Brian Honan
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brianhonan.bsky.social
Brian Honan
@brianhonan.bsky.social
Irish cybersecurity pro, author, speaker, and commentator.

CEO of BH Consulting, Head of Ireland's first CSIRT - IRISSCERT, member of ENISA Advisory Group, & former Special Advisor on CyberSecurity to Europol.

PGP ID 0xF1B5CF7D
Reposted by Brian Honan
A trial is due to begin in Germany of a man, using the pseudonym 'White Tiger', who is accused of multiple online crimes, including coercing a 13-year-old to die by suicide.
Trial of 'White Tiger' online predator begins in Germany
A trial is due to begin in Germany of a man, using the pseudonym 'White Tiger', who is accused of multiple online crimes, including coercing a 13-year-old to die by suicide.
www.rte.ie
January 9, 2026 at 7:31 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
The Conscience of a Hacker, also known as The Hacker Manifesto, turns 40 today!

Written by Loyd "The Mentor" Blankenship, its spirit still resonates with hackers and makers everywhere. A cornerstone of hacker culture.

phrack.org/issues/7/3

#HackThePlanet #HackerManifesto
January 8, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
🗣️ “6,700 images were being generated in this way every single hour.”

The Group Chat examines the scale of the Grok deepfake crisis, the numbers behind it, and what the Irish Government can do.

📺 Tonight at 10PM | Virgin Media Play & Virgin Media One
January 8, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
📢#BsidesDublin2026 - 23/05/26📢

Mark those calendars. We are back with #BsidesDublin2026 on the 23 May 2026 in Trinity Business School, Trinity College, Dublin 2.

#earlyBird tickets on sale 10am 13th January 🥳
www.bsidesdub.ie/tickets.php
Security BSides Dublin : #BSidesDUB #BSidesDublin
Security BSides Dublin is an Information Security conference, by the community, for the community. Follow: @BSidesDublin
www.bsidesdub.ie
January 8, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
January 8, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Reposted by Brian Honan
Rape Crisis Ireland is no longer active on X.

Stay connected with us on these platforms:

Bluesky >> @rapecrisisireland.bsky.social
LinkedIn >> @Rape Crisis Ireland
Facebook >> @RapeCrisisIreland
Instagram >> @rape_crisis_ireland

Thank you for your support!

#FactsNotMyths #SupportingSurvivors
January 8, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
January 8, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
I don't know how Teramind managed to get two people's photos completely mixed up with somebody else, tag a dead person as the future of cybersecurity, and include someone under community legal action, but this is the most egregious case of LinkedIn lists I have ever had the luck to be included in.
January 8, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Striking how many people currently explaining the state’s right to murder *other people* were quite hysterical about the state’s right to limit *their own* freedoms during lockdowns.
January 8, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
“The Conscience of a Hacker” by The Mentor is 40 years old today.
January 8, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Clearance sale 🚨 We've just discounted over 300 lines to clear, ready to fill those warehouse spaces with lovely new stuff for 2026.

Grab a bargain, and once they're gone, they're gone 👋

thepihut.com/collections/...
Clearance Sale
This is The Pi Hut bargain central - all our discounted items across all of our store sections in one place! Grab your hot beverage of choice and browse through our many discounted Raspberry Pi, Maker...
thepihut.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:40 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Ring your TDs and leave a message asking them to leave X. The script is simple: You are a constituent, by posting on X your representative is supporting a company which deliberately set out to promote image based abuse, and this is unacceptable. (You can also mention Musk's support of Dublin riots.)
Who is my TD? | Find my local TD | Search local TD using your home address | Contact Your Local TD - Contact Your Local TD | Who is My TD | Find My TD
Find and contact your local TDs (Teachta Dála) in Ireland. Easily email or tweet all representatives in your constituency. View Dáil vote results and breakdowns by party. Enter your address to get sta...
www.contactyourtd.ie
January 8, 2026 at 10:37 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Funny that this argument hasn't washed with them when children's rights groups are telling them age-gating social media access is a bad idea. But now...

I've been saying from the start that age-gating is a cop out on regulating platforms properly. Feeling validated (and furious, frankly).
My word.

The Taoiseach, in China, says "platforms can be misused and abused or they can be used for positive reasons as well..." and says that should be considered carefully "before jumping to conclusions" on whether it's appropriate for the Government to be on X.
January 8, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
According to Emsisoft, ransomware groups had a massive year claiming between 8,100 and 8,800 victims last year, between 33% and 46% growth from the previous year (depending on sources)

www.emsisoft.com/en/blog/4721...
January 8, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
There are real people, real women, real girls whose images have been edited by grok at the request of users.

This is not some fictionalised, nebulous harm.

That the 'adults in the room' and 'rules-based order' governments are humming and hawwing over taking a firm line on this is extraordinary
January 8, 2026 at 9:38 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Fitbit-this, Garmin-that, blah blah.

Most stuff you buy in January ends up in a drawer.

With this in mind, here are some actual fitness gadgets for slobs and quitters (most of us) that won’t be ditched on Week 3.
m.independent.ie/business/tec...
January 8, 2026 at 8:42 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Look up X on the App Store, scroll down to Report a Problem and fill out the form with this information.
January 7, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Folks, @womensaidireland.bsky.social have closed their X account on principle. Follow them here, give them some real engagement to acknowledge both the rightness of that decision, but also of letting go of high follower numbers (even if the algorithm meant that no longer signified actual reach).
January 8, 2026 at 7:22 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has shot and killed a woman during a raid in Minneapolis.

The Department of Homeland Security said the ICE agent acted in self-defence, a claim the city's mayor has described as "bullshit". jrnl.ie/6920703
Woman shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis as city's mayor disputes self-defence claim
Jacob Frey described the claim as “bullshit” and called on the immigration officers to leave the city.
jrnl.ie
January 7, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
I was on @smashingsecurity.com and it was extremely silly but educational. Come find out the correct star sign to catfish people. It is not Wars or Trek, sadly.

www.smashingsecurity.com/449-how-to-s...
449: How to scam someone in seven days
Romance scammers have apparently discovered astrology... and Taurus is their secret weapon. In episode 449 of "Smashing Security", we take a look inside an actual romance-fraud handbook - complete wit...
www.smashingsecurity.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Every hour between Monday and Tuesday, Twitter generated 6,700 sexual deepfake images.

Experts say it has become the biggest online factory of such material in the world.

This was a trend once on the darkest corners of the web - now pushed by a billionaire into the mainstream.
The AI Minister Niamh Smyth is seeking an urgent meeting with bosses of X over its Grok feature, which can generate sexualised deepfake images. She says the function is “disturbing and deeply worrying”

#VMNews
January 7, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
Danish soldiers are under standing orders to engage any hostile activity on Greenland, including unannounced US activity.

The standing order of 1952 is confirmed to be in force by both Danish Defence Command and Ministry of Defence to news site @berlingske.bsky.social
January 7, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Brian Honan
can y'all at least put a graphic media tag when you share videos of the state murdering someone
January 7, 2026 at 6:27 PM