IT SPARC Cast

In the first regular IT SPARC Cast - CVE of the Week episode of 2026, John & Lou dive into a critical, actively exploitable vulnerability shaking the automation world. CVE-2026-21858—dubbed Ni8mare —targets the popular workflow automation platform n8n , earning a full CVSS 10.0 due to unauthenticated remote code execution. They break down how a content-type confusion bug inside n8n’s webhook p...

In this special predictions episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes , John Barger and Lou Schmidt kick off 2026 by trading bold, unfiltered forecasts for enterprise IT, AI, cloud, energy, and geopolitics. With five predictions each—and no prior coordination—they round-robin through what they believe will define the next year in technology. From the deflation of the AI hype cycle and Apple’s inevitab...

n this special CVE Year in Review episode of IT SPARC Cast, John Barger and Lou Schmidt break from the usual single-CVE format to count down the five worst IT security failures of 2025 . From long-lived remote code execution flaws in enterprise networking gear, to a ransomware attack that shut down a global distributor, to systemic cloud outages that shattered the concept of “five nines” availabil...

This week on IT SPARC Cast, John Barger and Lou Schmidt break down three stories shaping the future of enterprise IT—from continued AI spending despite questionable ROI, to radically new approaches to long-term data storage, and a major consolidation in the online learning market. ⸻ 📰 News Bytes 00:46 – CEOs Keep Spending on AI Despite Spotty Returns Despite mixed financial outcomes, a growi...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – CVE of the Week , John Barger and Lou Schmidt break down a long-overdue security move from Microsoft: disabling the RC4 cipher by default across Windows authentication infrastructure. After more than two decades of known cryptographic weaknesses, RC4 is finally being deprecated in favor of modern encryption standards like AES. The discussion covers why RC4 persis...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes , John and Lou tackle one of the most emotionally charged weeks in enterprise IT. Google CEO Sundar Pichai openly acknowledges that AI-driven layoffs will cause real pain before progress—a statement that sparks a candid Hot Take on disruption, job loss, and opportunity. From there, the show dives deep into the mounting backlash against U.S. data center...

This week on IT SPARC Cast – CVE of the Week , John Barger and Lou Schmidt break down a code-red security situation affecting a massive portion of the modern web. CVE-2025-55182 is a critical, actively exploited vulnerability in React Server Components (RSC) that enables unauthenticated remote code execution , even in applications that don’t explicitly use server functions. With an estimated 33–35...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes, John and Lou cover a packed week in tech policy, AI disruption, and cloud infrastructure. Apple loses its AI chief as the company struggles to keep pace with rivals. India orders smartphone makers to preload a government surveillance app—then backpedals after Apple pushes back. Sam Altman declares a “Code Red” inside OpenAI as pressure mounts from Goo...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes, John and Lou break down Ubiquiti’s brand-new UniFi wireless bridging lineup, test drive the surprisingly powerful ChatGPT Group Chat feature, and review the newly released IT Specialist Simulator game—yes, it’s a real thing. Lou also shares his SuperComputing 25 highlights, covering quantum computing, CXL memory extension, and why this year’s show was...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast, Lou brings you a packed 8-minute walkthrough of the biggest themes and technologies from SuperComputing 25—the largest and busiest HPC show he’s ever attended. In this video, Lou covers: 🔥 Cooling Wars: immersion cooling, PG25 liquid loops, cavitation risks, phase-change fluids, and long-term hardware reliability. 🧠 CXL & Memory Expansion: shared GPU po...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes, John and Lou tackle a wild week in enterprise IT—from grounded aircraft disrupting hardware logistics, to open-source maintainers calling out Google, to sophisticated VM-based malware hiding inside Windows systems, to Santa Clara’s power grid collapsing under the weight of the AI boom. First, a tragic UPS MD-11 crash in Louisville forces both UPS and...

In this week’s IT SPARC Cast, John and Lou break down a Cisco security double feature —three critical vulnerabilities impacting Cisco ASA, Cisco Secure Firewall (FTD), and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). These flaws include authentication bypass, chained remote code execution, and a CVSS 10.0 root-level compromise via an undocumented ISE API. We explain how CVE-2025-20333, CVE-2025-20362, an...

In this week’s IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes, John and Lou go galactic—covering AI data centers in orbit, Microsoft’s blunders, and a nasty new Windows backdoor exploiting OpenAI’s API. First, it’s “IT in SPAAAAAACE!” as Google unveils Project Suncatcher, an effort to launch radiation-hardened Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) into orbit for solar-powered, space-based AI compute. Then, SpaceX announces...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – CVE of the Week , John Barger and Lou Schmidt dive deep into CVE-2025-52665 , a critical 10.0 CVSS vulnerability impacting Ubiquiti’s UniFi Access Management API . This flaw blends physical security and cybersecurity risks — allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute remote code, manipulate door access, or even lock users inside buildings . John and Lou break...

In this week’s IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes , John and Lou explore the intersection of AI, hardware, and IT freedom — from creative tension at EA to chipmaking disruption. First, Electronic Arts (EA) launches ReefGPT , an internal AI design tool meant to boost productivity across studios. Developers say it’s unreliable and fear job losses, while leadership insists AI is the future. John and Lou unpa...

In this special Halloween edition of CVE of the Week , John and Lou dive into a truly chilling scenario — a high-severity DNS poisoning flaw that could be the perfect setup for a wave of phishing attacks and credential theft across enterprise networks. The star of the episode: CVE-2025-40778 , a newly discovered vulnerability in BIND 9’s resolver logic . This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers...

In this week’s IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes , John and Lou explore the fast-moving world of AI, quantum computing, and cloud reliability. First up, OpenAI launches Atlas , an AI-powered browser with ChatGPT built in—complete with persistent memory, agent mode, and deep personalization. But as John warns, “If ChatGPT can see everything you do, that includes your company’s data.” Lou connects it to la...

In this episode of CVE of the Week , John and Lou unpack a fresh pair of vulnerabilities affecting one of the most common tools on Windows desktops — 7-Zip . Tracked as CVE-2025-11001 and CVE-2025-11002 , these directory traversal flaws allow attackers to craft malicious archives that can escape the extraction folder , overwrite arbitrary files , and potentially lead to remote code execution (RCE)...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes, John and Lou cover the latest updates from Ubiquiti, Google, and the global supply chain. First, UniFi Network 9.5 rolls out with Channel AI, a next-gen visualization tool that uses AI to map RF interference, optimize channels, and improve roaming performance. Add in wired port anomaly detection, Bonjour and multicast enhancements, and it’s clear—Ubiq...

A suspected state-sponsored attack has breached F5 Networks , compromising source code, customer data, and production systems . With F5 handling 85% of global load balancing , this could expose countless organizations to new zero-day vulnerabilities. John and Lou break down how it happened, what’s at risk, and what you should do right now if your infrastructure depends on F5 BIG-IP or related syst...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes , John and Lou break down three big stories that touch nearly every corner of enterprise IT—from power to code to storage. First, Ubiquiti expands into the UPS market with the new UniFi Uninterruptible Power Supply , combining network management integration, graceful shutdown control, and plug-and-play simplicity for small offices and home labs. Then,...

In this week’s episode of IT SPARC Cast - CVE of the Week , John Barger and Lou Schmidt dive deep into CVE-2025-49844 , a newly discovered and critical remote code execution vulnerability in Redis —the in-memory database that powers over 75% of cloud services . This flaw, dubbed “RediShell” , scores a perfect 10.0 CVSS and affects Redis instances using Lua scripting , allowing attackers to execute...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes , John and Lou dive into three stories that blur the line between security, AI, and sci-fi becoming reality. First, a jaw-dropping report reveals landlords using tenant-screening services to demand employee workplace logins —scraping paystubs directly from systems like ADP. It’s not only unethical—it’s potentially illegal. John and Lou unpack the secur...

In this eye-opening episode of IT SPARC Cast - CVE of the Week , John Barger and Lou Schmidt explore a shocking vulnerability that doesn’t exploit code — it exploits hardware. Specifically, they dive into how Intel and AMD’s Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), once hailed as unbreakable, can be compromised via physical attacks. From voltage glitching to signal probing, these advanced threats ar...

In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes , John and Lou break down three stories reshaping enterprise IT and beyond. Nvidia plans to pour up to $100B into OpenAI , funding 10 gigawatts of new data center capacity—raising big questions about power, infrastructure, and the AI arms race. Next, we explore a moon helium deal that marks the biggest-ever purchase of natural resources from space. A F...