: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-to-enable-global-privacy-control/ How and why to freeze your credit: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/credit-freeze-now-is-the-time/ Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents 0:00:00: Intro 0:00:24: Update Apple stuff 0:00:42: Dragon coin promo! 0:01:32: News preview 0:04:11: Apple-UK data privacy row should not be secret, court rules 0:08:14: Many Companies May Be Ignoring Opt-Out Requests 0:14:20: Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models 0:19:56: US lab testing provider exposed health data of 1.6 million people 0:24:22: Hertz belatedly says customer personal data stolen, inc credit card details 0:27:18: Boarding Passes and Check in to Be Scrapped in Air Travel Shake-up Plans 0:30:58: San Francisco Police's new surveillance hub being credited with 20% drop in crime 0:38:06: Russians Capture Ukrainian Drones Which Infect Their Systems With Malware 0:42:34: Judge Rules Blanket Search of Cell Tower Data Unconstitutional 0:46:31: Tip of the Week: Travel Insecurity 1:03:57: Wrap-up 1:04:17: Merlin's Musings preview 1:04:59: Looking ahead

Life on the Blue Team Apr 14, 2025

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It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, even with cybersecurity. But defending a business, of any size, against cyber threats today is hard. Like, really hard. Defenders have to succeed every single time; attackers only need to succeed once. And then your company makes the headlines. Today we'll delve into the world of the "blue team" - the defenders who are charged with protecting your data and the services you depend on - with cyber expert Oz Jones. Along the way, we'll learn valuable lessons for everyone. Interview Notes Oz Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/4f5a/ Troy Hunt got pwned: https://www.troyhunt.com/a-sneaky-phish-just-grabbed-my-mailchimp-mailing-list/ CIS Controls: https://www.cisecurity.org/controls Marsh’s Top 12 controls: https://www.marsh.com/en-gb/services/cyber-risk/insights/cyber-resilience-twelve-key-controls-to-strengthen-your-security.html Further Info Dragon Coin Promo!! https://fdsd.me/promo425 Generate passphrases with a d20: https://d20key.com/#/ My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents 0:00:00: Intro 0:00:29: Patron promo is LIVE! 0:01:16: Correction 0:01:49: Interview setup 0:04:44: Jargon definitions 0:06:39: How did you get into cyber incident response? 0:09:56: What does it mean to be on the Blue Team? 0:13:25: What are the most impactful cyber threats to companies today? 0:16:34: Are people or companies most as risk for ransomware attacks? 0:19:57: What impact has cyber insurance had on cyber security? 0:21:02: What are the most common types of attacks on companies? 0:23:59: How should companies educate their employees about cyber threats? 0:30:48: How does working from home or using personal devices impact cyber attacks? 0:35:22: How can you protect your company against supply chain attacks? 0:38:45: What resources are available to help companies prepare? 0:41:07: How can we detect attacks and malware infections? 0:44:22: After an attack, how do you respond? 0:48:05: What are my legal obligations for notifying my customers? 0:50:25: Are table top simulations useful? 0:52:07: Are there incident response consultants you can hire? 0:53:05: Can you recommend some helpful resources? 0:56:11: As consumers, how can we make better choices? 0:58:22: Interview wrap-up 1:01:51: Troy Hunt was pwned 1:03:04: Patron bonus preview 1:04:32: Looking ahead

Differential Privacy Apr 07, 2025

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When we collect a lot of personal data, say via the US Census, the goal is to glean important aggregate information and statistics, while somehow preserving the anonymity and privacy of the individual respondents. There's a rigorous mathematical process for doing this - that's actually not that hard to understand - called Differential Privacy. I'll explain how it works. In the news: iOS has a new location privacy setting; Google confirms it's rolling out AI to Gmail; Windows makes it much harder to avoid creating a Microsoft Account; WhatsApp is rolling out AI in Europe with no way to opt out; Switzerland is considering undermining encrypted communications; 23andMe is going bankrupt - it's time to delete your data; France rejects a backdoor mandate; and finally, I have a lot to say about the US officials' Signal chat debacle. Article Links [9to5mac.com] iOS 18.4 includes a new location services privacy setting for your iPhone https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/02/ios-iphone-new-location-services-privacy-toggle/ [forbes.com] Google Confirms Gmail Upgrade—3 Billion Users Must Now Decide https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/03/22/google-confirms-gmail-upgrade-3-billion-users-must-now-decide/ [windowscentral.com] Microsoft will force Windows 11 installs to use a Microsoft Account — confirms removal of popular setup bypass https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/microsoft-will-force-windows-11-installs-to-use-a-microsoft-account-confirms-removal-of-popular-setup-bypass [Bleeping Computer] WhatsApp's Meta AI is now rolling out in Europe, and it can't be turned off https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/artificial-intelligence/whatsapps-meta-ai-is-now-rolling-out-in-europe-and-it-cant-be-turned-off/ [techradar.com] Secure encryption and online anonymity are now at risk in Switzerland – here's what you need to know https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/secure-encryption-and-online-anonymity-are-now-at-risk-in-switzerland-heres-what-you-need-to-know [arstechnica.com] FTC: 23andMe buyer must honor firm’s privacy promises for genetic data https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/04/ftc-watching-23andme-bankruptcy-sale-for-impact-on-users-genetic-data/ [schneier.com] The Signal Chat Leak and the NSA https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/03/the-signal-chat-leak-and-the-nsa.html [eff.org] A Win for Encryption: France Rejects Backdoor Mandate https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/win-encryption-france-rejects-backdoor-mandate How Differential Privacy Works: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/how-differential-privacy-works/ Further Info Dragon Coin Promo!! https://fdsd.me/promo425 Generate passphrases with a d20: https://d20key.com/#/ My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents 0:00:00: Intro 0:00:28: Coin promo teaser 0:02:47: News preview 0:05:21: iOS 18.4 includes a new location services privacy setting 0:10:09: Google Confirms Gmail AI Upgrade 0:16:41: Microsoft will force Windows 11 installs to use a Microsoft Account 0:20:57: WhatsApp's Meta AI is now rolling out in Europe 0:23:32: Secure encryption and online anonymity are now at risk in Switzerland 0:27:33: FTC: 23andMe buyer must honor firm’s privacy promises for genetic data 0:35:09: The Signal Chat Leak 0:53:05: A Win for Encryption: France Rejects Backdoor Mandate 0:56:14: Tip of the Week: Differential Privacy 1:06:20: Coin promo details 1:11:04: Merlin's Musings topic 1:11:29: Looking ahead

Microscoping Our Apps Mar 31, 2025

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We've been installing apps on our smartphones for almost two decades now. The iPhone and Android app stores kicked off in 2008 and we still, to this day, have no real way to know what's in them. It turns out that most apps are an amalgamation of software libraries and development kits from various third party vendors, so often even the makers of apps don't fully understand the makeup of their products. Lisa LeVasseur from Internet Safety Labs has worked to build tools to dissect and inspect our apps and help us understand what they're really doing. Interview Notes Internet Safety Labs: https://internetsafetylabs.org/ App Microscope: https://appmicroscope.org/ Interview with Dr. Johnny Ryan on real-time bidding: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2021/08/02/selling-you-out-to-the-highest-bidder/ Dark Patterns interview: https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2020/11/16/dark-patterns-part-1/ Using Burp Suite to intercept HTTP traffic: https://portswigger.net/burp/documentation/desktop/getting-started/intercepting-http-traffic Exodus Privacy: https://exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/ Henrietta Lacks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Lacks Further Info My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support My social media: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/contact/ Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents 0:00:00: Intro 0:00:31: Note on 23andMe 0:01:35: Follow my social media 0:01:58: Signal debacle 0:02:39: Interview setup 0:07:06: What is Internet Safety Labs and what do you do there? 0:09:49: What are the privacy risks with EdTech? 0:16:31: How did the pandemic impact EdTech software? 0:19:02: How does the "notice and consent" model work with EdTech software? 0:25:26: Do app makers even know what's in their own software? 0:28:11: How do ads inside our apps get there? 0:30:45: How does App Microscope work? 0:32:33: How does safety differ from security? 0:34:37: What can you learn from the data and metadata an app generates? 0:37:22: Do you study "dark patterns" in apps? 0:41:42: How do you determine the software makeup of a given app? 0:47:10: How accurate are the app privacy "nutrition" labels? 0:51:58: How important are the non-technical aspects of an app for safety? 0:56:33: How do I use the App Microscope tool? 1:00:38: How can we support your efforts? 1:04:41: Interview follow-up 1:08:51: Burp Suite info 1:09:32: Patron bonus preview 1:10:27: Looking ahead

It’s Tax (Scam) Time Again Mar 24, 2025

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Tax time is once again upon us here in the USA, which means that the tax scammers are coming out of the woodwork. Many will claim to be representing the IRS, claiming that there is an urgent need to fix a problem with your return, threatening penalties if you don't pay them money. Others will simply try to file fake returns in your name, but send the massive false refund checks to themselves. I'll help you spot and avoid these scams. In other news: Apple's Passwords app was vulnerable to phishing attacks (now fixed); Amazon is forcing Echo owners to share voice recordings; the Bluetooth chip "backdoor" that wasn't; Captchas were used by Google to translate books and Street View images; ICE uses third party tool to scrape tons of your data; beware of online file converters; Clearview AI attempted to buy millions of mugshots; RCS messaging will soon allow end-to-end encrypted chats between iPhones and Android phones. Article Links [9to5mac.com] Apple’s Passwords app was vulnerable to phishing attacks for nearly three months after launch https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/18/apples-passwords-app-was-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks-for-nearly-three-months-after-launch/ [arstechnica.com] Everything You Say to Your Echo Will Soon Be Sent to Amazon, and You Can’t Opt Out https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/ [darkmentor.com] The ESP32 "backdoor" that wasn't https://darkmentor.com/blog/esp32_non-backdoor/ [techradar.com] Captcha if you can: how you’ve been training AI for years without realising it https://www.techradar.com/news/captcha-if-you-can-how-youve-been-training-ai-for-years-without-realising-it [404media.co] The 200+ Sites an ICE Surveillance Contractor is Monitoring https://www.404media.co/the-200-sites-an-ice-surveillance-contractor-is-monitoring/ [malwarebytes.com] Warning over free online file converters that actually install malware https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/03/warning-over-free-online-file-converters-that-actually-install-malware [404media.co] Facial Recognition Company Clearview Attempted to Buy Social Security Numbers and Mugshots for its Database https://www.404media.co/facial-recognition-company-clearview-attempted-to-buy-social-security-numbers-and-mugshots-for-its-database/ [appleinsider.com] RCS messaging will get end-to-end encryption on iPhone https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/03/14/rcs-messaging-will-get-end-to-end-encryption-on-iphone Tip of the Week: https://firewallsdontstopdragons.com/its-tax-scam-time/ Further Info Data Diva interview: https://www.debbiereynoldsconsulting.com/podcast/e228-carey-parker Malwarebytes interview: https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/podcast/2025/03/what-google-chrome-knows-about-you-with-carey-parker-lock-and-code-s06e06 Amazon Mechanical Turk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Mechanical_Turk My book: https://fdsd.me/book My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Table of Contents Use these timestamps to jump to a particular section of the show. 0:00:00: Intro 0:00:21: Guest appearances 0:01:22: News preview 0:03:50: Apple’s Passwords app was vulnerable to phishing attacks for nearly three months 0:10:41: Everything You Say to Your Echo Will Soon Be Sent to Amazon, and You Can’t Opt Out 0:21:30: The ESP32 "backdoor" that wasn't 0:29:16: Captcha if you can: how you’ve been training AI for years without realising it 0:35:08: The 200+ Sites an ICE Surveillance Contractor is Monitoring 0:43:10: Warning over free online file converters that actually install malware 0:46:00: Clearview Attempted to Buy Social Security Numbers and Mugshots for its Database 0:49:31: RCS messaging will get end-to-end encryption on iPhone 0:53:02: Tip of the Week 0:57:26: Wrap-up

All Things Secured Mar 17, 2025

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Josh Summers lived in China for many years and learned a lot about privacy and security. Since he left, he's made it his mission to share this knowledge through his website and YouTube channel called All Things Secured - helping regular, everyday people like you and me to protect our data and devices. Today we'll talk specifically about improving your security and privacy on iPhones and Android phones, and even some alternatives outside the Apple and Google ecosystems. Interview Notes All Things Secured: https://www.allthingssecured.com/ All Things Secured YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsSecured Apple iPhone Lockdown Mode: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105120 Apple Stolen Device Protection: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120340 Apple Advanced Data Protection: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108756 Android Theft Protection: https://blog.google/products/android/android-theft-protection/ Google Advanced Protection Program: https://landing.google.com/advancedprotection/faq/ iPhone hide/lock apps: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-or-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios Cryptomator: https://cryptomator.org/ OsmAnd maps: https://osmand.net/ Jitsi video conferencing: https://jitsi.org/ Hoody AI: https://hoody.com/ai DuckDuckGo AI: https://duck.ai/ GrapheneOS: https://grapheneos.org/ Further Info Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna Check out my book, Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons: https://fdsd.me/book Subscribe to the newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter Become a patron! https://www.patreon.com/FirewallsDontStopDragons Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons Support our mission! https://fdsd.me/support Generate secure passphrases! https://d20key.com/#/ Table of Contents 0:00:14: intro 0:00:27: Couple quick news items 0:01:59: Interview setup 0:02:47: How did you come to start All Things Secured? 0:04:41: What's is like living in China, from a privacy perspective? 0:07:26: What are the basic security and privacy risks with a smartphone? 0:11:21: How do iPhones compare to Android phones? 0:13:35: How does Android's multi-level ecosystem impact security? 0:16:42: How secure are smartphones against remote attacks? 0:19:39: Can you protect your smartphone against direct physical access? 0:25:20: What are some of the latest and greatest smartphone security features? 0:35:51: What if we don't trust Apple or Google's security? 0:40:05: If we don't trust Apple or Google apps, which ones should we consider using? 0:45:35: How can we protect our privacy with AI? 0:53:08: Are there better smartphone options beyond iOS and Android? 0:56:27: What worries you most? What gives you hope? 0:58:54: How can we learn more from you? 1:00:01: Interview wrap-up 1:00:55: Patron bonus content 1:01:55: Guest appearances 1:02:47: Looking ahead

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