Smashing Security

Smashing Security

A helpful and hilarious take on the week's tech SNAFUs. Computer security industry veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault chat with guests about cybercrime, hacking, and online privacy. It's not your typical cybersecurity podcast... Winner of the best and most entertaining cybersecurity podcast awards in 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024, Smashing Security has had over ten million downloads. Past guests include Garry Kasparov, Mikko Hyppönen, and Rory Cellan-Jones. Follow the podcast on Twitter at @smashinsecurity, and subscribe for free in your favourite podcast app. New episodes released at 7pm EST every Wednesday (midnight UK). This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Episodes

July 16, 2025 36 mins

In episode 426 of the "Smashing Security" podcast, Graham reveals how you can hijack a train’s brakes from 150 miles away using kit cheaper than a second-hand PlayStation.

Meanwhile, Carole investigates how Grok went berserk, which didn't stop the Department of Defense signing a contract with Elon’s AI chatbot. So who is responsible when your chatbot becomes a bigot?

Plus: Email headaches, SPF rage, and a glowing review for... Task...

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    In episode 425 of "Smashing Security", Graham reveals how "Call of Duty: WWII" has been weaponised - allowing hackers to hijack your entire PC during online matches, thanks to ancient code and Microsoft’s Game Pass.

    Meanwhile, Carole digs into a con targeting the recently incarcerated, with scammers impersonating bail bond agents to fleece desperate families.

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Secu...

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    A Mexican drug cartel spies on the FBI using traffic cameras and spyware — because "ubiquitous technical surveillance” is no longer just for dystopian thrillers. Graham digs into a chilling new US Justice Department report that shows how surveillance tech was weaponised to deadly effect.

    Meanwhile, Carole checks the rear-view mirror on the driverless car industry. Whatever happened to those million Tesla robotaxis Elon Musk promised...

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    In this episode, Graham unravels Operation Endgame - the surprisingly stylish police crackdown that is seizing botnets, mocking malware authors with anime videos, and taunting cybercriminals via Telegram.

    Meanwhile, Carole exposes the AI-generated remote hiring threat. Could your next coworker be a North Korean hacker with a perfect LinkedIn?

    And BBC cyber correspondent Joe Tidy joins us to talk about "Ctrl-Alt-Chaos", his new book d...

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    June 18, 2025 32 mins

    A GCHQ intern forgets the golden rule of spy school — don’t take the secrets home with you — and finds himself swapping Cheltenham for a cell. Meanwhile, an Australian hacker flies too close to the sun, hacks his way into a US indictment, and somehow walks free... only to get booted back Down Under.

    Plus: flow states, Bob Mortimer, and the joys of pretending to carry an owl around on a cushion.

    All this and more is discussed in the l...

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    What do a sleazy nightclub carpet, Google’s gaping privacy hole, and an international student conned by fake ICE agents have in common? This week’s episode of the "Smashing Security" podcast obviously.

    Graham explains how a Singaporean bug-hunter cracked Google’s defences and could brute-force your full phone number. Meanwhile, Carole dives into a chilling scam where ICE impersonators used fear, spoofed numbers, and... Apple gift ca...

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    A bizarre case of political impersonation, where Trump’s top aide Susie Wiles is cloned (digitally, not biologically — we think), and high-ranking Republicans start getting invitations to link up with "her" on Telegram to share their Trump pardon wishlists. Was it a deepfake? Or just someone with a halfway decent impression and access to a shady data broker?

    Meanwhile, we take a worryingly familiar journey into the mental health cri...

  • Why is a cute Star Wars fan website now redirecting to the CIA? How come Cambodia has become the world's hotspot for scam call centres? And can a WhatsApp image really drain your bank account with a single download, or is it just a load of hacker hokum?

    All this and much more is discussed in the latest edition of the award-winning "Smashing Security" podcast by computer security veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault, joined ...

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    In this week’s episode, Graham investigates the mysterious Iberian Peninsula blackout (aliens? toaster? cyberattack?), Carole dives in the UK legal aid hack that exposed deeply personal data of society's most vulnerable, and Dinah Davis recounts how Instagram scammers hijacked her daughter’s account - and how a parental control accidentally saved the day.

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security...

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    Don't get duped, doxxed, or drained! In this episode of "Smashing Security" we dive into the creepy world of sextortion scams, and investigate how crypto wallet firm Ledger's Discord server was hijacked in an attempt to phish for cryptocurrency recovery phrases.

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

    Plus! Don't miss our fea...

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    Brits face empty shelves and suspended meal deals as cybercriminals hit major high street retailers, and a terminated Disney employee gets revenge with a little help with Wingdings. Plus Graham challenges Carole to a game of "Malware or metal?", and we wonder just happens when you have sex on top of a piano?

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Clule...

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    He's not a pop star, but Jeffrey Bowie is alleged to have toured staff areas of a hospital in Oklahoma, hunting for computers he could install spyware on. We dive into the bizarre case of the man accused of hacking medical networks and then sharing how he did it on LinkedIn.

    Plus! Move over Nigerian princes — the WASPI scams are here. Fraudsters are now targeting UK women born in the 1950s, exploiting pension injustice for phishing...

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    Graham explores how the Elusive Comet cybercrime gang are using a sneaky trick of stealing your cryptocurrency via an innocent-appearing Zoom call, and Carole goes under the covers to explore the extraordinary lengths bio-hacking millionaire Bryan Johnson is attempting to extend his life.

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriau...

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    A cybersecurity firm is buying access to underground crime forums to gather intelligence. Does that seem daft to you?

    And over in Nigeria, even if romance scammers would like to update their LinkedIn profiles, just how easy is it to turn a new leaf after a sweet-talking career in cybercrime?

    All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and C...

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    QR codes are being weaponised by scammers — so maybe think twice before scanning that parking meter. And in a blunder so dumb it makes autocorrect look smart, the White House explains how it leaked war plans on Signal because an iPhone mistook a journalist for a government insider.

    Plus! Don't miss our featured interview with Josh Donelson of Material and Tony Albano from Google, about detection and response in today's AI-driven wor...

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    Renowned cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt falls victim to a phishing attack, resulting in the exposure of thousands of subscriber details, and don't lose your life savings in a whisky scam...

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

    Plus! Don't miss our featured interview with Alastair Paterson, CEO and co-founder of Harmonic Se...

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    A YouTuber has unleashed an innovative AI bot army to disrupt and outwit the world of online scammers, and a New York Times investigation looks into the intricate web of global money laundering.

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

    Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

    Episode links:

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    March 20, 2025 35 mins

    In episode 409 of the "Smashing Security" podcast, we uncover the curious case of the Chinese cyber-attack on Littleton's Electric Light Company, and a California landlord's hidden camera scandal.

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

    Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

    Episode links:

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    What happens when a healthcare giant’s legal threats ignite a Streisand Effect wildfire… while a ransomware gang appears to ditch the dark web for postage stamps?

    Find out about this, and more, in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

    Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

    Episode links:

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    Journey with us to Myanmar's shadowy scam factories, where trafficked workers are forced to run romance-baiting and fake tech support scams, and find out why a company's mandatory hold time for tech support could lead to innocent users having their computers compromised.

    All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

    Plus - don't mi...

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