Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

Connecting all our stuff to the internet – making devices “smart” – brings with it a lot of risks. Besides the more obvious cybersecurity vulnerabilities, these devices are also collecting a lot of personal data, offsetting razor thin profit margins by monetizing our data. In most cases, we can limit this data exfiltration using outbound firewalls and DNS services, or just by disconnecting the devices from the internet altogether. But lately I've been seeing devices coming configured with cellular data connections, which would effectively bypass your home network entirely - and therefore your ability to block or control the data flow. In other news: 1Passwords discloses security breach; Drug makers to pay 23andMe for access to your DNA; EFF publishes guidance for 23andMe customers after further data breach; Apple's private Wi-Fi MAC address feature has never worked right, until now; Hackers find side-channel attack on Apple Silicon to pull private data from Safari browsers; Windows PCs targeted with new ma

What happened to the internet? It had so much promise. Social media and search results are full of stuff we never wanted to see. Surveillance capitalism is monetizing our most private information to serve us so many ads that we can never seem to consume the actual content. And if we're all so unhappy with the incumbents, where are the competitors offering better service? Cory Doctorow helps us understand how the internet got so crappy and what we can do to fix it. Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger at the site Pluralistic. He has written a bunch of great books, both fiction and non, including Little Brother, Red Team Blues and Chokepoint Capitalism. Interview Notes TikTok’s Ensh*tification: https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys  Cory’s blog: https://pluralistic.net/ Cory at DEF CON 31: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rimtaSgGz_4  The Internet Con: https://craphound.com/category/internetcon/  Chokepoint Capitalism: https://chokep

Email is old and was never built for security and privacy. Thankfully there are several modern secure email services. My personal favorite is Proton Mail and I'll explain to you today why you should really give it a try. I will also (finally) answer several interesting "Dear Carey" questions from listeners. In other news: If you use WinRAR, you need to update right away; hackers are targeting a company that brokers Emergency Data Requests between law enforcement and Big Tech companies; Google is forced to reveal user search history in a CO court case; Google is making passkeys the default, but you may want to wait; EFF asks MasterCard to stop selling our data; and Bruce Schneier has an insightful article around the rather heated discussions over the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence. Article Links [Gizmodo] You Need to Update WinRAR, Right Now https://gizmodo.com/you-need-to-update-winrar-right-now-1850939201 [404media.co] Hackers Target Company That Vets Police Data Requests for Te

There are several privacy-focused services available today. And the products we use have a dizzying array of privacy and security settings. How do you know which products you need and which vendors you can trust? How do you know which protections you need and which ones you don't? It comes down to understanding your personal threat model. We each have different things to protect and different consequences for failure. Today I'll speak with Andy Yen, CEO and founder of Proton, to help us figure out what we need. Interview Notes Proton Sentinel: https://proton.me/blog/sentinel-high-security-program  Privacy Decrypted #1: https://proton.me/blog/what-is-a-threat-model?ref=instantsearch  Private from Everyone (But Us):  https://podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2022/04/25/private-from-everyone-but-us/ Security Planner (threat model tool): https://innovation.consumerreports.org/initiatives/security-planner/  Ars Technica threat model series: https://arstechnica.com/features/2021/10/securing-yo

October is national Cybersecurity Awareness Month here in the US. One of the four key themes this year is Recognizing and Reporting Phishing. We just discussed this at length with Nick Oles, but I wanted to give my perspective and tell you how to report phishing emails to the proper authorities. In other news: cheap Android TV boxes come laced with malware and fraud software; 23andMe investigating massive data breach; US agencies caught using location data illegally; Meta proposes subscription plans in Europe for Facebook and Instagram; FBI warns of 'phantom hacker' scams targeting elderly; new Microsoft AI tool can simulate any voice with just 3 seconds of audio; attackers don't bother brute-forcing long passwords; free upgrade from Windows 7/8 to 10 is going away soon; FCC details plans to reinstate net neutrality; how to turn off Google's new Topics tracking system; new app from Consumer Reports to delete personal data; new privacy-respecting URL shortening tool from Panquake. Article Links [WIRE

The weakest link in most cybersecurity systems is you - that is, human beings. And one of the primary ways that people are tricked into infecting their devices (and potentially then threatening other devices on the network) is through phishing. We've all seen the Nigerian Prince scams, but with AI tools like ChatGPT, scam emails are going to get a lot harder to spot. On today's show, author and cybersecurity expert Nick Oles will teach us how to recognize phishing emails, introduce us to tools for detecting and protecting against phishing, and detail other techniques for defending against these sorts of attacks. All of this is just a taste of the top notch advice contained in his new book, "How to Catch a Phish". Interview Notes How to Catch a Phish: https://www.amazon.com/How-Catch-Phish-Practical-Detecting/dp/1484293606  Win a free copy!! https://fdsd.me/catchaphish  Nick Oles on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-o-8b5b6349/ National Cybersecurity Awareness Month: https://www.cisa.

Apple has just released a major update to its mobile operating system: iOS 17. There are tons of fun new features, but today I'll walk you through some of the security and privacy enhancements. These include new protections in Lockdown Mode, the Check In feature which can alert loves ones if you fail to arrive at your destination, some privacy-enhancing web browser features, and support for securely sharing passwords and passkeys with others. In other news: a critical WebP vulnerability means we have to update most of our apps and devices; credit bureaus in the US now allow free weekly access to your credit reports; Proton announces a new, privacy-focused CAPTCHA service; the FTC puts data brokers on notice; LastPass is requiring their users to make their master passwords longer; password managers are still your best bet for web security, despite the LastPass debacle; Hyundai Pay seeks to make in-car payments a thing; and an interesting article from a privacy advocate claiming that privacy tools are too di

When the New York Times broke the Clearview AI story in 2020, we suddenly had to face the reality that no one could truly be anonymous in public any more. This powerful app could take a picture of any face and find dozens of public images on the internet that they were in - even just in the background. And if those pictures were associated with a social media profile, we could identify the owner of the face along with their friends and family - all in an instant. Today I speak with Kashmir Hill about her investigation of this company and the sobering impacts of facial recognition technology in a world full of cameras, chronicled in her new book "Your Face Belongs to Us". Interview Notes Your Face Belongs to Us: https://www.kashmirhill.com/book  Kashmir Hill facial recognition stories: https://www.kashmirhill.com/stories/face-recognition  Clearview AI, delete dead links: https://www.clearview.ai/privacy-and-requests  FRT used to track activity in coffee shop: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/endr

Today I wrap up my four-part series on how to secure your home network. We've enumerated our devices, gotten rid of stuff we don't need, assessed the state of our devices and now it's time to actually remediate any vulnerabilities we found. I'll walk you through everything you need to do. In other news: Chrome's Topics API has rolled out (and I'll tell you how to shut it off); Apple fixes two zero-day, zero-click exploits; FBI dismantles and even fixes the Qakbot malware network; the UK backs down on requirements to undermine end-to-end encryption; Macs are being targeted with a malvertising campaign; LastPass breach seems to be behind crypto wallet stealing; Apple reveals why it abandoned its CSAM scanning feature; Kias and Hyundais are being stolen left and right and are being sued; new cars are a privacy nightmare; Chrome extensions are able to steal private data from web pages. Article Links [The Verge] How to disable Chrome’s new targeted ad tracking https://www.theverge.com/23860050/chrome-ads

In the US today we're dealing with a completely unfettered free-for-all of data harvesting. Without meaningful privacy regulations like the EU's GDPR, our private information is being collected, collated, packaged and sold by data brokers to all comers. Ad companies like Google and Facebook collect and hoard our data to sell targeted ads for high profits without commensurate benefits to the people placing the ads. How does it all work? What's our data worth? And how can we protect it? I'll discuss all of this and more with my guest, Tom Kemp. Tom Kemp is a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, investor, and policy advisor. Tom is also the author of Containing Big Tech: How to Protect Our Civil Rights, Economy, and Democracy. Interview Notes Containing Big Tech:: https://www.tomkemp.ai/containing-big-tech  Let’s Make Privacy Easy: https://techpolicy.press/lets-make-privacy-easy/  LinkedIn panel discussion on AI and privacy regulation in the US: https://www.linkedin.com/events/thestateofusprivacy-a

In the third part of my series on securing your home network, we'll assess your security and privacy vulnerabilities. In prior weeks, we've exhaustively listed our network devices (Scan) and removed any devices that we no longer need or don't need to be "smart" (Simplify). Now it's time to investigate the remaining devices and think about what we need to do to secure them. In other news: an old Mac malware info stealer is back; thousands of Android apps are evading detection using an interesting technique; Illinois just passed a law allowing doxing victims to sue perpetrators for damages; Meta plans to roll out end-to-end encryption for Messenger by year's end; LinkedIn accounts are being targeted for takeover; Intel's GPU driver collects personal info by default; Tesla suffers data breach of 75,000 current and former employees; police are accessing DNA databases even for people who opted out of this access; Pennsylvania court says police been to be transparent about social media monitoring; Kansas newspap

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've seen several news stories about AI, machine learning and so-called Large Language Models. While tools like ChatGPT hold a lot of promise, many are deeply concerned about AI replacing jobs, generating potent malware, and being used in phishing and disinformation campaigns. Today I will ask AI expert Michael Littman to explain clearly what AI is and what it isn't, how the technology actually works, and what we should and maybe shouldn't be worried about. Michael Littman is a computer science professor at Brown University who has won several prestigious teaching awards while studying machine learning and the implications of artificial intelligence. He serves as division director for Information and Intelligent Systems at the National Science Foundation and is also a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and the Association for Computing Machinery. Interview Notes Gathering Strength, Gathering Storms: The One Hundred Year

Every summer, hackers from around the US and around the globe descend on Las Vegas, Nevada, for a series of computer security conferences which are lovingly referred to as hacker summer camp. These conferences - BSides Las Vegas, BlackHat and DEF CON - run for over a week, each overlapping the other. They bring top tier security researchers, government and industry leaders, and eager hackers to learn about new vulnerabilities, new defense mechanisms, and everything in between. There are contests and parties galore, allowing hackers to test their skills and network with others. Today I'll tell you about my trip to BSides and DEF CON in 2023. Article Links [securityweek.com] Downfall: New Intel CPU Attack Exposing Sensitive Information https://www.securityweek.com/downfall-new-intel-cpu-attack-exposing-sensitive-information/ [9to5mac.com] Mac malware can easily bypass Apple’s Background Task Manager, says security researcher https://9to5mac.com/2023/08/14/mac-malware-background-task-manager/ [white

In the early 1980s, personal computers started entering our homes. Prior to the internet and services like America On Line (AOL), there were online bulletin board systems (BBS) where people could share text files via phone modem connections. Of course, if you wanted to connect to a BBS outside your home area code, you would have to dial long distance - which at the time could be prohibitively expensive. Necessity is the mother of invention and it's no coincidence that some of the earliest hacking was of the phone system to get free long distance calls. One of the first named groups of hackers was The Cult of the Dead Cow (aka, cDc). Today I'll reminisce about the old days with two prominent members of cDc: Deth Veggie and Omega. We'll talk about what it was like in the days prior to the internet, how hackers think, and how hacking has evolved over the years. We'll talk about how cDc pioneered the hactivist movement and how their group overlapped and interacted with other famous groups like L0pht Heavy Industr

Last time, I told you how to enumerate all the devices on your home network. Before we go to the trouble of analyzing and mitigating their vulnerabilities, we should take the opportunity to cull the inventory. Do you really need all of these devices? Or could you forego the "smart" features that require them to be connected to your network? Today we'll talk about reducing your attack surface before we bother trying to secure it. In other news: the White House announces new cybersecurity labeling program; the SEC mandates a 4-day reporting window for cyber attacks; EFF opposes a bill that threatens our privacy; stolen Microsoft signing keys behind a set of targeted US government email hacks; more details emerge about Facebook mining Onano VPN for user data; TETRA radios used for decades revealed to have deliberately weakened encryption; ALPR data now being used with AI algorithms to guess which cars might contain criminals; Apple threatens to pull Facetime, Messages from UK over proposed surveillance law ch

Despite growing demand from US citizens for privacy protections, the federal government has failed repeatedly to enact basic privacy laws. However, one US state - California - has led the charge on privacy and passed regulations that have benefited people outside the state. Today I'll speak with Ernesto Falcon who is currently running for California State Senate in District 7. He has decades of experience in public policy, particularly in the realm of privacy rights, both in politics and with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. We'll talk about how the legislative sausage is made, why we can't seem to pass privacy regulations, how lobbyists influence policy, and much more. Disclaimer: Views, opinions, or statements expressed are solely those of the candidate and not of his employer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Interview Notes Ernesto Falcon’s campaign website: https://www.ernestofalcon.com/  California Consumer Privacy Act: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Consumer_Privacy_Act 

The Internet of Things (IoT) has added internet connections to lots of home devices. Each and every one of those devices runs software on a computer chip. Almost all software has bugs and those bugs may be exploitable by bad guys. We're going to take another look at protecting our home networks using a simple, logical methodology. Step one: SCAN. That is, first of all, we need to understand the scope of the problem by enumerating all of the devices on your home network. I'll explain how to do that. In other news: Apple re-releases security update after web glitch; EV chargers are vulnerable to hacking which could have significant impacts; tax prep firms shared 'extraordinarily sensitive' data with Meta; Meta's new Threads service collects tons of personal info and employs dark patterns to hook you in; France passes law giving law enforcement access to private device cameras, mics and locations; police are collecting and selling personal info, bypassing the 4th Amendment and sharing across state lines; Mass

After lengthy negotiations and revisions, the White House has finally released its National Cybersecurity Strategy document, outlining it's priorities and goals. It's a wide-ranging and ambitious document consisting of five major areas of focus, or "pillars". What's new here? What will it mean for businesses and critical infrastructure? And what does this mean for you and I? Today I'll cover all of that and more with Josh Corman from I Am the Cavalry and formerly with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Interview Notes National Security Strategy doc: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/National-Cybersecurity-Strategy-2023.pdf Consequential Cybersecurity: https://claroty.com/blog/consequential-cybersecurity-brace-yourself-for-the-white-house-national-cybersecurity-strategy  PPD-21: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/presidential-policy-directive-critical-infrastructure-security-and-resil  Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

You're using a password manager. You're even using two-factor authentication. Great! When done properly, this will keep the bad guys out. Unfortunately, if you're not careful, it may also keep you out. If you forget your master password or lose access to your 2FA device, you'll be in real trouble... unless you have an access backup plan. This same plan can also help your spouse or next of kin to access your accounts should you die or become incapacitated. In the news: CISA issues a DDoS warning after multiple attacks; LetMeSpy stalkerware maker suffers a data breach of collected data; researchers use LED power light flicker to break cryptographic keys; Australian PM recommends citizens to power cycle their phones once a day; several artists boycott venues that use facial recognition; Brave browser introduces new localhost access permission; Proton unveils new password manager; Dear Carey questioner asks about PDF readers. Article Links [BleepingComputer] CISA issues DDoS warning after attacks hit mu

Right now there are thousands of satellites orbiting above our heads performing crucial tasks. At the end of the day, they're just computers running software - albeit at thousands of miles up and thousands of miles per hour. Can they be hacked? What are the dangers? Aaron Myrick and the Hack-A-Sat team are trying to answer those questions. And they're doing it by launching an actual satellite into low earth orbit for this year's DEF CON hacking contest and asking talented hackers from around the world to take their best shot. Interview Notes Moonlighter Fact Sheet: https://aerospace.org/fact-sheet/moonlighter-fact-sheet Hack-A-Sat 4: https://hackasat.com/moonlighter/  Hack-A-Sat GitHub resources: https://github.com/deptofdefense/hack-a-sat-library  Space-Track.org: https://www.space-track.org/  Moonlighter launch: https://vimeo.com/833432259/4ba9b0927b  Further Info Amulet of Entropy (DEF CON badge): https://amuletofentropy.com/  Nominate someone for a challenge coin: https://fds