Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

December 29, 2025 at 1:25 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Tune in Monday to get a little taste of bonus content that is normally reserved strictly for my patrons! You'll be treated to some select morsels from several top-notch 2025 interviews. (Note that I'll be starting a new patron promotion in January!)

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/

I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...

Replay: Stop Reusing Passwords - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

December 27, 2025 at 8:47 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

I pulled a classic from the vaults today: my first interview with @troyhunt.com from 2019 about his wonderful service @haveibeenpwned.com! We talk about data breaches, how he gets his data, and of course, how to protect your accounts.

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/12/22/r...

I’m digging into the vault for a classic interview – a blast from the past! I’ve done 460 episodes over the last nearly 9...

Advancing digital rights in 2026 will take all of us | Tor Project

December 22, 2025 at 1:47 PM

Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

Digital Shepard🇨🇦

@thedude-iam.bsky.social

@firewalldragons.bsky.social been listening to your show for some time and started reading the book today. Thanks for what you do. I’ve long been a privacy advocate and this gives me a more solid base to operate from. Thanks.

December 20, 2025 at 2:06 PM

Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

Tor Project

@torproject.org

Human rights are upheld by people, communities, and technologies that adapt to a changing world. Here's what that looks like for Tor as we head into the next year.
blog.torproject.org/advancing-di...

Human rights are upheld by people, communities, and technologies that adapt to a changing world. Here's what that looks like for Tor as we head into the next year.

blog.torproject.org

December 18, 2025 at 10:44 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Tune in Monday for a classic from the vault: my first interview with @troyhunt.com from Feb of 2019, almost 7 year ago now. We talk about data breaches, password tips and how HaveIBeenPwned works.

Subscribe:
firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/

I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...

Hackers Could Take Control of Car Dashboard by Hacking Its Modem

December 19, 2025 at 3:13 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Cars are a #security & #privacy nightmare. All cars are now IoT devices, except you have zero control over their data traffic because they use cellular modems you can't turn off, let alone monitor or configure.

cybersecuritynews.com/hackers-coul...

Connected cars using Unisoc UIS7862A chips face serious risks, allowing attackers to hijack dashboards and vehicle systems remotely.

cybersecuritynews.com

December 17, 2025 at 6:09 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

I'm in the market for a new TV and I'm not feeling pressure to act soon. Even though I never connect my TVs to the internet, I would still prefer to have a TV that doesn't come with embedded, unremovable AI. Just make it stop...

www.techpowerup.com/344075/micro...

Microsoft Copilot AI Comes to LG TVs, and Can't Be Deleted

Microsoft's Copilot AI chatbot is arguably one of the most controversial add-ons ever implemented in the Windows 11 operating system. However, the controversy doesn't stop at PC operating systems. It ...

www.techpowerup.com

December 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Few things...

1) Heads up about this particular campaign.

2) There are a lot of VERY clever stealer campaigns right now. And they tend to spike during the holidays.

3) This shows why the #enshittification of search results matters.

www.kaspersky.co.uk/blog/share-c...

The AMOS infostealer is piggybacking ChatGPT's chat-sharing feature

We break down a new infostealer attack that combines the ClickFix technique with a shared chat containing malicious user guides on the official ChatGPT website.

www.kaspersky.co.uk

December 15, 2025 at 6:19 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

As the year winds down, I put together a tasty sampler platter of some of my favorite interviews from 2025 - complete w/ updated commentary by yours truly! (And if you've never checked out my show, this is a great place to start.) Enjoy! Share!

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/12/15/b...

Best of 2025! - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

I’ve had some truly amazing interviews this past year. For your listening enjoyment, I’ve curated a set of clips from some of the best...

Don't wait to update: iOS 26.2 addresses multiple vulnerabilities

December 15, 2025 at 2:38 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Update your iPhones and iPads, folks - version 26.2 has fixes for bugs being actively exploited.

appleinsider.com/articles/25/...

Apple's iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates include a variety of fixes, introduced to keep user data secure. Here's what you need to know, and why you should consider updating right away.

appleinsider.com

December 13, 2025 at 4:21 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

This holiday season, what present could be more thoughtful for those you care about than the gift of #privacy and #security? I've got three options for you...

December 13, 2025 at 4:15 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Excellent video, well worth a watch. I completely agree. I love my tech, but I prefer to own my media. And having an analog backup of data or manual override for digital controls is mandatory for anything important.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvJe...

The power of analogue | Carissa Veliz | TEDxGeneva

YouTube video by TEDx Talks

www.youtube.com

December 13, 2025 at 3:39 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Tune in Monday for a curated "mix tape" of top interview snippets from 2025, including some updated commentary from yours truly...

Subscribe:
firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/

I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...

40 Years of Phrack - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

December 12, 2025 at 5:30 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Today I chat with Skyper & TMZ from @phrack.org magazine as they celebrate 40 years of phone phreaking, stack smashing and seminal filez like the Hacker Manifesto!

@hackerschoice.bsky.social @guitmz.bsky.social

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/12/08/4...

Way before the world wide web, computer enthusiasts were sharing information via digital bulletin board systems (BBS). This amounted to attaching a modem to...

Why Does Have I Been Pwned Contain "Fake" Email Addresses?

December 8, 2025 at 2:58 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

A little bit of Occam's Razor from @troyhunt.com - oftentimes the simplest explanation is the right one.

(In December, I often repost a fav interview from the archives - and this year, I picked my first podcast with Troy. Stay tuned...)

www.troyhunt.com/why-does-hav...

Normally, when someone sends feedback like this, I ignore it, but it happens often enough that it deserves an explainer, because the answer is really, really simple. So simple, in fact, that it should...

www.troyhunt.com

December 4, 2025 at 5:11 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Tune in Monday when we'll be speaking with @guitmz.bsky.social and Skyper from @phrack.org, celebrating 40 years of its publication! They have some great stories to tell!

Subscribe here:
firewallsdontstopdragons.com/podcast/

I have a weekly podcast called Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. The show is a mix of cybersecurity news and interviews of prominent people in the industry. But like the book, the shows are targeted squar...

Google's December Security Update Fixes Two Zero-Day Exploits (and 105 Others)

December 4, 2025 at 4:59 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Lots of Android security updates available - go get 'em.

lifehacker.com/tech/googles...

In its Android Security Bulletin for December, Google is pushing an especially large number of updates to address vulnerabilities across different components—two of which may have been exploited in th...

lifehacker.com

December 3, 2025 at 4:26 AM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

(Apologies for posting this again so soon... but I keep forgetting that #GivingTuesday is a thing.)

Take some time to support the orgs who are fighting for your rights every day. Here are a few top notch orgs to consider...

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/give-thanks-...

Give Thanks and Donate - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

Let's give thanks to groups who fight for our rights, hold our governments and corporations accountable, and work to improve our democratic institutions.

Be Wary of Holiday Scams - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

December 2, 2025 at 5:06 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

Today I have more tips on gifts & avoiding scams. Also: US scraps telco security regs; WhatsApp exposes 3.5B numbers; ClickFix update; US tracking 'suspicious' travel; several scams to watch for; cool tool for rogue IoT checks; ARC shut down; ++

podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2025/12/01/b...

With the holiday season come holiday scams – and honestly, just more scammer activity across the board, in general. People are busy and buying...

Rights Organizations Demand Halt to Mobile Fortify, ICE's Handheld

December 1, 2025 at 3:32 PM

Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

Electronic Frontier Foundation

@eff.org

ICE officers shouldn't be allowed to stick a phone in anyone's face to run face recognition without their consent. A coalition of privacy and civil rights advocates are telling DHS to end the program immediately.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

A coalition of privacy, civil liberties and civil rights organizations are demanding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shut down the use of Mobile Fortify, release the agency's privacy

www.eff.org

November 29, 2025 at 12:03 AM

Reposted by Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

gigastacey

@gigastacey.bsky.social

Interesting tool to see if the potential zombie devives on your network (or simply poorly secured devices) are up to no good.

GreyNoise @greynoise.io · Nov 25

This holiday season, run our IP Check at your family’s house, a free tool that answers a question we hear constantly: "How do I know if my home network has been compromised?"

www.greynoise.io/blog/your-ip...

Your IP Address Might Be Someone Else's Problem (And Here's How to Find Out)

Your home network might be part of someone else’s attack. GreyNoise IP Check shows if your IP’s been caught scanning the internet—free and private.

www.greynoise.io

November 28, 2025 at 7:02 PM

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

@firewalldragons.bsky.social

As you're doing your holiday shopping, consider giving the gift of your time and effort to make your loved ones more secure and protect their privacy. I've made some fun "dragon coupons" you can use to formalize your offer...

firewallsdontstopdragons.com/give-the-gif...

Give the Gift of Security & Privacy - Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons

Nothing says "I love you" more than keeping someone safe and secure - particularly in ways that they may not be able to do themselves. Our data and devices are under attack today, now more than ever. ...