Airports, Cold Cases, and AirTags

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A loudspeaker blares propaganda through a busy terminal. Screens flash messages no one authorized. People freeze, look up, and wonder who’s actually in control. That’s where we begin—at the intersection of public trust, connected systems, and the unnerving ease of digital disruption.

We walk through the airport hacks in Harrisburg and Kelowna, unpacking how modern PA systems and flight information displays ride on cloud infrastructure and vendor chains that aren’t always built with real-world adversaries in mind. We talk impact beyond headlines: why even “no safety issue” incidents can fray confidence, how to communicate in a breach to keep crowds calm, and what layered defenses—network segmentation, credential hygiene, response drills—look like when the stakes are human, not just technical. If you travel, you’ll hear simple steps to verify information and stay oriented when the screens go sideways.

Then we pivot to a Long Island cold case that finally advances after 40 years. A suspect is arraigned through high-tech DNA testing while the story of three wrongfully convicted men reminds us that justice isn’t just about finding someone—it’s about finding the truth the right way. We dig into evidence integrity, lab standards, and the value of independent reviews that can admit uncertainty and correct course. It’s a sober look at how science can both fail and redeem, depending on how carefully we handle it.

Finally, we tackle the dark flip side of everyday tech: an alleged AirTag-enabled home invasion in Florida. We break down how trackers can be misused, what alert features and device scans can do, and how to layer practical security—from garage habits and alarms to what to do if you find an unknown tracker. It’s actionable without fear-mongering, aiming to make you a little safer at home and on the road. We close with a lighter prompt—a favorite potluck dish—because a good casserole and a shared laugh matter too.

If this mix of real-world cyber risk, forensic insight, and practical safety resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Your notes and stories shape what we cover next—what should we dig into?

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hey hey, good morning.

(00:01):
Happy Thursday.
Guess what?
The gent and I tonight are goingto go see Rob Schneider.
Kind of excited.
Uh I know it's a weeknight too.
I went ahead and took threehours of pay time off for
tomorrow morning because theevent doesn't start until 7:30,
and normally I'm asleep by 7.30.

(00:22):
Uh so yeah, I'm taking some timeoff in the morning, coming in
late to work, just to go see RobSchneider.
Now we had, I bought thesetickets back in March for the
gents' birthday, which was inApril, and then they rescheduled
the whole show until tonight.
So we have great seats too.
I'm excited about it.

(00:42):
Let's move on to the storiesthat I have picked out for you.
Hamas Hackers hijack an airport,a Pennsylvania airport and a
British Columbia uh airport werestunned Tuesday when
loudspeakers, not just the notjust the visual digital thing,
but the loudspeakers, suddenlyblasted pro-Hamas messages and

(01:06):
slurs against President Trumpand Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.
Videos posted by travelersshowed the unauthorized
recording echoing through theterminals at Harrisburg
International Airport inPennsylvania and Kelowna
International Airport in Canada.

(01:28):
Why these two airports, I don'tknow.
It doesn't say it doesn't saywhy these two airports were
done, but yeah, you can see themdigitally, they took over.
They have these messages goingacross the screens, they have
visual, they have pictures, andthen they also blasted on the
audio.

(01:48):
Airport authorities said thedigital break-ins targeted both
public address systems andflight information displays.
Oh my gosh.
So a form of cyber vandalismthat disrupted boarding and
startled passengers but causedno flight safety issues.
Uh-huh.
I wouldn't be so sure aboutthat.

(02:10):
And Mr.
Duffy might have some explainingto do.
At uh Harrisburg, anunauthorized user gained access
to the airport PA system andplayed in unauthorized recorded
messages.
Yeah, we know that.
We've already talked about it.
The message was political innature and did not contain any
threats against the airport, ourtenants, airlines, or

(02:32):
passengers.
But why?
Why do this at an airport?
That's very interesting.
And why these two particularairports?
I don't know.
Somebody needs to check intothat.
Miller said the system wasquickly shut off and police
opened an investigation.
Well, I would hope so.
One flight already boarding wassearched out of an abundance of
caution and no security issueswere found.

(02:54):
The plane later departed safely.
Well, that's good.
In a statement shared with CNN,the airport stated that a third
party accessed both its flightinformation display screens and
PA system.
That should be terrifying toeveryone.
We are experiencing some delayflights.
The release read free Palestinechants could be heard in a

(03:17):
passenger video reviewed by CNN.
Nobody informed us what wasgoing on.
There was no crisis response.
Everyone was just reallyconfused, one traveler told the
network.
Images posted on social mediashowed airport screens
displaying pro Hamas slogansbefore staff disabled the feed.

(03:39):
Yep, we know all that.
The cybersecurity breachershighlight growing
vulnerabilities in airportnetworks that have become
increasingly reliant oncloud-based audio and display
systems.
Well, there you have it.
That's why.
In June, a criminal grouppenetrated the computer networks

(03:59):
of several airlines in the USand Canada, according to the
FBI.
A month later, a software outagecaused chaos at the major
European hubs.
They need to get a Mr.
Duffy, Secretary ofTransportation, you need to get
a hold on this.
Hacktivists is what they'recalled, collectives identifying
as pro-Palestinian have claimedhundreds of attacks on

(04:23):
transport, finance, andgovernment targets in the past
two years.
One network known as the DarkStorm Team has previously
targeted U.S.
airports, NATO servers, andIsraeli.
This is terrifying.
Oh, alright.
Just beware out there, people.
Alright, moving on to the nextstory.

(04:45):
We have uh oh, there's a breakin a cold case.
This is fascinating to me.
A breakthrough in a Long Islandcold case as cops arrest alleged
killer of 16-year-old girl after40 years, y'all.
And they had back it back whenit happened 40 years ago, they

(05:07):
had arrested three men, triedthem, and convicted them, and
they served 18 years in prisonbefore they found out they were
not the ones that did it.
Oh my gosh.
All right, and they had DNA.
So a Walmart worker was chargedWednesday with the brutal 1984
murder and rape of a 16-year-oldLong Island girl, ending decades

(05:30):
of mystery and speculation,Nassau County prosecutors
announced.
Richard Bilidow, 63 years old,was arraigned on murder charges
for the November 10th, 1984 coldcase slaying of there of Teresa
Fusco, thanks to a high-tech DNAtesting by the FBI.

(05:52):
So let's see if I can scroll onfurther to um Fusco, who was the
girl that was murdered, and shewas an inspired she was an
aspiring dancer, left her job atthe popular hot skate skating
rink in Lynbrook on November10th and disappeared and was

(06:12):
found dead and naked nearbyDecember 5th.
The DN DNA was taken.
Um so I'm trying to find whereit talks about well, basically I
just told you the thing.
The Grizzly, the Grizzly casehorrified the quiet suburban

(06:35):
community for months until threemen, John Restivo, Dennis
Halstead, and John Cougat, werearrested and convicted in the
teen's horrific murder in 1986.
However, DNA evidence latercleared all three after they
served up to 18 years behindbars.
Oh, of course they were freed in2003, then sued, and were

(06:59):
awarded 43 million dollars inwrongful prosecution.
I guess so.
But they got the right guy now,and hopefully everybody's got
closure.
I don't know.
I mean, how do you get closureon something like that?
Uh, it's beyond me.
Alright, so the next story wehave the last story.

(07:21):
Oh, y'all, we have a new thingto worry about.
Maybe you've already known aboutit, but I've just never thought
about stuff like this becauseI'm not tech savvy like the
young uns are.
So this is terrifying too.
I'm bringing you all kinds ofterrifying stories today.
Uh, armed Florida burglars usedair tags to track a couple,

(07:43):
abducted them outside theirhome.
Every family's worst nightmare.
They these two guys put an airtag on the bottom side of their
SUV, then followed them home,attacked them in their garage.
Everybody's okay.
The couple is okay.
They they arrested the the guys,so let's read the story.

(08:04):
I mean, the outcome was okay,but still, how awful.
Two Florida burglars allegedlytra allegedly, I love the one
they use allegedly, uh, trackeda couple using an Apple Air tag
before briefly abduc abductingthem at their at gunpoint in
their own garage during aterrifying home invasion,

(08:25):
officials called every family'sworst nightmare.
Louise Charles, who was 26 yearsold and Odarty Maldonado
Rodriguez, 32, are accused ofsticking the location tracker to
the bottom of the unsuspectingcouple's SUV before following
them back to their Odessa homeand ambushing them on August
19th.
The brazen duo snuck up on thecar occupants as they stepped

(08:49):
out of their car in theirdriveway, grabbing the couple
and rushing them inside thegarage, according to video
released by the sheriff'soffice.
One of the men wearing a highvisibility safety vest and a
bright green shirt pulled aweapon out of his pocket before
he grabbed the woman out of thepassenger seat.
The other suspect, dressed in adarker clothes and hoodie and a

(09:13):
mask, snatched the mail driver.
The armed man rushed the coupleinside the home, but not before
the woman fought back and forcedthe walking highlighter to carry
her inside.
Yeah, good for you, lady.
Fight back.
To be ambushed at gunpoint inthe very place you should feel
safe, safest is very is everyfamily's worst nightmare.

(09:35):
How many times do you have tosay this?
We know this already.
Um an alarm was triggered insidethe home, and the two suspects
fled the scene before copsarrived.
Good.
Good, good, good.
But they did catch them.
They did catch them.
The police body cam recorded themoment they the wanted suspect

(09:56):
was handcuffed outside the cartwo days later.
Yes, both men were charged witha slew of charges, including
armed burglary, two counts ofarmed kidnapping, robbery with a
firearm, false imprisonment, andillegal installation of a
tracking device.
Uh, but let's see, where didthis happen?
Was this in Florida, did I say?

(10:17):
If it's in Florida, hopefullythey're gonna be facing yes,
it's in Florida.
Hopefully they're gonna befacing facing prison time for a
long time.
Unlike New York, where Mem Daniwould just say, ah, slap him on
the wrist, no bail, you can walkfree, won't even have a probably
won't even have a court date,just go on about your business.
I mean, that's how differentFlorida and New York is.

(10:39):
Okay, and that's all I've gotfor you today as far as the
stories go.
So we need to do the question ofthe day.
Okay, this seems like totallyrandom and out of the blue, but
if you are going to a potluck,uh say a church potluck,
whatever, what are you bringing?
I back in the day when I used todo these kind of things, I don't

(11:01):
do them anymore.
But if I were to go to anotherone, I would fix my infamous, my
famous all grotten potatoes.
Or as my kids used to say whenthey were little, all rotten
potatoes, even though they lovedthem.
It's a cheese, then you slice,you peel the potatoes, slice
them up, and let me tell you, itis so easy.

(11:22):
You layer a sliced potato in acasserole dish, then put butter
and cheese.
And I put I put regular Americansliced cheeses on it.
I know, but it's delicious.
Salt and pepper, butter, cheese,and then layer, layer the
potatoes again and just repeatthe layers.
Put a little bit of milk just tocover the just enough to cover
the bottom, uh, cover it up andbake it.

(11:46):
And they, oh, delicious.
And then, of course, at the end,after the potatoes are cooked,
take the aluminum, uh, uncoverthem so you can brown the top a
little bit.
Yes, delicious.
All all my all rotten, my allgrotten potatoes, or as my kids
used to say, all rottenpotatoes.
But they're delicious.
That's the only thing I evercook.
I can cook spaghetti.

(12:08):
You know, I used to think Icould cook until I met the gent.
And the gent can cook.
I mean, I didn't know whatcooking was until I met him.
To me, cooking meant opening abox or opening a can.
I didn't know any of this stuff,you know.
Uh, but he can make sauces fromscratch.
I didn't know that was a thing.
So, um, yeah.

(12:29):
All right, I know I'm telling onmyself.
I told y'all I'm just ahillbilly from rural southern
Ohio, which you sh would think Iwould know how to cook, but I
don't.
So, anyway, I could get by if Ihad to.
All right, I gotta go.
Thanks for listening.
Love y'all.
Bye.