Security Now (Audio)

Leo revisits some of the year's top Security Now segments of 2024.

• 956. Apple's Hardware Backdoor: Steve reflects on the previous week's 'The Mystery of CVE-2023-38606' deep-dive. Did Apple deliberately designed a secure backdoor?
• 960. Unforeseen Consequences of Google's 3rd-party Cookie Cutoff: As Google moves to phase out third-party cookies, the advertising industry scrambles to find new ways to track users, potentially leading to more intrusive methods like requiring users to create accounts on websites.
• 961. Bitlocker: Chipped or Cracked?: A clever hacker demonstrates how BitLocker-encrypted drives can be compromised on systems using separate TPM chips, highlighting the importance of integrating TPM functionality directly into the CPU.
• 964. So, What Is Apple's PQ3?: Steve analyzes Apple's new "PQ3" post-quantum safe iMessaging protocol, uestioning whether it truly offers superior security compared to Signal's existing solution.
• 976. Recall - The 50 Gigabyte Privacy Bomb: Examining Microsoft's new "Recall" feature that records users' screens every few seconds, raising significant privacy concerns.
• 984. CrowdStruck: A look at the disastrous global IT outage caused by a faulty CrowdStrike Falcon update, affecting airports, hospitals, banks, and more.
• 1000. Steve and Leo reflect on 1000 episodes of Security Now.
• 1001. Artificial General Intelligence: Steve and Leo discuss the challenges in achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) and the debate surrounding its potential timeline and societal impact.

Host: Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

• Is AI the Wizard of Oz? Or is it more?
• Microsoft's long standing effective MFA login bypass.
• Is TPM 2.0 not required after all for Windows 11?
• Meet 14 North Korean IT workers who made $88 million from the West.
• Android updates its Bluetooth tracking with anti-tracking.
• The NPM package manager repository has had 540,000 malicious packages discovered hiding in plain sight.
• The AskWoody site remains alive, well, and terrific.
• My iPhone is linked to Windows and it's wonderful. Yay.
• How has email been finding logos before BIMI?
• If we use Him and Her for people, how about Hal for AI?
• Another very disturbing conversation with ChatGPT.
• What's going on with the new ChatGPT o1 model? It wants to escape? What??
• Let's Encrypt plans to reduce its certificate lifetime from 90 to just 6 days. Why in the world?
• And all the best holiday wishes. See you in January

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1005-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT
• 1password.com/securitynow
• bigid.com/securitynow
• canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT

This week, Steve and Leo discuss the recent 'Salt Typhoon' hack of U.S. telecom providers by China, TPM 2.0 requirement for Windows 11, Microsoft's newly hacked Windows activation system, Apple patenting AI facial and body recognition, and much more. Steve also shares an intriguing conversation he had with the ChatGPT 4o AI system while working on an update to GRC's DNS Benchmark tool.

• All telecom providers have been hacked and may still not be safe to use. So now the government is recommending that we use our own encrypted communications.
• The plan to obsolete all non-TPM 2.0 PCs remains well underway. Microsoft must be feeling the heat, so they're taking time to not apologize.
• Whoops. Microsoft's product activation system has been fully hacked. All Windows and Office products may now be easily activated without any licensing.
• Here come the AI patents. Apple patents AI recognizing people by what they're wearing after earlier seeing their faces and noting what they're wearing.
• Zoom wasn't encrypting their early video conferencing. They're still trying to get out from under the mess their lies created for them.
• AWS introduces physical data terminal locations where users can go to perform massive data transfers to and from the cloud.
• The FTC has set its sights on data brokers. Let's hope something comes of it.
• GRC's email finally gets BIMI. (Can you see the Ruby-G logo?)
• Lot's a terrific listener feedback about authenticator policy, a new and free point-to-point link service, Tor's "Snowflake", linking PCs and Smartphones, and even recharging spent SodaStream canisters.
• Then we look at a recent conversation Steve had with "ChatGPT 4o with canvas" and the new plan that resulted

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1004-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• lookout.com
• canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
• bitwarden.com/twit

Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte discuss Microsoft's clarification about AI training data usage, a fascinating breakthrough in understanding autonomous vehicle vulnerabilities, and an urgent call for help from the Tor Network. The show culminates in an in-depth exploration of NASA's incredible Voyager 1 mission, which continues to communicate with Earth from nearly a light-day away despite increasing technical challenges.

• Microsoft clarifies they are NOT using customer data from Office apps to train AI models
• "Digital epileptic seizures" caused by flashing emergency vehicle lights can confuse automated driving systems, posing crash risks
• Tor Network issues urgent call for volunteers to run new WebTunnel bridges to circumvent censorship in Russia
• Zello asks its 140 million users to change passwords as a precautionary measure, hinting at a possible data breach
• FTC opens broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft's business practices across software, cloud, cybersecurity, and AI
• New Android scareware tactic simulates a seriously cracked and malfunctioning smartphone screen
• Steve argues it's likely safe to leave Wireguard VPN ports open, but he prefers not to out of an abundance of caution
• Research shows AI training on AI-generated content can lead to homogeneity and loss of diversity in outputs
• Australia passes world-first law banning children under 16 from social media, with hefty fines for non-compliant platforms
• NASA's Voyager 1 probe, nearly a light-day from Earth, resumes operations after a communications scare but faces mounting technical challenges as it nears the end of its life

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1003-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• Melissa.com/twit
• bigid.com/securitynow
• joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT
• bitwarden.com/twit

• What's the new "nearest neighbor" attack and how do you defend against it?
• Let's Encrypt just turned 10. What changes has it wrought?
• Now the Coast Guard is worried about Chinese built ship-to-shore cranes.
• Pakistan becomes the first country to block Bluesky.
• There's a new way to get Git repos "swatted" and removed.
• Who's to blame for Palo Alto Networks' serious new 0-day vulnerabilities?
• If you have any of these six D-Link VPN routers, unplug them immediately!
• It turns out that VPN apps are against Shariah Law. Who knew?
• The Return of Windows Recall. What are we learning now?
• How many of today's systems remain vulnerable to last year's most popular exploits?
• We share and respond to a bunch of terrific feedback from our listeners.
• What are Microsoft's "Connected Experience" and why might you choose to disconnect from them?

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1002-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• e-e.com/twit
• bitwarden.com/twit
• threatlocker.com for Security Now
• flashpoint.io

• How Microsoft lured the US Government into a far deeper and expensive dependency upon its cybersecurity solutions.
• Gmail to offer native throwaway email aliases like Apple and Mozilla.
• Russia to ban several additional hosting companies and give its big Internet disconnect switch another test.
• Russia uses a diabolical Windows flaw to attack Ukrainians.
• The value of old Security Now episodes.
• TrueCrypt's successor.
• Using Cloudflare's Tunnel service for remote network access.
• How to make a local server appear to be on a remote public IP.
• How to share an 'impossible to type' password with someone.
• How to find obscure previous references in the Security Now podcast.
• What are the parameters for the expected and widely anticipated next generation Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)? What do those in the industry and academia expect? And is OpenAI's Sam Altman completely nuts for predicting it next year? Is it just a stock ploy?

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1001-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• bigid.com/securitynow
• joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT
• 1password.com/securitynow
• canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT

• Bitwarden reaffirms it's commitment to open source.
• The rights of German security researchers are clarified.
• Australia to impose age limits on social media.
• Free Windows Server 2025 anyone?
• UAC wasn't getting in the way enough, so they're fixing that.
• "From Russia with fines" -- obey or else.
• South Korea fines Meta over serious user privacy violations.
• Synology's (very) critical zero-click RCE flaw.
• Malicious Python packages invoked by typos.
• Google to enforce full MFA for all cloud service users.
• Mozilla Foundation lays off 30%? Is Firefox safe?
• Some feedback from Dave's Garage (https://grc.sc/dave)
• GRC email
• CTL: AI Debugging
• CTL: Chat GPT vs YouTube Shorts
• CTL: Update on the "Train Tracks" Pic of the Week
• CTL: DNS Benchmark compatibility
• CTL: The accuracy of AI
• CTL: Exposing NAS to the Internet
• CTL: Congrats on 1000!

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1000-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• bitwarden.com/twit
• threatlocker.com for Security Now
• flashpoint.io
• lookout.com

• Google's record-breaking fine by Russia. (How many 0's is that?)
• RT's editor-in-chief admits that their TV hosts are AI-generated.
• Windows 10 security updates set to end next October... or are they?
• When a good Chrome extension goes bad.
• Windows .RDP launch config files. What could possibly go wrong?
• Firefox 132 just received some new features.
• Chinese security cameras being removed from the UK.
• I know YOU wouldn't fall for this social engineering attack.
• What's GRC's next semi-commercial product going to be?
• And what's the prospect for AI being used to analyze code to eliminate security vulnerabilities?

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-999-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT
• 1password.com/securitynow
• bigid.com/securitynow
• Melissa.com/twit

• Apple proposes 45-day maximum certificate life.
• SEC fines four companies for downplaying their SolarWinds attack severity.
• Google adds 5 new features to Messenger including inappropriate content.
• Does AI-driven local device-side filtering resolve the encryption dilemma forever?
• The very nice looking "Session" messenger leaves Australia for Switzerland.
• Another quick look at the question of the EU's software liability moves.
• Fake North Korean employees WERE found to install backdoor malware.
• How to speed up an SSD without using SpinRite.
• Using ChatGPT to review and suggest improvements in code.
• And Internet governance has been trying to move the Internet to IPv6 for the past 25 years, but the Internet just doesn't want to go. Why not? And will it ever?

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-998-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT
• e-e.com/twit
• threatlocker.com for Security Now
• 1password.com/securitynow

• Did Chinese researchers really break RSA encryption? What did they do?
• What next-level terror extortion is being powered by the NPD breach data?
• The EU to hold software companies liable for software security?
• Microsoft lost weeks of security logs. How hard did the try to fix the problem?
• The Chinese drone company DJI has sued the DoJ over its ban on DJI's drones.
• The DoJ wishes to acquire "DeepFake" technology to create fake people.
• Microsoft has bots pretending to fall for phishing campaigns, then leading the bad guys to their honeypots. It's diabolical and brilliant.
• A bit of BIMI logo follow-up, then...
• A look at the operation of the FIDO Alliance's forthcoming Credential Exchange Protocol which promises to create passkey collection portability

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-997-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page.

For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.

Sponsors:

• threatlocker.com for Security Now
• flashpoint.io
• lookout.com
• bitwarden.com/twit