Risky Bulletin Between Two Nerds: More secure but less safe
Mar 30, 2026
They contrast declining hacking risks for everyday users with a booming, industrialized scam economy. They dissect real exploits and why opportunity, not just capability, matters. They describe AI-boosted social engineering, from fake vendor sites to a $1.25M VIP WhatsApp crypto con. They recount personal scam encounters and how cheap tooling scales confidence tricks.
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Average Users Are Safer From Hacks Than Before
- Everyday users are much less exposed to browser and OS exploits than 10–15 years ago.
- Tom Uren notes drive-by exploit kits, adware and ransomware targeting grandmothers were common then but are rare now due to safer software.
Exploits Alone Don’t Equal Mass Compromise
- Successful attacks need capability, opportunity, and intent to align.
- The Grugq and Tom Uren explain an iOS 18 exploit on GitHub shows capability but lacks opportunity unless users visit an infected site and attackers have intent.
Assess Exploit Risk By Asking Three Questions
- Evaluate attack chains by checking capability, opportunity, and intent before panicking about published exploits.
- Tom Uren recommends asking how an exploit reaches users in practice, not just whether code exists on GitHub.
