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Smashing Security

Smashing Security

By: Graham Cluley
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Stories from the world of hacking, cybersecurity, and rogue AI.

Smashing Security isn’t your typical tech podcast. Hosted by cybersecurity veteran Graham Cluley, it serves up weekly tales of cybercrime, hacking horror stories, privacy blunders, and tech mishaps - all with sharp insight, a sense of humour, and zero tolerance for tech waffle.

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 Jack Rhysider.

Follow the podcast on Bluesky at @smashingsecurity.com, and subscribe for free in your favourite podcast app.

New episodes released at 7pm EST every Wednesday (midnight UK).

Graham Cluley Politics & Government
Episodes
  • How to lose friends and DDoS people

    How to lose friends and DDoS people
    Feb 26 2026
    When the mysterious operator of an internet archiving-service decided to silence a curious Finnish blogger, they didn’t just send a stroppy email - they allegedly weaponised their own CAPTCHA page to launch a DDoS attack, threatened to invent an entirely new genre of AI porn, and tampered with parts of their own archive to smear the blogger's name.In this episode, we unravel how a website designed to preserve history may have trashed its own credibility - and how Wikipedia responded when trust went out the window.Plus a ransomware gang shoots itself in the foot with a classic case of buffoonery, accidentally corrupting the very keys victims would need to decrypt their data. When even the criminals can’t unlock your files, what happens next?All this, a surprisingly zen Pick of the Week, and a gloriously splenetic rant against web forms, on episode 456 of the award-winning "Smashing Security" podcast, with cybersecurity veteran Graham Cluley and special guest Paul Ducklin.EPISODE LINKS:This App Will Detect People Wearing Smart Glasses Near You - Lifehacker.Patients listed as dead after major NZ health app MediMap hacked - 1News.Why fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social media - BBC News.FBI orders domain registrar to reveal who runs mysterious Archive.is site - Ars Technica.Archive.today CAPTCHA page executes DDoS; Wikipedia considers banning site - Ars Technica.Archive.today is directing a DDOS attack against my blog - Gyrovague.Critical buffer overflow bug - in ESXi ransomware - SolCyber.Yoga with Adriene - YouTube.Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)SPONSORS:Coreview - Download "Total Tenant Takeover", a white paper about the Microsoft 365 Disaster No One Is Ready For.Vanta - Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!ThreatLocker - Start your free trial and book a demo of ThreatLocker today to see how you can implement Zero Trust in your environment.SUPPORT THE SHOW:Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.Become a supporter! Join Smashing Security PLUS via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes on our early-release feed!FOLLOW THE SHOW:Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.THANKS:Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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    49 mins
  • Face off: Meta’s Glasses and America’s internet kill switch

    Face off: Meta’s Glasses and America’s internet kill switch
    Feb 19 2026

    Could America turn off Europe's internet?

    That’s one of the questions that Graham and special guest James Ball will be exploring as they discuss tech sovereignty. Could Gmail, cloud services, and critical infrastructure really become geopolitical leverage? And is anyone actually building a Plan B?

    Plus we explore if Meta is quietly plotting to turn its smart glasses into face-recognising surveillance specs? With reports of internal memos suggesting they plan to launch controversial features while everyone’s distracted by political chaos, we ask: is this innovation really wanted by the public... or something far creepier?

    All of this, and much more, in episode 455 of the award-winning "Smashing Security" podcast with cybersecurity veteran Graham Cluley, joined this week by journalist and author James Ball.


    EPISODE LINKS:


    • Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses - New York Times.
    • Trading Sovereignty for Scale? The Costs of the US - UK Tech Prosperity Deal - Just Security.
    • Just Mercy - Wikipedia.
    • Just Mercy trailer - YouTube.
    • Bryan Stevenson’s TED talk: We need to talk about an injustice - YouTube.
    • The Residence - Netflix.
    • Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)



    SPONSORS:

    • Vanta - Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
    • Passwork - a reliable secrets manager and password management solution.
    • Adaptive Security - request a custom demo featuring a real CEO deepfake simulation.


    SUPPORT THE SHOW:

    Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.

    Become a supporter! Join Smashing Security PLUS via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes on our early-release feed!


    FOLLOW THE SHOW:

    Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.


    THANKS:

    Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.

    Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.



    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
  • AI was not plotting humanity’s demise. Humans were

    AI was not plotting humanity’s demise. Humans were
    Feb 12 2026

    AI bots are having existential crises, inventing religions, and allegedly plotting against humanity... or so the internet would have you believe.

    We dig into Moltbook, the “AI-only” social network that sent Twitter into a meltdown, attracted breathless talk of the singularity, and turned out to be far less Terminator and far more humans role-playing as bots.

    Plus we discuss why "vibe coding" your app might be a catastrophically bad idea, when security researchers can easily peek inside rifle through your private messages, API keys, and databases.

    Also this week we learn that pro-Russian hackers are circling the Winter Olympics - or is it the Jamaican Bobsleigh team?

    All this and more is discussed in episode 454 of the "Smashing Security" podcast with cybersecurity veteran Graham Cluley, and special guest Iain Thomson.


    EPISODE LINKS:


    • AI Agents Created Their Own Religion, Crustafarianism, On An Agent-Only Social Network - Forbes.
    • I Infiltrated Moltbook, the AI-Only Social Network Where Humans Aren’t Allowed - Wired.
    • 'Moltbook' social media site for AI agents had big security hole, cyber firm Wiz says - Reuters.
    • Italy blames Russia-linked hackers for cyberattacks ahead of Winter Olympics - The Record.
    • Italy says railways hit by 'serious sabotage' as Winter Olympics begin - BBC News.
    • EpsteIN - GitHub.
    • Private Eye.
    • Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)



    SPONSORS:

    • Meter - Network infrastructure for the enterprise. Get a free personalised demo.
    • Vanta - Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!
    • Passwork - a reliable secrets manager and password management solution.



    SUPPORT THE SHOW:

    Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.

    Become a supporter! Join Smashing Security PLUS via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes on our early-release feed!


    FOLLOW THE SHOW:

    Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.


    THANKS:

    Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.

    Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.




    Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
All stars
Most relevant
I like the humor and presenter, could be a little more technical but I suspect current format will appeal to mostly everyone

funny plain english

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