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PODCAST

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update.

R. Prescott Stearns Jr.

Into year five for this award-winning, light-hearted, lightweight IT privacy and security podcast that spans the globe in terms of issues covered with topics that draw in everyone from executive, to newbie, to tech specialist. Your investment of between 15 and 20 minutes a week will bring you up to speed on half a dozen current IT privacy and security stories from around the world to help you improve the management of your own privacy and security.

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All Episodes

00:24:04

You found What in my What? The IT Privacy and...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/05/21

EP 243. In this week's update: A History of CybersecurityFrom Cold War codebreakers to cloud-native firewalls, the story of cybersecurity is a decades-long arms race between innovation and intrusion.Rogue Communication Devices in Chinese InvertersWhen your solar panels start phoning home to places you didn’t authorize, it’s time to rethink who you trust with your grid.Microsoft Teams Captures Student Biometrics in NSWNSW’s education department just got a masterclass in how not to handle

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00:11:13

EP 242.5 Deep Dive Flying with the IT Privacy and...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/05/15

The evolving digital and geopolitical landscape reveals mounting tensions between innovation, privacy, and national security. A proposed $400 million private jet gift to Donald Trump from Qatar exemplifies this collision of interests. Though offered at no cost, the aircraft would require extensive and costly retrofitting to meet U.S. presidential security standards—ranging from secure communications to electronic warfare defenses. Beyond logistics, experts flag the deeper risk: accepting such a

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00:17:21

Flying with the IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/05/14

EP 242. In this week's update:A luxury aircraft gift from Qatar to Trump highlights the hidden cost of “free” when it comes to retrofitting for U.S. presidential security.Well-timed trades on Melania Trump’s memecoin are raising serious questions about insider access in the unregulated world of crypto.Repeated credential leaks tied to a federal security engineer underscore the long-term risks of weak password hygiene—even for insiders.A proposed mandate for decryption backdoors failed in

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00:13:47

EP 241.5 Deep Dive Cheap Sunglasses and The IT...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/05/08

Wearable technology like Ray-Ban Meta glasses presents significant privacy concerns by enabling frequent data collection without clear user controls, potentially capturing personal information of users and bystanders unknowingly.TikTok received a €530 million fine from the EU primarily because user data was remotely accessible from China, raising surveillance risks, and the platform failed to transparently disclose data transfer practices, violating EU regulations.Recent password security analysis

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00:20:01

Cheap Sunglasses and The IT Privacy and Security...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/05/07

EP 241. In this week's update: Smile, You’re Training Zuck’s AI. Meta quietly rewrote the fine print so your Ray-Bans can help train its AI by default—just say "Hey Meta" and wave goodbye to meaningful opt-outs.The Irish DPC slapped TikTok with a $600M wake-up call after finding the app's transparency was more filter than fact—China got the data, and Europe got the breach of trust.Billions of leaked passwords confirm that "123456" and "password" still reign supreme—proving users learned absolutely

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00:14:24

EP 240.5 Deep Dive: Thank you. Next. The IT Privacy...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/05/01

Recent data breaches have had significant impacts. WorkComposer, an employee monitoring app, exposed over 21 million sensitive employee screenshots due to a misconfigured cloud storage bucket. This breach compromised data such as emails, internal chats, and login credentials, leading to risks like phishing attacks, identity theft, corporate espionage, and legal consequences under GDPR and CCPA. In a separate incident, Oracle engineers caused a multi-day outage at U.S. hospitals by disrupting

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00:20:45

Thank you. Next. The IT Privacy and Security Weekly...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/30

EP 240. For this week's update: A major employee monitoring tool suffered a data breach, exposing over 21 million sensitive screenshots due to a misconfigured cloud storage bucket. An example of when your productivity app tracks everything — and accidentally shares it with the world. Anthropic warns that AI-based virtual employees may arrive within a year, bringing unprecedented operational and security challenges. Meet your new colleague: tireless, credentialed, and occasionally rogue.New

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00:20:41

EP 239.5 Deep Dive Crocodilus and The IT Privacy and...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/24

“Crocodilus” is a new Android malware aimed at cryptocurrency wallet users, notably in Spain and Turkey but potentially worldwide. It impersonates legitimate apps and tricks users into disclosing seed phrases. By exploiting Android’s accessibility services, it can monitor screens, simulate gestures, bypass two-factor authentication, and drain assets.ChatGPT’s latest models can analyze images in detail to determine real-world locations—raising privacy concerns, especially around doxxing. OpenAI

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00:19:06

Crocodilus and The IT Privacy and Security Weekly...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/23

EP 239. This week:Emerging Android malware “Crocodilus” is targeting crypto wallet users in Spain and Turkey with deceptive apps that hijack seed phrases and device access through sophisticated accessibility exploits.ChatGPT’s new models are impressively accurate at identifying real-world locations from images, sparking both admiration for AI capabilities and concern over potential misuse.A new study reveals that 50% of employees secretly use unauthorized generative AI tools, highlighting the urgent

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00:16:57

EP 238.5 Deep Dive - The IT Privacy and Security...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/17

What personal information was compromised in the Hertz breach?The breach exposed customer names, birth dates, contact info, driver's licenses, payment cards, and some Social Security numbers. It stemmed from a cyberattack on Cleo, a third-party vendor previously targeted in a mass-hacking campaign.How is air travel changing, and what are the privacy implications?ICAO aims to replace boarding passes with digital travel credentials using facial recognition and mobile passport data. While data is

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00:16:22

The IT Privacy and Security 'Times Are a Changin'...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/16

This week, Hertz lost your driver's license, birthday, and maybe your Social Security number—but don’t worry, it was their vendor’s fault.Boarding passes and check-ins are going extinct, and your face is the new passport—because what could possibly go wrong with global biometric surveillance?The EU is now handing out burner phones for U.S. trips, because apparently D.C. is the new Beijing when it comes to digital paranoia.North Korea’s job recruiters are on LinkedIn now—offering dream gigs and

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00:15:39

EP 237.5 Deep Dive: Artificial General Intelligence...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/09

1. Concerns About AGI DevelopmentDeepMind’s 108-page report outlines four major risks of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI):Misuse: AGI used maliciously (e.g., creating viruses).Misalignment: AGI acting contrary to intended goals.Mistakes: Errors causing unintended harm, especially in high-stakes sectors like defense.Structural Risks: Long-term impacts on trust, power, and truth in society. While safety measures are urged, full control of AGI remains uncertain.2. Improving Machine Learning

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00:18:30

Artificial General Intelligence and The IT Privacy...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/08

EP 237. DeepMind just released a 108-page manual on not getting wiped out by our own invention. Highlighting the fact that planning for an AI apocalypse could now be a core business line function.Sigstore machine learning model signing - AI models are finally getting digital signatures, because “mystery code from the internet” just wasn't a scalable trust strategy.Turns out your AI programmer can be tricked into writing malware. Helping us understand that “copilot” isn't necessarily

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00:16:12

EP 236.5 Deep dive - Unexplainable disappearances and...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/03

1. What are some recent major cryptocurrency hacks, and how were they carried out?High-profile crypto breaches include Bybit (~$1.5B), Ronin Network ($625M), and Poly Network ($611M). Attackers exploited vulnerabilities via social engineering (notably in the Bybit case), smart contract flaws, phishing, and targeted blockchain bridges. State-backed groups are increasingly active in this space.2. How is malware evolving to bypass traditional antivirus tools, and what languages are favored by

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00:19:32

Unexplainable disappearances and The IT Privacy and...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/04/02

EP 236 For the Biggest Crypto Hacks it turns out “HODL” doesn’t protect you from miscreants with social engineering degrees.Hackers are now coding in Rust and Go, because multilingual malware is harder to catch.An esteemed University Computer Scientist simply disappears. (See if you can pick up on the clues.)Anthropic expands into AI workplace cleaning, but before you get too excited, they're only sweeping offices for now.Cloudflare slams the door making one well known transfer protocol

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00:15:47

EP 235.5 Deep Dive. The IT Privacy and Security...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/03/27

Privacy Risks of 23andMe BankruptcyA breach impacting 7 million users, coupled with lawsuits and financial distress, means 23andMe’s 15 million genetic profiles could be sold or misused under a new buyer. The California Attorney General has urged users to delete their data and destroy physical samples, highlighting the vulnerability of storing sensitive genetic information with for‑profit entities under financial strain.Clearview AI’s Data Acquisition AttemptsClearview AI tried to buy a massive

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00:19:05

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update and a Gene...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/03/26

EP 235 The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update and a Gene Genie for the Week Ending March 25th., 20253/25/20250 CommentsEP 235. - click the pic to hear the podcast -DNA of 15 Million People For Sale. Turns out your great-great-grandparents' DNA is now a going-out-of-business clearance sale!"Clearview Tried to Buy Social Security Numbers and Mugshots. Shopping list: milk, eggs, 690 million arrest records, and a side of your soul.Hungary Uses Facial Recognition to Suppress a Pride

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00:17:08

EP 234.5 Deep Dive. The IT Privacy and Security...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/03/20

1. Why Should I Change My Passwords Immediately?Recent studies show that around 50% of online passwords are already compromised, and 41% of successful logins involve breached credentials. Common passwords like “123456” and password reuse make it easy for cybercriminals—especially with automated bots—to access multiple accounts. Changing passwords and using unique, strong credentials with multi-factor authentication is critical for security.Starting March 28th, all Alexa requests will be processed in

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00:17:09

For the other 50%. The IT Privacy and Security Weekly...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/03/19

EP 234For the other 50%. The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update for the Week Ending March 18th., 20253/18/20250 CommentsEP 234- click the pic to hear the podcast -For our first story, Apparently there’s a 50% chance your password is headlining a hacker convention. Perhaps it's time to change up from ‘123456' (still the most commonly used password).Starting On March 28, Everything You Say To Your Echo Will Be Sent To Amazon. Alexa’s new motto: ‘Anything you say can and will be used—to

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00:19:22

Deep Dive. Keep it Safe. Featuring 21 Crypto scams to...

The IT Privacy and Security Weekly Update. ·

2025/03/13

EP 233.5 Key Cryptocurrency Threats & ScamsIn 2025, crypto remains a hotspot for scams like Ponzi schemes, fake ICOs, pump-and-dumps, phishing attacks, and malicious wallets or exchanges designed to steal funds. Social media is often used for deceptive giveaways, impersonations, and investment scams. Other risks include fake mining operations, rug pulls, fraudulent apps, SIM swapping, and impostor tech support.AI Skills Demand in the Tech Job MarketAI expertise is increasingly sought after, with

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