Smashing Security podcast #325: Rick Astley and the little birdie scam

Australia’s signal intelligence agency calls upon an Eighties popstar to fight terrorism, and a simple act of kindness leads to a woman being scammed for thousands.

All this and much more is discussed in the latest edition of the “Smashing Security” podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

Plus don’t miss our featured interview with Max Power of Bitwarden.

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Hosts:

Graham Cluley – @gcluley
Carole Theriault – @caroletheriault

Episode links:

• Australian cyber-op attacked ISIL with the terrifying power of Rickrolling – The Register.
• “Breaking the code: Cyber Secrets Revealed” – ABC.
• Scam Alert: Woman tries helping injured bird, ends up losing Rs 1 lakh to cyber criminals – MSN News.
• Toll-free Hijack Alert (misdial scam) – AT&T.
• “Connected: the hidden science of everything” – Netflix.
• “Connections” with James Burke – YouTube.
• “I wanna marry Harry” reality show    – Wikipedia.
• “Space cadets” reality show – Wikipedia.
• Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV – Apple Podcasts.
• Famous Studios – Famous Studios website.
• Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV – BBC Sounds.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Bitwarden – Password security you can trust. Bitwarden is an open source password manager trusted by millions of individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide for secure password storage and sharing.
• Kolide – Kolide ensures that if your device isn’t secure it can’t access your cloud apps. It’s Zero Trust for Okta. Watch a demo today!
• Centripetal – Centripetal’s CleanINTERNET defends your assets from cyber threats by leveraging dynamic threat intelligence on a mass scale.

Support the show:

You can help the podcast by telling your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.

Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!

Follow us:

Follow the show on Twitter at @SmashinSecurity, or on Mastodon, on the Smashing Security subreddit, or visit our website for more episodes.

Thanks:

Theme tune: “Vinyl Memories” by Mikael Manvelyan.
Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.

Found this article interesting? Follow Graham Cluley on Twitter, Mastodon, or Threads to read more of the exclusive content we post.

Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.