Security Now

Cybersecurity guru Steve Gibson joins Leo Laporte every Tuesday. Steve and Leo break down the latest cybercrime and hacking stories, offering a deep understanding of what's happening and how to protect yourself and your business. Security Now is a must listen for security professionals every week. Records live every Tuesday at 4:30pm Eastern / 1:30pm Pacific / 21:30 UTC.

  • SN 1054: Bots in the Belfry - Cisco Promises Real Security Fixes!

    Cisco has finally admitted it's time for real change and is vowing to build "secure by default" gear after decades of criticism. Steve Gibson reacts to a rare moment when a tech giant actually gets security right—and what it means for everyone running critical infrastructure.

    • Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters strikes (Salesforce) again.
    • Cisco actually (no kidding) sees the light.
    • Next week, Australia bans all underage social media.
    • The EU Parliament moves to replace US computer tech.
    • When to use Passwords, Passkeys or Yubikeys.
    • Do unpowered SSDs lose their data.
    • How about a "Joy of Coding" podcast.
    • A Bitwarden Passkeys integration glitch.
    • XSLT is sneaky. It's where you don't expect it.
    • We know where last week's picture came from.
    • The long-awaited return of a new Stargate series.
    • A simple test to check our networks for any bot infections.

    Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1054-Notes.pdf

    Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

    Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

    You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

    For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

    Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
    Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    Sponsors:

  • SN 1053: Banning VPNs - The Equals Coffee Hack

    Could banning VPNs really become law in the US? This episode breaks down the jaw-dropping legislation in Wisconsin and Michigan that targets VPN access for everyone, not just kids—and what it means for your digital privacy.

    • The EU finally comes to its "Chat Control" senses.
    • Windows 11 to include SysInternals Sysmon natively.
    • Chrome's tabs (optionally) go vertical.
    • The Pentagon begins its investment in warfare AI.
    • Members of the military are being doxed by social media.
    • A look inside the futility of trying to corral AI.
    • The surprising lack of WhatsApp user privacy.
    • Exactly what happened last week to Cloudflare?
    • Britain (over)reacts to the Jaguar Land Rover incident.
    • Project: Hail Mary's second trailer released.
    • US state legislatures want to ban VPNs altogether

    Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1053-Notes.pdf

    Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

    Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

    You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

    For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

    Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
    Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    Sponsors:

  • SN 1052: Global Cellphone Tracking - Checkout.com Fights Back

    Think your cell phone is safe from tracking? Steve reveals how global networks let anyone pinpoint your location—no hacking required and no malware involved.

    • Apple introduces a new Digital ID inside Wallet.
    • Checkout.com refuses to pay a ransom demand.
    • Google announces "Private AI Compute" in the cloud.
    • Google backpedals on their "devs must register" demand.
    • Win11 added a Passkeys API which 1Password & Bitwarden support.
    • Russia tracks SIM card appearances to thwart drone usage.
    • Google sues Chinese Phishing as a Service platform.
    • Lots of interesting listener feedback.
    • Global cellphone tracking is alive, well, malware free and a distressingly common commercial enterprise

    Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1052-Notes.pdf

    Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

    Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

    You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

    For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

    Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
    Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    Sponsors:

  • SN 1051: Amazon sues Perplexity - Nevada's Ransomware Comeback

    Amazon is taking Perplexity AI to court over its agentic browser that shops on your behalf, raising urgent questions about who controls your online buying experience when bots do the heavy lifting.

    • FFmpeg teaching assembly language for performance.
    • The state of Nevada recovers after not paying ransom.
    • A "rounding error" nets a clever attacker $128 million.
    • Why would Chrome decide to start form-filling driver's licenses.
    • The UK's six major telecom providers to block number spoofing.
    • XSLT support being removed from browsers. Will anyone notice.
    • Firefox introduced paid support options for organizations.
    • Russia continues to fight against non-Russian Internet.
    • Google acquires another Internet security company (Wiz).
    • The EU to finally fix their cookie permission mistake.
    • More countries drop Microsoft office for open choices.
    • More countries question and examine Chinese made buses.
    • Microsoft discovers some information leakage from LLMs.
    • What does Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity's agents mean for next-generation browsers

    Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1051-Notes.pdf

    Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

    Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

    You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

    For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

    Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
    Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    Sponsors:

  • SN 1050: Here Come the AI Browsers - Scareware Blockers

    AI-powered web browsers are hitting the scene fast, but Steve and Leo unpack why these smart assistants could usher in an era of security chaos most users aren't ready for. Brace yourself for the wild risks, real-world scams, and the privacy questions no one else is asking.

    • Secret radios discovered in Chinese-made busses.
    • Edge & Chrome introduce LLM-based "scareware" blocking.
    • A perfect example of what scareware blocking hopes to prevent.
    • Aardvark: OpenAI's new vulnerability scanner for code.
    • Italy to require age verification from 48 specific sites.
    • Russia to require the use of only Russian software within Russia.
    • Russia further clamping down on non-MAX Telegram and WhatsApp messaging.
    • 187 new malicious NPM packages. Could AI help with that?
    • BadCandy malware has infiltrated Australian Cisco routers.
    • Github's 2025 report with the dominance of TypeScript.
    • Windows 11 gets new extra-secure Admin Protection feature.
    • A bunch of interesting feedback and listener thoughts.
    • And why the new AI-driven web browsers may be bringing a whole new world of hurt

    Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1050-Notes.pdf

    Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

    Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

    You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

    For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

    Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts!
    Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    Sponsors: