Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

Are satellites really just IoT devices in space? They’re small computers and connected to the internet, not unlike Nest thermostats, baby video monitors, and smart toasters. You’d think that they’d be a lot more complex and secure… but are they really? My two guests today are running a program to test that very question, and in the process, try to make our military and comm...

Payment apps are fairly secure & very convenient, but NOT private. And Venmo is the worst. Venmo is the only payment app that is primarily a “social” app. That’s shorthand for “share as much info as possible, with as many people as possible”. If you weren’t already aware, all Venmo transactions are public by default. (That might come as an unwelcome surprise...

Is it possible for you to view your FLoC ID right now? And if so, can you decode this ID to understand what Google is learning about you from it? Does FLoC require your consent or cooperation from the sites you’re visiting? Are there tools to block this and, if so, how effective are they? In part 2 of my discussion with EFF’s Bennett Cyphers, we’ll answer these questions and many...

The public has voted and the results are in: people do not want to be tracked. In response, like pop-up ads before them, third party cookies are now being blocked by default by just about every browser – except Chrome. Google (who owns Chrome) is an ad company who relies on web tracking to make 90% of their revenue. With the writing on the wall, they and other ad tech companies are scramblin...

Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for! The super-secret, highly-collectible, security-enhancing device is finally HERE!! For a short period of time, I will be offering a very limited edition challenge coins to my patrons. Not only is the coin itself amazingly cool, it can also help you generate secure passphrases using my brand new website d20key.com! Listen in today for all the detail...

What is Tor, exactly? How and why would I use it? And what the heck is a Tor node? In part 2 of my talk with Alison from the Library Freedom Project, we’ll discuss why libraries are so important in the fight for privacy and how they’re using technologies like Tor to keep its patron’s (and even other’s) web browsing anonymous. We’ll talk about why it’s important...

Want to read a book without your reading history being tracked? Do you need to surf the web with complete anonymity? If so, then look no further than your local public library. You have the right to research and collaborate on politically or socially sensitive topics without fearing your government or even your local community – and your local public libraries are there to help. Today I&#821...

After what seemed like forever, Apple has finally released its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature which requires apps to get your permission to track you across other apps and websites. This was announced last year and delayed by several months to allow app makers to come into compliance (particularly Facebook). Today I’ll tell you what this feature does and doesn’t do, and of cou...

While law enforcement touts the benefits of cell site simulators, today we will talk about the negative impacts, as well. While the actual impacts are not documented due to secrecy, we have to wonder whether Stingrays could interfere with critical communications like 911 calls, for example. We also must understand that any tool can be used for good and for evil, by the “good guys” as w...

The single easiest way to track someone today is using their cell phone. We have them with us at all times and in order for them to work, they must be tracked by the cell phone network. When law enforcement wants to identify people at a protest or hanging around a particular area, they could take the time to get a warrant to present to multiple cell phone providers. Or they could simply bring in a...

Lots of news to cover today… and to me the common thread seems to be a lack of proper security and privacy. So the theme today is “trust no one”. And the idea there isn’t really personal trust, but computer trust, algorithm trust, procedural trust. We need to engineer our systems and processes around the idea that data is a toxic asset that loves to find ways to leak. Assum...

There are many business models and businesses that we curtail because they can be dangerous to people or democracy or society. Even rights enshrined in the US Constitution have reasonable limits. Now that it’s become evident how engagement-optimized and algorithm-driven social media is ripping at the very fabric of our democracy, it’s time for an intervention. Today, Phil Zimmermann (c...

Passwords suck and humans aren’t good at using them. Password managers can help a lot, but to truly improve your account security these days, you need to add defense in depth. The easiest way to do that today is to enable two-factor authentication, or 2FA. Many websites have supported 2FA for years, but as hacking has gotten more aggressive and password databases are being stolen more often,...

Given that we’re using computer algorithms to evaluate humans, can these systems be gamed or fooled? And is it possible that computers are less biased that humans? On any given day, humans can be distracted, tired, sick or just flat out biased against people for any number of reasons. Should these systems be more transparent? How do we know if they’re being fair? Do we need to regulate...

Convincing a human to hire you is hard enough. Can you imagine trying to convince a computer? Artificial intelligence is now being used to automate the screening of job candidates, evaluating cognitive ability, vocabulary, and even emotional intelligence. This new “hiretech” promises to weed out the bad applicants and flag the good ones by analyzing not just the substance of answers to...

Ep210. I’ve recommended LastPass for years – since I wrote my book and every day since. Until now. There are several good (secure and private) password managers out there. But LastPass was the full package: a free tier that had all the functionality most people need and for-pay tiers that had very useful extras. But now they’re hobbling the free version by only allowing you to us...

In the second half of my interview with the Tech Learning Collective, we delve into their course curriculum a bit, and then discuss why they teach what they teach and how they approach these topics in a unique and meaningful way. We also examine the notion of “ethical hacking” and how this term can be used to whitewash some truly unethical and immoral products and services. Finally, we...

I first learned of the Tech Learning Collective at a privacy conference in late 2020. I struck up a conversation with one of its representatives and ended up taking one of their wonderful workshops in January. The TLC offers some top-notch courses on computers with a focus on cybersecurity. Unlike college courses or cybersecurity certification courses, TLC offers eminently practical and affordable...

Ep207 . Clearview AI – the company that has hoovered up every face it can find on the internet to create a creepy person identifying app – is back in the news. Canada and the EU have decided that Clearview has gone too far and needs to allow its users to opt out and even delete all the data they have, upon request. It’s a welcome development, but unfortunately only available to C...

Episode 206 . The social media events around the January 6th storming of the US Capitol have sparked raging, divisive debates in the US. But the banning of individuals and the deplatforming of apps and groups are not new phenomenons. The Right of Free Speech that is enshrined in the First Amendment to the US Constitution is not limitless. It does have legal boundaries. And private companies, even...

Tracking and data mining has gotten way out of hand. We’re not only being tracked online, we’re now being tracked around the real world, too. We’re truly living in a panopticon – and it’s not good for us as individuals or as a democratic society. Today I’ll cover several stories that make it clear that we’ve hit a tipping point. It has to stop. And it&#821...

We all love to beat up on Facebook over user privacy, but the real granddaddy of them all is Google. Google is everywhere . And they almost surely know way more about you than any other company on the planet. In addition to all the “G” apps and services that you know about, Google also owns Android, Chrome browser, Waze, Nest and YouTube. It’s extremely hard to avoid using Google...

So I want to switch to a new, privacy-respecting email service. How do I even do that? What happens to all the email I have now? What about my calendar and contacts? Am I going to have to change my email address every time I change email providers? In part 2 of my interview with Fastmail’s COO Helen Horstmann-Allen, we’ll answer these questions and also address the thorny issue of priv...

What could I learn about you if I read all your emails? Like, all of them. Since you started sending email. Beyond private conversations, I would also likely know every web site you have a relationship or account with, every online purchase you’ve made, every club or organization you’ve been a part of, and all the appointments you’ve made. I can also make a pretty comprehensive l...

The Russian SVR has had backdoor access to hundreds if not thousands of government and corporate networks for nearly nine months. And if not for private security firm FireEye, we might never have known. The SolarWinds supply chain hack may be the biggest, most consequential cybersecurity event ever. And it will literally be years before we understand the full impacts. However, from what we know so...